Morgan Harper Nichols

Artist, poet, musician

meet morgan

Art that tells a story

Hello there! I’m Morgan Harper Nichols. I’m a mixed-media artist who is inspired by stories. Based in Arizona, USA, I share my art on a daily basis across social media, through collaborations, my app Storyteller, and online shop Garden24. I’m the author of “All Along You Were Blooming.” Bio

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Creating from the heart

Driven by curiosity and empathy

I began my career as a college admission counselor and then transitioned to a freelance musician. In the space between gigs, I started playing around with art apps on my iPad and turning song lyrics into poetry. Since then, I’ve continued to explore how art helps us connect to one another. My creative journey has been fueled by empathy and curiosity. I would say that much of my work centers on the question: “How can we create connection?”

Lessons From Wildflowers

If you ever happen to see a field of wildflowers containing more than one more species, there’s a reason for that…

In the book “Eight Master Lessons from Nature,” author Gary Ferguson writes about how each wildflower has its own strength and together, they create diversity in the landscape. Some have deeper roots to help them survive during the drought and others have waxy leaves to contain moisture.

Every flower has different survival strategies and as a result, they are able to keep the ecosystem going, surviving through harsh conditions to give the other flowers time to recover.

In this book, Ferguson goes on to quote Maya Angelou, who advised parents to teach their children, “that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

We cannot survive without each other and the diversity of our strengths. We learn from the wildflowers that we belong to each other and our strengths support one another.

As Gwendolyn B

I just hope you know it is okay if starting over looks like goodbye. I hope you know that leaving the familiar behind does not mean the end of a beautiful life.

Yes, things will be different and you will be different, too. You will notice the gaps in things and you will also notice where Light gets through.

And you will find that all along, there was more to you, even though you couldn’t see it back then. You were overcoming what seemed impossible, proving you were more than where you had been. Every single day, you were learning the art of surrender. You were learning to let go where you needed to let go. You were accepting that the soil needed to be broken open, so seeds could be planted and flowers could grow.

MHN

No matter what is missing,
I hope you know:
you have
what you need
to live
a beautiful story.
Your story is rich
with texture
and color
that you will not always see
in real-time.

Your own photographs
are monuments
to the reality
that even in low places,
the sun still shines.
And even when
And even when
it didn’t seem like it would,
beauty found you
just fine.
You learned
to make it through
one hour
one day
one year
at a time.

And perhaps, even here, you are going to be fine...in ways you might not be able to see in real-time.
So here’s to looking back. Here’s to looking back at old photographs and noticing what is beautiful. Here’s to looking at the edge of the photo and noticing where the sky was blue, or the silhouette of a tree behind you, and how, in photo after photo, sunlight found its way in, over and over again.

Here’s to realizing that when you look back on old photographs, you have two options: you can look back passively or with purpose. You

Here in this life you will feel many things. You will laugh and you will let go. You will gather stories, and you will grieve. You will be interrupted by Light. You will find gold in little things.
You will have questions that lead to answers and you will have questions you sit with for years… you will long for days to come and you will learn to find joy right here.
You will watch old things drift away and you will see new things take shape. You will look back on old years in awe of all the ways you’ve changed.
And over and over, things will change and you might feel a little afraid… and you will also find there is grace and there is space to take this day by day.
Take heart, here in the change. You’ll still bloom, day by day, (even when it doesn't seem that way). 
Everything will change and you will change, too... exactly in the way you were always meant to.

IIIII

This is an excerpt from this week in my app, Storyteller! I upload a series here every week wi

Just a few reminders for other creatives and artists out there. This is something I am learning:
You’re allowed to take a break from the things you love to make.
You’re allowed the work you enjoy time and space.

One of greatest the challenges of creativity is that we tend to think of it in terms of the final product, and not the process. Many of us have received the message that our value comes from what we can produce and how we can be productive. As a result, the process ends up seeming like a means to end.

