• Home
  • FAQs
  • WNW News
  • Creative Work
  • Opinion
  • Back to WNW
Menu

Working Not Working Magazine

  • Home
  • FAQs
  • WNW News
  • Creative Work
  • Opinion
  • Back to WNW
×
Photo by Mckenzie Grant-Gordon (Painting titled “Recognition”)

Photo by Mckenzie Grant-Gordon (Painting titled “Recognition”)

Jewel Ham’s Creativity With Spotify Changed The Internet This Holiday Season. Now, She Wants Her Art To Change The World

Working Not Working January 7, 2021

Jewel Ham now has an appreciation for creativity on a smaller scale—one that’s decidedly not corporate. Here’s Jewel Ham on interning at Spotify, her definition of creativity, advice for future creatives, and building community in Charlotte.

Read More
In INTERVIEWS Tags Jewel Ham, artist, fine art, Spotify, intern, graduate, internet, Charlotte, community, talent, painter, interview, Trey Alston
kadirnelson_freelanceroftheyear.jpg

Kadir Nelson, Whose Art Depicts Heroes & Humanity, Wins the First-Ever ADC Freelancer of the Year Award, Presented By Working Not Working

Working Not Working May 21, 2020

Kadir Nelson, Whose Art Depicts Heroes & Humanity, Wins the First-Ever ADC Freelancer of the Year Award, Presented By Working Not Working

WORKING NOT WORKING

Congratulations to all of this week’s announced winners across all categories in the ADC 99th Annual Awards. This year, The One Club for Creativity partnered with Working Not Working to offer freelancers a lowered entry price and the opportunity to have a bigger voice, presence, and platform in the creative industry. As a result, the ADC Awards saw hundreds of freelance applicants this year. The partnership also led to a new category, presented by Working Not Working. We’re excited to announce that the inaugural “ADC Freelancer of the Year” award is presented to artist Kadir Nelson.

Kadir Nelson is a Los Angeles-based illustrator and artist. His work is emotional and spirited; it’s painterly and figurative. It’s also a monumental task to even begin to summarize his body of work. Engaging with his art leaves a lasting impression. That may explain why his paintings are in the permanent collections of several notable institutions including the United States House of Representatives, the Muskegon Museum of Art, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, United States Postal Museum, the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, and most recently, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the World Trade Center, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

View fullsize NY191202_CVN_Nelson_Graffiti_sRGB.jpg
View fullsize SCOOTRE COVER SMALL_0.jpg
View fullsize CoverStory-STORY_kadir_anniversary.jpg
View fullsize cover-STORY-nelson_franklin.jpg
View fullsize CVN_TNY_07_03_17RGB_0.jpg
View fullsize kadir-nelson-newyorker-cover-90.jpg

It’s fitting that Kadir sets the bar for ADC’s “Freelancer of the Year” honor, given his more than 25 years as a freelance artist. He credits his parents with inspiring him to be comfortable with independence at a young age. “My parents owned their own businesses when I was a kid, and later while I was in college my mother quit her stable job as an engineer and became a self-employed author and speaker. It was a powerful example of bravery and professional independence.” Throughout college, Kadir sold his work to support himself and pay for his tuition. Shortly after graduating, and a stint creating conceptual artwork for DreamWorks Pictures, Kadir officially became a freelancer.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever had an ‘I’ve made it’ moment because I still have to work for a living. Painting, living, and evolving is a journey, and as I’ve gotten further into my career I’ve learned to appreciate that very fact.”

Flight of the Clotilda - 2020 ADC Gold Cube Winner

As many Working Not Working Members know, existing as a professional freelancer means growing comfortable with uncertainty. Creativity becomes not just a job or a living but a means for survival. The independence that comes with freelancing can be a dream, but it’s not for everyone. Kadir doesn’t see arrival as part of the freelance equation. “I don't believe I've ever had an ‘I've made it’ moment because I still have to work for a living. Painting, living, and evolving is a journey, and as I've gotten further into my career I've learned to appreciate that very fact…My career has been a wonderful string of moments and opportunities.”

These opportunities over the years include working with clients like National Geographic, HBO, Nike, Disney, Hennessy, and Sony Music, with moments like frequently been featured on the cover of The New Yorker and contributing over a dozen commemorative US postage stamps honoring American legends.

“My mission is to create artwork that illustrates the journey of the hero and to remind humanity of the best and noblest parts of itself.”

Where do you go from there? As Kadir tells us, “My mission is to create artwork that illustrates the journey of the hero and to remind humanity of the best and noblest parts of itself.” For many artists both young and established, Kadir’s career is itself the journey of a hero. What has he learned over the years from being a freelancer? “I've learned that my voice as a human being and an artist is powerful and that I can use that power to connect with, to heal, and inspire people. I would encourage artists to tell their stories with their work and paint subject matter that is meaningful to them.”

The other lesson is to keep going. Despite all of his accomplishments, Kadir doesn’t rest on his laurels. That’s why he’s the ADC Freelancer of the Year. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to create a cover for National Geographic this year. It was a life-long dream to do this job since I'd seen their beautiful covers since I was a kid. I also won the Caldecott Medal, which was also on my dream board. I also got married in 2019, I finished the first draft for a big book I've been dreaming up, and I also began creating paintings for a monster project, so it was a very good year. Like most years, I've had also challenges, but I cannot complain. I can only keep pushing forward.”

img_9226.jpeg
DRAKEfinish-12x6.jpg
UNDEFEATED-COVER-SMALL.jpg
LIFE OF MARVIN GAYE.jpg
 

Discover more creative talent, projects, and perspectives like this on Working Not Working. If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, news, or opinions to share, email us.

 
In WNW NEWS Tags ADC awards, ADC, One Club, Working Not Working, Kadir Nelson, Los Angeles, painter, illustrator, artist, New Yorker, illustration, painting, museum

Search Posts

 

Featured Posts

Featured
Sep 16, 2024
How to Tackle Employee Turnover in 2024: Lessons from Working Not Working on HR Brew
Sep 16, 2024
Sep 16, 2024
Sep 12, 2024
Creatives Spill the Tea: A Pulse Check on Employee Happiness
Sep 12, 2024
Sep 12, 2024
Apr 27, 2022
Nicole Lelacheur, a Senior Copywriter at JOAN, Talks Empathy, Instincts, & Keeping a Foot Firmly Planted Outside Adland
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 8, 2022
4 Steps to Build as a Business & Show Your Value, Courtesy of Carolyn Bothwell, Brand Strategist & Founder of Freelance Founders
Apr 8, 2022
Apr 8, 2022
Apr 8, 2022
6 Steps to Build Your Best Photography Portfolio
Apr 8, 2022
Apr 8, 2022
Mar 8, 2022
5 Portfolio Takeaways from Apple, Netflix, & Vans Animator Keenon Ferrell
Mar 8, 2022
Mar 8, 2022
Mar 8, 2022
Mischief President & “Sassy Bossypants” Kerry McKibbin on Stirring the Industry, Ideas Over Agency Theater, & the Power of “No”
Mar 8, 2022
Mar 8, 2022
Jan 25, 2022
5 Tips to Find Work, Collaborators, and Community on Working Not Working
Jan 25, 2022
Jan 25, 2022
Dec 20, 2021
TOV Consultant Vikki Ross Helps Brands To Become Human & Humans To Become Copywriters. (Sorry Robots.)
Dec 20, 2021
Dec 20, 2021
Nov 15, 2021
13 Steps to Create a Stand-Out Profile on Working Not Working
Nov 15, 2021
Nov 15, 2021

Powered by Squarespace