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rachelnellcreative

@rachelnellcreative

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basketball broke my heart - not because of one specific loss, but because somewhere along the way it stopped being about basketball.

i was fortunate to play for two different colleges, and both experiences tested me far beyond the game itself.

during my first college experience, i was in the fine art program - a competitive academic program with strict attendance requirements. once playoffs started, i wasn’t allowed to miss classes for games. i fought it. lost. my dad would drive hours to pick me up after class and drive me hours again just so i could make warm-up because i was unable to travel with my team. i can see both sides now (kind of 😂), but at the time it felt completely unfair.

during my second experience, i was in the best shape of my life. training hard. lifting. top of my game.

but sometimes the lines between sport, power, and other peoples personal relationships get blurred in ways they never should. i learned pretty quickly that hard work doesn’t always guarantee opportunity in every environment. (#iykyk)

that part stayed with me for a long time.

i think that’s why sport and art are finally colliding for me now. there are stories sitting underneath athletics that people don’t always see - especially for women.

so yeah, i want to hear how your sport ended.

not the highlight reel version. the real one.

because sometimes sport ends with a championship.
and sometimes it ends with heartbreak, politics, exhaustion, injury, or quietly realizing you stopped feeling like yourself inside of it.

a lot of my crossover series comes from that space.

i think that’s also why i care so deeply about coaching girls now. because i know how much one environment, one coach, one moment can shape the way an athlete sees themselves long after the season ends.

that’s what crossover is for me.
where control meets surrender.
where strength meets softness.
where the athlete and the artist finally stop fighting each other.

let’s hear it 🤍✌🏻

[thanks again @er342 for the use of the lab 💙]

#formerathlete
#womeninsports
#sportculture
#basketballlife by @rachelnellcreative

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27

5 months ago

save me. 🥅
14” x 18”
[acrylic on canvas]

i have a huge soft spot in my heart for goalies. vebar, pickles, kennedy, izzy, bae, louie, frieds, rosalie… and every goalie we’ve ever played against (just not in that moment ha).

we’ve said our words together in the dressing room, stood together between periods to shake off a goal, wiped tears, talked the pressure down when it felt too big, and written words on their sticks before games so they could look down and remember how bad ass they are. #fearless

i’ve watched them do all their little rituals and step into that crease soo nervous, and seen them leave it ten feet taller. they face their fears over and over and over, because the most heartbreaking thing to all of them would be letting their team down [enter: climbing a 30’ pole when you’re terrified of heights]. iykyk. 👊🏻

there’s so much individuality in that position. they carry so much of the weight of a team while standing there all by themselves 🤍

save me is for the players willing to take up space in that crease. for the ones learning, and the ones who have already learned, that being brave doesn’t mean you never get rattled - it means you reset, square up, and get ready for the next one.

and somewhere along the way, this painting, and getting to be around these players, saved a little bit of me too.

play BIG.

please, take up allllll the freaking space.

and you bet your ass imma make you skate like a player. 😏 you’re welcome 😘

xo coach rachel

prints coming soon 🥅

#hockeyart #sportsart #goalie #womenshockey by @rachelnellcreative

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14

2 months ago

IN HER ELEMENT is live.

original + limited editions now available.

this work lives in the space between strength × softness, chaos × discipline, where control meets surrender.

it captures the quiet intensity of showing up fully.

created for the ones who lead, hold, carry, and still move with intention and presence.

each print is hand-embellished, embossed, and signed.

no two are exactly the same.

link in bio 🤍✌🏻

#womeninsport
#femaleathlete
#contemporaryartcollectors
#artforinteriors
#strengthandsoftness by @rachelnellcreative

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48

6 months ago

the brief? white shoes. nc blue. basketball. 🏀🩵

an old friend gave me the opportunity to create a custom pair of air max 90s.

the rest was up to me.

so here’s what i made. 🩵

hand-painted. one of one. a little piece of art you can wear.

thanks evan 🫶🏻🤍

#customsneakers #airmax90 #wearableart #sneakerart #rachelnellcreative by @rachelnellcreative

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17

3 days ago

a little leopard. some hot pink... and a perfectly unnecessary amount of effort for a pair of shoes 🙈👟💕

AF1s4LIFE

#customaf1 #customsneakers #sneakerart #wearableart #nikeairforce1 by @rachelnellcreative

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24

15 days ago

they’re here. 🥅

save me prints are officially available.

printed on hahnemühle museum etching paper, hand-embellished, embossed + signed by moi.

available in 11 × 14, 16 × 20 and 24 x 30.

link in bio 🤍✌🏻 by @rachelnellcreative

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1

17 days ago

praise 👟🙌🏻

prints available at rachelnellcreative.com

#sneakerart #sneakerheadart #airforce1art #jordanart #sneakerdecor by @rachelnellcreative

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4

a month ago

studio crawl ✨🎨

we’re hosting an open studio at @500collective_yyc on september 19 from 11–5, as part of the 23rd annual east side studio crawl!

come wander through, meet the artists, see what we’re working on, and check out where all the art magic happens ✨

@500collective_yyc team: drop a comment + a pic below of what you make so my friends can check you out too! ✌🏻🤍

@eastside_studio_crawl

#yycart #calgaryart #yycevents #openstudio #eastsidestudiocrawl by @rachelnellcreative

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5

a month ago

hope this helps.

🏀 🎨 🤍✌🏻

@500collective_yyc
as always, ty @er342 💙🤍

#artistlife #creativeprocess #artistreels #contemporaryartist #sportsart calgaryartist by @rachelnellcreative

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14

a month ago

and that’s a wrap 🤍

a huge thank you to @ckgyyc and @500collective_yyc for bringing this show to life - and for letting me and my work be part of it.

the receptions meant meeting some incredible people + finally getting to bring friends and family into this new little corner of my world.

the lighting @ckgyyc is a work of art in itself, and, naturally, the refreshments doubled as post-hockey snacks for my travelling circus. 😂 🎪 (thanks @jenniferfrancisart & @johnwebsterartist for feeding and hydrating my children ha)

feeling very grateful to be part of this collective, and even more excited about what we’re building and what comes next.

✌🏻🤍 by @rachelnellcreative

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23

a month ago

save me — SOLD 🤍

couldn’t have asked for a better home for this one.

the original may be spoken for, but she’s not quite done yet.

prints coming next week 🤍✌🏻

THANK YOU! by @rachelnellcreative

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1

a month ago

found this little vintage number at the nines and obviously i wore it out of the store and straight to my art show 💅

such a cool little local, women-run shop with the best treasures hiding in the racks.

calgary friends - worth a wander. ✌🏻

#yycartist #yycvintage #vintagestyle #shoplocalyyc by @rachelnellcreative

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6

2 months ago