The Deep Dive
A Florida kid, a firefighter, a surfer, a nurse — and an artist through all of it.
The Early Years
My creative fire was lit at a young age. As a child I always found comfort and solace in being creative — not necessarily with any intent or even knowing that I was doing it, but rather as a way of occupying a different corner of my mind. No matter what was going on around me I always knew that I could retreat to my own inner world, relishing in the sanctum of unique thoughts and ideas that graced me with their presence. It is a freedom and escape that I continue to enjoy every single day.
Circa 1988
I have always loved to draw. The simple act of putting a pencil to paper and letting my imagination run wild has always been incredibly stimulating, deeply intriguing and especially comforting. I try to draw at least a little something every day — most often it is a serene daydream of a far away tropical surf destination with perfect waves, or some incarnation of a magical mushroom fantasy land where I like to escape from time to time… both literally and figuratively.
“The art comes through the creator.”
The cliche certainly holds true in my case. Often times I will start out with an idea or a concept in mind and work from that place. The majority of the time however — especially with my abstract works — I simply start, allowing the creative forces to take over while letting my intuition guide me. It is a delightful feeling to begin something totally new with absolutely no idea where it might end up, and come away with something to be proud of.
Abstracts are some of my most favorite pieces to create. This is where it all started for me in regards to sharing my work with the world. I love the freedom in creating abstract pieces — letting go of expectations and simply enjoying the process. Having fun and surrendering to the muse while blissfully fusing with the creative energy that flows through me is a feeling that will never quite be describable with words. It is a beautifully unique experience that I will forever return to.
Finding the Ocean
I first stood up on a surfboard when I was eleven years old. It was a moment that would forever be cemented in my mind — a moment that would change my life forever. The experience of riding ocean waves is something that has to be experienced to be completely understood. It is such a unique, earthly connection to the natural environment that brings so much excitement and joy.
Costa Rica, Circa 2001 — with my older brother Paul Seyler
After that first wave I would be at the beach every chance I got. My family and I would take regular weekend and holiday trips to Cocoa Beach where we would stay at the Sea Aire Motel — ice cold terrazzo floors perfect after running up from the scorching sand, wood stained wicker furniture with the most ridiculous floral print pillows, and an outrageous refrigerator-sized wall unit A/C right next to the bed that had just the right hum to lull you to sleep at the end of a long day in the sun and salt water. Some of my favorite childhood memories came from that amazing little gem of a motel.
Costa Rica, Circa 2001
This was all before modern surf forecasting became the standard — so sometimes we surfed, and sometimes we built sandcastles and broke out the skimboards, going home with skinned knees and bruised egos. Regardless, the fact that we were at the beach was enough. Surfing continues to be a driving force in my life. The ocean is a place of nourishment and rejuvenation, and I have no doubt that will remain true for as long as I am able to enjoy it. I love the ocean. I love waves. I love surfing and I love the sun. I attempt to capture all of that beauty and pure joy in my ocean-inspired artworks.
The Fire Years
When I first started working at age 14 until the age of 23, I had lots of different jobs — everything from fast food to construction, janitor to parking lot attendant. My first career job came in 2006 with Brevard County Fire Rescue, where I would spend 10 years as a Firefighter/EMT and Paramedic. These will forever remain as some of the most meaningful and life-changing years of my life, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
If someone would have told me just one year before getting hired with BCFR that I would be a professional firefighter and paramedic, I would have laughed in their face. It was never something I thought about growing up, never something I had even a remote interest in — and certainly not something I thought I was capable of at the time.
Brevard County Fire Station 22 — “The Double Deuce”
If you have ever heard somebody say that being a fireman is the greatest job in the world, they are right. There is nothing quite like it. Going to work means going to hang out with your friends for 24 hours in your own house — with your own bed, a gym, a kitchen, and a firetruck in your garage with all of the coolest tools at your disposal. You get to save lives, drive fire trucks, and get paid to do it. It does not get much better than that.
As great as the job is, it certainly does not come without its hardships. Some of the situations we encounter can be mentally, physically and emotionally stressful. Between the demands of the job, I also went through two major surgeries — first my shoulder, then my back. Surgery sucks. The recovery sucks. The limited physical ability sucks. The back surgery was by far the more difficult of the two. I consider myself a pretty optimistic person, but laying in bed facing a long and painful road to recovery, having undergone two major surgeries before the age of 30, began to weigh quite heavily on my mind.
