Nicola Black

@nicolablack.bsky.social

138

Posts

I'm new here.

❤️: Design, history, music, genealogy, gardening, hiking, self-employment, being silly (see cover photo)

👩🏻‍💻Strategist/Designer: https://nicolablack.com
🚀Community: https://joinwip.com Applications open for Season 5! Close 7/26/24

Posts Replies Media

One of my faves from the first round of NikkiMaki Pet Portraits. Petey is an absolute cutie! 😍

Just put up a new process post for my paid Patreon subscribers where I go step by step through how I painted Petey, the most recent pet portrait commission I completed. I outline a new technique I stumbled upon during a moment where I got stuck. www.patreon.com/posts/painti...

Painting Petey: A Petite Process Post. | Maki Narowww.patreon.com Get more from Maki Naro on Patreon

Looking back on the past few years of running Work In Progress and I came across this little gem. Written when WIP was born. 🙌 Since then, @makinaro.bsky.social & I have made a few updates, but the core program remains unchanged. I am SO excited for Season 5! 🥳 technical.ly/startups/wor...

Work in Progress, a community and accelerator for solopreneuers, is launching in early 2021technical.ly Indy Hall's Alex Hillman and brand consultant Nicola Black are building a program to convene likeminded self-employed people to set goals and work through problems together.

...um, what?! www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/n...

Breakfast in a bottle: NJ company creates pork roll, egg and cheese on everything bagel vodkawww.nbcphiladelphia.com New Jersey's 3BR Distillery has created a vodka that is intended to taste like an everything bagel with egg, cheese and pork roll or Taylor ham.

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Nicola Black

I spent much of my childhood secretly wishing I was named Max. I didn't want to be different. I'll never forget watching Godzilla and the hero was named Goro Maki. His name was even written the same as mine, "牧" The impact it has when kids see themselves reflected in media cannot be overstated.

Got this incredible message from a guy on IG. This is why I refuse to anglicize my name for print, even tho it would help my career. Having a very Arabic/Muslim name has hindered my employability my whole life, but it might make it easier for kids like Tarik in the future. I really needed this.

I just learned about the "worldwide tech outage" caused by a Microsoft update via this article and whoa! It's wild just how many businesses go down due to one company's mistake. Eeep! 😬 www.syracuse.com/news/2024/07...

Worldwide tech outage: See list of Central New York agencies and companies affectedwww.syracuse.com The Syracuse airport, a hospital, doctor's offices, police, government agencies and some banks across region impacted.

I'm slowly beginning to roll out new portfolio posts for my brand strategy and design work. 🥳 I have a years long backlog of projects going up. I just posted a carousel of images on my IG for the work I did for "Form," an interior design business: www.instagram.com/p/C9k3li1JZWw/

Nicola Black Design, LLC on Instagram: "—>Swipe for seamless carousel! 🎠 Hey friends, it’s been a while. I’m s l o w l y updating my portfolio (it’s been years! 😬) and with that comes creating new gr...www.instagram.com 4 likes, 0 comments - nblackdesign on July 18, 2024: "—>Swipe for seamless carousel! 🎠 Hey friends, it’s been a while. I’m s l o w l y updating my portfolio (it’s been years! 😬) and with that comes c...

Aww!!! Maki, you got his whoville feets too. 🥹 Also, thinking on it... I don't know why I always called them his "whoville feet" when it's really the Grinch's long finger/feet fur it looks like. 🤷‍♀️😂

Cody, Knight Errant of the Order of Didymus

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Nicola Black

Good morning to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Missed it's exit and had to turn around. Yes, even in giraffes.

Oh. My. God. I always wanted to see our Cody man as Sir Didymus and here he is.😭 It was my nickname for him. He was all personality and this character was him to a T. "None may pass without my permission!" 🥹❤️I miss him so much. He did the best job protecting us. My little Sir Didymus forever.

Another #WIP peek at the Bravest Boy from last night 🥲

Today's goal is to complete a task I've had on my to-do list since Monday. Whenever it's for my own biz, tasks are easy to put aside for other "more important" things... a common theme I see among my self-employed friends. So, today, I'm taking steps to DO THE DAMN THING! 😅Who's with me?!

What an interesting concept! A little bit of time travel in a podcast. I'm very intrigued. Listening now. 🕰️📅

In November 2023, my friend and collaborator Noah Max Levine invited me to record a podcast episode predicting this July 2024 week. I talked about my relationships with Google Calendar and beer but boy did I not see all... *Gestures wisely* this coming! talkin2024.podbean.com?fbclid=PAZXh...

Talkin’ 2024 with Noah and | Audio Podcasts of Noahtalkin2024.podbean.com Talkin’ 2024 is the weekly forecast that’s timely and untimely. One tired comedian recorded all 53 episodes back-to-back. He had help: 5 co-hosts and 53 guests. Together they recorded one podcast for ...

