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Detroit artist Brian Nixon, widely known as B Nick, has spent the past decade steadily building a creative practice rooted in painting, portraiture, and self-discovery. While he officially counts about ten years of seriously pursuing art, his relationship with drawing began much earlier.

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“I’ve been drawing since I was about three years old,” Nixon says.

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Like many artists, creativity came naturally to him from childhood. Over time, that early curiosity evolved into a more focused artistic path centered on painting and portrait work. Today, B Nick’s practice spans multiple mediums, but his foundation remains rooted in the act of drawing and translating human presence onto the canvas.

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Painting is where Nixon feels most at home. His primary mediums are acrylic and oil paint, both of which allow him to explore texture, layering, and expressive detail. These materials form the backbone of his studio work, but his practice extends beyond the canvas as well.

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Nixon has also worked on murals and large-scale outdoor pieces, using acrylic house paints and spray cans when working in exterior spaces. The shift in environment—from studio walls to public surfaces—adds another dimension to his artistic approach and demonstrates his versatility as a creator.

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Although much of Nixon’s development as an artist has come through personal experimentation and discipline, he did spend time studying art formally. He attended Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, where he was introduced to an art-focused curriculum that helped shape his early foundation. Later, he continued his studies with a year at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) and another year at Eastern Michigan University.

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After those experiences, Nixon’s artistic education largely became self-directed.

“After that, it was kind of like self-teaching,” he explains.

That independence has allowed him to refine his own techniques and develop a creative voice that feels authentic to him. It’s also why his advice to emerging artists might come as a surprise.

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When asked what someone should do if they want to create art the way he does, Nixon immediately pushes back against the idea.

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“Don’t be like me,” he says.

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Instead, he encourages artists to discover their own identity through practice and exploration.

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“You can be inspired by what I’ve done,” he explains, “but find your own style. Find your own technique.”

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According to Nixon, that individuality only emerges through repetition and commitment. The more an artist practices, the more their natural tendencies begin to reveal themselves.

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“Generally, that just comes with practice,” he says. “The more you practice, the more your style will show.”

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For B Nick, the journey of becoming an artist isn’t about imitation—it’s about persistence, experimentation, and the gradual discovery of a personal visual language. Whether painting portraits in the studio or working on murals outdoors, his message to other creatives remains clear: the most powerful work comes from learning how to be yourself.

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