What I am starting to discover more and more is that the process is where I must put my focus. And you know what’s an important part of the process?
Periods of rest.

When I think about all that it took for me to get here today, I forget about the thousands of hours I spent sleeping that are just as much a part of the process as anything else.
I forget about the days where I just couldn’t find the energy to complete tasks and how this too, was a part of t

On my Instagram story, I asked if there were any teachers who would be interested in sharing their experiences about what teaching has been like over the past year.

I am so grateful to all of the teachers who submitted their stories and today I’ve uploaded a podcast episode featuring the stories of the teachers I talked to. This episode is for teachers, parents/guardians/caretakers, students, and also people like me who might not have kids that are school age but still want to be know how to support teachers during this time.

From learning how to teach virtually and in-person at the same time to teaching a lesson about racial injustice that caught the attention of a whole community and the media, the stories these teachers shared with me taught me so much, and I can’t wait for you to hear what arose from these conversations. Listen at the link in the bio: @morganharpernichols

On February 25th, I shared my story of recently being diagnosed with autism, and today, I’m sharing a podcast about that experience. One of the things I talk about is the pressure to be “normal.” I have noticed that when I talk about the pressures of being “normal,” some common responses are: “What is normal, anyway? Why worry about trying to be ‘normal!? Just be you!”
I do agree that there’s no one, real “normal” out there but at the same time, but here’s the reality for a lot of people on the autism spectrum:

Not being “normal” can keep you from getting a job. Not being “normal” can cause kids to get bullied at school. Not being “normal” can lead to isolation when people write you off as weird or strange. Not being “normal” can mean that you don’t get the aid or support you need because you don’t mean someone else’s criteria of what is or isn&rsqu

I hope you know that “letting go” does not mean you’re giving up.
It just means that after all this time, you are finally beginning to see:
even without the closure: you are worth the new beginning.
And it is okay if letting go leaves you feeling tender…
it is okay if takes time to get used to the rhythms of a new beginning.
What matters is that you remember that as you leave the past behind,
there is grace and there is time to slowly
learn the way to breathe in this new space.
Be kind to yourself here.
All of this new territory for you.
And it is okay if all of the newness takes some time to get used to.
Letting go
is anything but easy,
and this is also true:
even here,
there is more ahead of you.
Pace yourself.
There is more ahead of you.
MHN

You will have moments where it seems like the seeds you’ve sown don’t matter in the larger picture.
You might feel like other people have better ideas, and you’ll wonder if others even need you.

You might not see it yet, but this remains true:
you are free to make things and make a difference
just as much as the people you look up to.
You don’t have to see the impact of your faithfulness right away to trust that it matters.

There will be moments where you wonder,
“what’s the point in contributing when someone else has already said this?
My ideas are not unique. My story is nothing new.”
But even then, this remains true: no one tells the story like you do.

There is a way you tell the story that is slightly different from how your siblings tell it.
There is a certain shade of blue that speaks to you more than the others.
There is a way you phrase the question and a certain way you hold the pen.
There is a reason you keep listening to that same

Connect

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shop

Garden24 is my online shop where you will find paper goods and more. Prints, stickers, planners, and calendars –– Garden24 is a place to be reminders that 24 hours a day, you are growing. Shop Garden24

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download

The Storyteller Co app features daily posts and wallpapers for readers. This app is designed to be a place to slow down and breathe, no matter the chapter you’re in. Download the app

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collaborate

Through custom work, licensing, consulting, and speaking, I have collaborated with a wide range of clients. I am passionate about bringing the power of art, words, and story to creative projects. Contact

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read, watch, listen

I share daily posts in the following places: my blog, social media, my podcast, my app, and my mailing list.

“Creativity belongs to the artist in each of us. To create means to relate. The root meaning of the word ‘art’ is to fit together and we all do this every day...each time we fit things together we are creating.”

— Corita Kent

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