Welcome to Creative Chaos: Art, Motherhood, and the Messy Magic In-Between
Welcome to Creative Chaos!
Hey beautiful people! I’m Devan Nixon. Some of you may already know me - as an artist, a mother, or maybe both. Creative Chaos is a little blog I’ve been dreaming up because I love writing, sharing my process, and unpacking the wild ride of parenthood.
There’s a magical mess to both art and motherhood, and I’m learning to lean into it. It’s taken me four years of being a mom to start settling into my thoughts, habits (good and bad), and lessons learned.
Where it all began
As a kid, I was always drawn to crafts and artsy things (or so I’ve been told). Art runs in my family, not always in traditional ways, but it’s there. I remember entering contests, seeing my work hung in elementary school hallways, and feeling this deep pride that carried me forward. Even those old school “career tests” would spit out “artist” in my top three, which felt both confusing and validating. Confusing because I kept hearing, “That’s not a real job,” but validating because something in me knew it was.
I carried that “one day people will know my name” energy with me, a very Type A spark that pushed me forward.
Detours & rediscoveries
Fast forward to college. I started out in Kinesiology, dreaming of becoming a physical therapist. I loved anatomy, I was an athlete, and I thought it made sense. But then came chemistry… which I failed. Three times. (Oof.)
After trying out Forestry and Child Development, I finally wandered into an art class. It was like coming home. Graphic design, painting, drawing, it lit me up. Despite all the “you’ll be eating rice and beans” warnings, I stuck with it.
I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design and Painting (plus a minor in Arts & Cultural Management) and headed to the Bay Area with my now-husband. I worked in art galleries, biked through the city, and felt like I was living a version of the artist's dream. But galleries don’t exactly pay well, and I started realizing my favorite part of the work was creating content, blending my design background with marketing, and diving into the digital world.
The window back to art
Eight years, five marketing roles, one cross-country move, and two kids later, I found myself circling back. Marketing was my house, but surface pattern design became my window, the way I could finally blend my skills and passion into one.
After taking Bonnie Christine’s Immersion Course, I knew this was it: the thing I wanted to do forever. Art that’s not only beautiful, but functional, on fabric, wallpaper, products, that’s what lights me up.
Why Creative Chaos?
I told myself I’d be further along by now (hello, licensing goals!) but life had other plans. May through September got away from me. Work, kids, excuses. But here I am, back and ready to share, ready to create, ready to invite you along for the ride.
Through this blog, you’ll see pieces of my process, my family, and my life as an artist, mom, wife, and friend. It’s all part of the creative chaos I’m learning to embrace.
Thanks for being here - I can’t wait to see where this goes. 💛
— Devan
What kind of creative chaos are you wrangling in your own life?
