Building Momentum – Nino Yuniardi – Ep 138

Nino Yuniardi started painting when he was 14 to relieve stress. When he creates his art, he takes things and imbues them with new meaning. That’s why his art is fun, playful, and full of vibrant colors. It’s light-hearted because it’s focused on healing.

He pays attention to his energy. If he’s not feeling it, he walks away and comes back the next day. He emphasizes that you need to build consistency. Allow yourself time and space to play around with your work and move toward what lights you up.

In this conversation, Nino shares his story, his process and how he builds art into his everyday life in a fulfilling way.

Listen if you are interested in…

• Learn more about Nino Yuniardi [2:51]
• Why art is therapeutic [9:08]
• Building momentum as an artist [17:20]
• Growing up in Indonesia [22:45]
• Experiencing food as art [34:24]
• Growing up in Indonesia [38:14]
• Nino’s studio and gallery [42:45]
• How Nino finds inspiration [47:05]

Nino’s art-making process

Nino likes to draw his concepts first and then layers paint on top. It’s always unscripted. You can layer on top of whatever you don’t like, which is incredibly freeing. If something doesn’t work, you can simply paint over it.

He started creating time-lapse videos as a way for himself to look at how he did something, to see if there was anything he could change or improve. He started sharing them on Instagram because he had them. He wasn’t looking for validation because the process was for him.

Building momentum as an artist

For Nino, making art is a necessity. It’s therapy. Being able to sell it isn’t his be-all-end-all. Because of this, it’s something he’ll always make time for. That time always looks different.

When his daughter was young, Nino started doing illustrations on his laptop as she slept next to him. As she got older, he was able to start painting in his studio again. He’s always found pockets of time to focus on artwork. If it’s 15 minutes, it’s 15 minutes. He’d create an illustration or paint a postcard.

But Nino notes that he has to pay attention to his energy. If he’s not feeling it, he walks away and comes back the next day. Because he knows that’s his process, he doesn’t do anything with a deadline at the last minute.

He emphasizes that you need to build consistency. Allow yourself time and space to play around with your work and move toward what lights you up.

Creating culinary works of art

Nino’s art is often titled after food. The title is either ingredients that are combined together to make a delicious meal—or those that don’t go together at all. It’s a metaphor for people. Growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Nino was different from everyone else.

Chinese people were vilified and ostracized. And because Nino’s great-grandparents came from China, he looked more Chinese than Indonesian. He was made fun of for the way he walked and the shape of his eyes. His parents were forced to change their Chinese names to be part of society.

Making art was one of the ways Nino dealt with those experiences. When he creates his art, he takes things and imbues them with new meaning. He doesn’t allow himself to be a victim. That’s why his art is fun, playful, and full of vibrant colors. It’s light-hearted because it’s focused on healing.

You can take an armful of ingredients from the farmers market and create a beautiful, delicious meal from them. You’re balancing flavors and colors to create a work of art. You can experiment with mixing different ingredients and see what flavor combinations they create. It’s the same with art.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Posca Paint Pens
• LUKAS Cryl Liquid Paint
• Nino’s art at Art & Light Gallery

Connect with Nino Yuniardi

• Nino’s art
• Follow on Instagram

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