How art helped them move through life’s changes | Shana Covington Goodwin, Nicole Loy and Sarah Niksa
When life becomes uncertain, words fall short, or the world feels too heavy, some people turn to paint, colour, or even a digital screen to help carry the weight. That’s precisely what artists Shana Covington Goodwin, Nicole Loy and Sarah Niksa have done.
In conversations with Shana Covington Goodwin, Nicole Loy, and Sarah “Birdie” Niksa, it quickly became clear that their creative journeys aren’t about perfection or sticking to rules. They’re about staying open, learning as they go, and letting their work grow.
Each of these women has found a way to create that fits into the ebb and flow of real life. Shana picked up her passion again after weathering some tough seasons. Nicole leaned into her art during grief and found a sense of calm in nature and colour. Birdie brings her emotions to life through playful characters and soft sculptures, building strange and familiar worlds.
Through their stories, we learn that creativity doesn’t have to follow a straight path. Sometimes it starts with a childhood memory, a sketchbook full of messy ideas, or the decision to try something new after a long break. Together, they show us that making space to create, no matter what it looks like, is a brave and beautiful thing.
Shana Covington Goodwin: Making Room to Breathe
New York-based artist Shana Covington Goodwin, also known as Shoshanah Rose, is in what she calls a “character arc.” After some hard seasons, she’s returning to her love for art, more fully this time. For Shana, creating is a way to breathe and feel okay breaking the rules.
Her studio practice is loose, intuitive, and full of play. She often juggles several pieces simultaneously, testing new techniques, exploring ideas, and letting them go if something doesn’t feel right. “If I don’t like it, no one has to see it,” she laughs. “I can destroy it, paint over it, or just keep it and learn from it.”
Much of Shana’s inspiration comes from her childhood, when she visited her grandparents, learned to draw flowers, and watched Bob Ross. “My dad is still my biggest fan,” she says. That support helped her push past imposter syndrome and proudly call herself an artist again—this time with confidence and gratitude.
From sketches of her late dog to paintings that capture the gentle beauty of everyday life, her work tells a story of slowly and honestly reclaiming joy.
Art is one place in my life where I let myself be free. I can go against my nature. I don’t have to follow rules.
To learn more about Shana, click on the links below.
Nicole Loy on Turning Nature and Memory Into Stillness
Across the ocean in Singapore, Nicole Loy finds inspiration in landscapes, emotions, and the quiet strength of change. With a background shaped by time spent in Saint Lucia, Australia, and now Singapore, Nicole’s digital work carries a sense of movement and stillness all at once.
She began creating during a season of loss and emotional heaviness. Art, for her, became a space to process feelings she couldn’t explain in words. “When I started sharing my work, people began reaching out,” she says. “They saw themselves in it, which helped me feel less alone, too.”
Nicole’s art doesn’t try to recreate nature exactly—it captures its feeling—a sky just after the sun drops or the shape of a flower right before it fades. Her pieces, like Summer Sunsets, are made with care and intention, blending precision with spontaneity.
Now working from her home studio, she continues to craft digital works that serve as windows into her world, and ours. “I want my work to give people a moment of stillness,” she says, “to feel something gentle and real.”
As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I draw inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of the natural world—serene landscapes, vibrant flora, and the delicate balance between humanity and the environment.
To learn more about Nicole, visit the links below.
How Sarah “Birdie” Niksa Built a World From Emotions and Wonder
For Sarah “Birdie” Niksa, storytelling doesn’t need words. Through soft sculptures, bold paintings, and sketchbook worlds filled with wild characters, she explores what it means to feel strange, curious, and human.
Birdie’s earliest inspiration came from her grandparents—her grandmother’s paintings, her grandfather’s design work, and the garage-turned-studio filled with reused snack containers full of pencils and brushes. “Their home felt magical,” she recalls. “It made art feel like something alive, something that could be part of everyday life.”
Today, Birdie studies at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, working toward her MFA and building a thesis that’s as personal as it is creative. Her practice is guided by emotion, intuition, and experimentation. Some days she plans. Some days she follows her gut. “If something isn’t clicking, I switch it up. I let the work surprise me.”
Her soft sculptures—playful, strange, and full of personality—offer an unexpected way into serious ideas about identity, change, and the search for belonging. They invite you in with whimsy and ask you to stay and think.
Even when health challenges have complicated things, Birdie’s commitment to her process remains steady. Sketchbook in hand, she keeps creating her “wibbles”—characters and creatures that are weird, heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious. Her art reminds us that nothing has to make perfect sense to be meaningful.
I love to create work based on my curiosity.
To learn more about Sarah, click on the links below.
Shana, Nicole, and Birdie work in different mediums and live in different parts of the world. But they’re connected by their approach to creativity, which they see not as something they must master but as something that helps them move through life.
They’ve shown us that art isn’t always about knowing what you’re doing. It’s about trying anyway, allowing change, trusting your instincts, and creating honest work.
Their stories remind us that creative growth doesn’t always come in big, dramatic moments. Sometimes, it’s a quiet return to something you once loved. Sometimes it’s finding peace in a small digital drawing. And sometimes it’s building a creature from scraps and stitching it together until it feels right. Whatever the path looks like, there’s room for all of it.
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