nic george | artist | santa barbara.
SPOTLIGHT ON SANTA BARBARA | NICCY GEORGE.
Name: Niccy Georgie
Age: 30 years of age
Hometown: Santa Barbara, USA / Melbourne, Australia (*for Mum)
What brought you to Santa Barbara, and when? A work opportunity brought me to SB 6 years ago... I hadn’t visited before, so I arrived with a commitment to stay, even if I didn’t like the place. The mountains and the ocean charmed me well enough.
And what keeps you here? The mountains and the ocean, and the people of course. When you are away from family you must create family!
Favorite hike: Hot Spring trail in Montecito. Good intense rock hopping workout on the way up, an awe inspiring view from a plateau at the summit, to breath it all in, and a warm-down mosey that conjures Bob Dylan’s soundtrack from Pat Garret and Billy the Kid.
Favorite beach: I can’t tell you that. There are some good nude beaches up north on the 1 though, near El Capitan, if you’re into it ; ) Just park where you see cars parked on the side of the highway and illegally cross the train tracks. You know, if you’re into that.
Where should we caffeinate? I can’t tell you that either, but I’ll give you a clue: ‘See a penny, pick it up, and all day you’ll have good luck!’
We feel like dancing, where can we go? In the street, on the beach. Dance, dance, otherwise we are lost! Ummm... My studio, if I’m home. Or La Chambre Photographique, if there is an artshow on. But most likely the Shitty Kitty (Wildcat); trashy, good times.
Favorite weekend getaway from Santa Barbara: BIG SUR: 4 hour drive north. The last 1.5 hours is pretty much, as my friend Josh Gold says, “radical glory!”
"Often, when following the trail which meanders over the hills, I pull myself up in an effort to encompass the glory and the grandeur which envelops the whole horizon. Often, when the clouds pile up in the north and the sea is churned with white caps, I say to myself: "This is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked out on from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look." Henry Miller
What are you listening to right now? Seriously, right then: Aaliya feat. Timberland, Try Again. But more generally: Atoms for Peace, James Blake, Joan Armatrading (because I am always listening to her), JJ Cale, Blood Orange, and audiobooks of Alan Watts lectures (!).
Who is inspiring you? People who get out of bed early in the morning; and people who live life intensely.
Words to live by...“A little flesh, a little breath, and a Reason to rule all - that is myself.” Marcus Aurelius
“You’ve gotta go out tonight fellas, you could meet the love of your life!” My best friend’s Father, Mr. John Boyle (JB)
“Complexity is an abundance of simplicity...” Sam Acres
“The greatest story you will ever hear is the story you are telling yourself.” Nic George
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