47. Keeping Art Selfish with Nini Marini

Host Nicholas Braman interviews Nini Marini, a multi-artist and art advocate who spent nearly 20 years in Malaysian broadcasting before leaving to pursue art full-time. Nini explains how she coined “multi-artist” to describe her multidimensional identity, how she balanced a dual track of media work and art, and how a phoenix painting unexpectedly merged her private art life with her corporate role. She recounts proposing a reduced workweek, ultimately taking a package to leave, and using COVID to reassess, study branding, and explore opportunities like a New York surface pattern exhibition. Nini shares that full-time art brought income-driven pressure and dissatisfaction with commissions, leading her toward structured work in art philanthropy focused on heritage, policy gaps for creatives, and elevating craftspeople who don’t see themselves as artists.

Nini's links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninimarini.art TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ninimarini_

Website: http://www.ninimarini.art/ Podcast links:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2h9gsrWKH9C1KY1OzR12kr?si=2a4d19970632465f Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/before-we-get-there/id1775182252 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforewegettherepodcast/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nicholasbraman Website: https://nicholasbraman.com/podcast

00:00 Podcast Intro and Guest

04:38 Art Roots and Identity

08:13 Parents Practical Advice

16:06 Phoenix Painting Breakthrough

21:49 Leaving Corporate Behind

24:05 Money Pressure on Creativity

29:08 Why Full Time Art Felt Heavy

36:38 Craftspeople Worth and Recognition

43:20 Where to Find Nini