Art as Survival
As I mentioned, I have always engaged in some form of creative outlet from a young age — mostly just for fun and as a means of self expression. During my recovery from the back surgery, however, my creativity took on a completely new meaning.
I needed it. During my recovery I painted every single day. I had to.
Creating was absolutely imperative to my recovery — not the physical recovery, but navigating the mental and emotional mayhem that scrambled my brain like a psychological meat grinder. I would paint for hours, forgetting about everything in the world. So focused and present that all of the rest just faded away. The paintings were horrible, but I loved it.
I began to develop an undeniable connection with the creative forces that reside inside my being and I simply had to let them loose. I explored different techniques, used every color under the sun, used any and every material I could get my hands on. I made a mess and I fucking loved every second of it. This is when my creativity finally decided to fully poke its head out from underneath the sheets to tell me that she was here to stay.
While all of this creative energy was coming out in the form of large abstract paintings, I quickly began to pile up quite a bit of work in my home. I never really had an end game in mind — I was simply enjoying it, having fun with it, and wanting to keep doing it as much as I could.
I began this creative journey in a small back bedroom in my home in Winter Park, FL — which quickly became much too small for the onslaught of paint, texture and madness that I ended up calling NIX Abstract. This was the first incarnation of my artist identity and how I would begin to share my work with the world. I was so obsessed with painting that I eventually took down the wall separating the two back bedrooms, birthing a 250 square foot creative studio that was like pouring gasoline on an already raging creative fire.
I went back to work full time at the fire department after a full recovery, and continued to paint every single day I was not on shift — exploring, experimenting and fully engrossing myself in the creative process. I began to display and sell my work in local restaurants while also participating in local art festivals. I was hooked. I never stopped and I certainly never looked back. Creativity had planted a seed so deep inside me that the roots grew into every cell in my body… and so it goes on.
Life at the Beach & Beyond
Eventually the studio was converted back into bedrooms and I moved to the beach to start a family. I was fortunate enough to create a new studio space exactly as I wanted it — an extra large shed converted into a freestanding creative space in my backyard, equipped with electricity and A/C. It was great, and I spent as much time in there as I possibly could.
Studio in New Smyrna Beach, Circa 2018
Life at the beach was great. I surfed, I painted, and generally enjoyed the slower pace of life near the coast. I left the fire department in 2017 prior to the birth of my first son, took some time off to get our house in order and prepare for a new way of life. I spent a great deal of time at the beach — in the water, in the sand — simply soaking up the last bit of freedom before life would change forever.
After the birth of my first son I went back to work, this time in the emergency department as a paramedic while going to school in pursuit of a nursing license. The emergency department can be a pretty wild place. You get to see people from all walks of life in just about every bizarre and outlandish scenario you could dream up — and of course those you could never imagine even in your wildest dreams. It was fun, stressful, challenging and incredibly rewarding. I learned a great deal about the practice of medicine, about myself, and about the countless number of potential life paths an individual can travel. Working in emergency medicine opens your eyes to just how incredibly fragile life is and how quickly it can all be taken away.
About two years into working in the hospital, COVID happened — and it was every bit as terrible as you could imagine. Working in an emergency department during a pandemic was an experience that changed my entire outlook on life and the world as I thought it to be. The fact that I was halfway through nursing school AND expecting my second child very soon added to the excitement.
To say it was challenging would be an understatement. It was downright brutal. An experience I would love to forget and never revisit for the rest of my life. Once again, I needed my creative outlet. I was out in my studio every chance I got — destressing, screaming, laughing, crying and every other adjective under the sun, while continuing to experiment and have fun. It was during this time that I finished school, earned my nursing degree and welcomed my second son into the world.
Where I Am Now
I continued to work in the emergency department for another year before moving to the cardiac catheterization laboratory, fixing hearts and saving lives alongside some amazing team members and highly skilled physicians. The cardiac catheterization laboratory was one of the coolest places I have ever had the pleasure of working. Exciting, challenging, stressful, and also incredibly rewarding. I currently work full time as a registered nurse with a specialty in cardiology.
I continue to explore the depths and breadth of the infinite creative expanse that lies within as much as I can. I have no doubt that I am just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible with my creativity — and I am more excited now to create than I have ever been.
Creativity had planted a seed so deep inside me that the roots grew into every cell in my body… and so it goes on.
— Nick Seyler