Things are incredibly overwhelming. I’m trying to chip away at my to-dos, but my brain keeps reverting to panic mode. For me, this means I need to step away for at least 20 mins. to recalibrate. Being outside helps. So, I’ve given in to Ollie’s request to go outside and have a sit. ❤️

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Nicola Black

Reply to

Maki Naro - Commissions open!

My wife and I run a tight-knit community of freelancers and small business owners. Twice a year, it ramps up for more goal-driven mastermind-like sessions where members pool their knowledge and experience to help you those new projects or next steps underway. bsky.app/profile/nico...

I'm thrilled our next Pro Season of Work in Progress is coming up in August because I have a few projects that could use the support, camaraderie, and accountability of the Pro Season program and community. 🥳 If you're a freelancer, you don't have to go it alone. Apply today! joinwip.com

I’d 100% be at this event if I were in the Philly area July 27th! This looks like so much fun!

We still have some spots open for July 27th's Moth Night! givebutter.com/PC0VZX

Need something sweet, but we’re due a grocery store visit. We have some bananas, so I put together a homemade magic shell, drizzled that over them, topped with some chopped walnuts, and a bit of kosher salt. Into the freezer! Let’s see how this experiment turns out… 🍌🍫

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Nicola Black

WIP has been a place of inspiration, sanity-checking, and accountability for me. If you've got a project you are trying to level up or launch, I'd recommend joining the Pro Season of Work in Progress 👍😎✔️

Just updated our NikkiMaki Pet Portraits page with another 5-star review! 🥳 Look at this little cutie. That pose and those adorable ears. 🥹So honored that Petey's human gave @makinaro.bsky.social and I the pleasure of memorializing him with this portrait. Get yours at: nicolablack.com/nikkimaki

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Nicola Black

Hey folks. We are three days from launching The Unfamiliars. Please please please sign up here and share the link. I apologize in advance for being That Guy, but I’ve got…well, everything, riding on this one. www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

Get Ready for The Unfamiliarswww.backerkit.com From Ethan Kocak - Get Ready for The Unfamiliars

I watched an episode of a travel series that touched on the folklore of Sawney Bean. I hadn't heard this piece of Scottish folklore before. It's pretty intense! Anyway, the host stays overnight in the cave attached to the story and... 😱 www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPUY...

Just updated the NikkiMaki page with a product I created last year, my Five-Generation Family Tree Designs. 🌳🥳 This one's for my fellow family history/genealogy geeks. There's also a downloadable freebie available when you click through on this one. ✨ www.nicolablack.com/nikkimaki/#t...

I love Saturdays. Today, @makinaro.bsky.social and I spent the first part of the day strategizing. After today's chat, I'm SO energized and inspired about what's next. 🥳 More with NikkiMaki as well as a possible bit of rebranding/refocus for my Identity Design and Strategy biz. It's gonna be good!

From a post where the author defends and justifies the two left arms in their branded graphic by stating their partner who is a "graphic designer" (I can't) left it in intentionally because... get this... it's common as an "advertising technique." 🤦 OMFG. I think I'm finished for the day.

It's wild seeing just how many "creative agencies" who put on the front of valuing art, design, photography, writing, etc. changing their tune for the money grab that is AI. Sad, but not surprising. Visible even before shit hit the fan. Good to see their true, toxic, colors seeping through.

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Nicola Black

Normalize actually reading an email, with its subject line, before replying.

OMG. How did I miss this one? GRITTY!!!! 😍😂 A major perk of living with a talented illustrator is little gems like this.

Oh I'm sorry. How could I leave this one out?

As @makinaro.bsky.social and I finish up the last order from our June Pet Portraits drive, we're ready to fill spots for July/August! 🥳 We've had SO MUCH fun w/these and look forward to doing many more. Let us commemorate your bestie and book your pet's portrait today! 🐶🐱 nicolablack.com/nikkimaki

Today's the 10th anniversary of @makinaro.bsky.social & I's first date. 🥳 He bussed from NYC to Philly to meet me for the day. We had the best time: brunch, the Mütter Museum, Spruce Street Harbor Park, + walking around ALL day. ❤️ I didn't take any photos. But here's a goofy one from our 3rd date.

I recently shared the post attached about WIP Pro Season 5 applications opening. Well, today's the day! We only accept 24 people for these Pro Seasons, so if you're a self-employed freelancer looking for support and accountability, now's the time! Applications are officially open! 🥳 joinwip.com

2x/year, we open applications for Pro Seasons of Work In Progress. Built by & for solo business owners, it's a place to get the support you need as you navigate and build your biz. Pro Season 5 begins at the end of August. 🥳 Get on the waitlist to get notified when applications open. joinwip.com

Been deep in research mode (which I love) for an upcoming project. Fascinating, important, but heavy stuff. Been reading & watching reference materials for a full 4 hours this morning/afternoon. Time to come up for air. Hoping it's not too gross out so I can enjoy a little outdoors time to refresh.