Profiles of Power is a series of deep dives into the lives of individuals who we believe embody various energies. These badass ambassadors of a new version of spiritual wellness prove, beautifully and magically, that wellness is not one-size-fits-all, but is available and accessible to everybody who dares to harness their own one-of-a-kind strength.
Meet Nicole Pivirotto, a freelance multidisciplinary designer and author living in Brooklyn. She owns and operates a small studio and product line called Aesthetic Magic, which cultivates magic through art and design. She is also the creator of Prism Oracle!
Smudge: What does your power mean to you?
Nicole: Creativity to me is the act of creating something out of nothing, and materializing an idea into a reality, which to me is a very magical act! I think a lot of people think that you need to be a "creative" person in order to take part in creative acts, but that is simply not the case. Everyone is creative and uses creative thinking on a daily basis. It's just a part of who we are!
Creativity can also be empowering and also therapeutic. It lets you work through emotions and also can be a huge confidence booster when you make something that you didn't know or think you were capable of.
Smudge: What is a personal story about you summoning your power?
Nicole: The Prism Oracle was the first time I had truly illustrated anything beyond iconography, so the task was quite intimidating, especially because some of the cards in The Prism Oracle focus on abstract ideas (like the Surrender card). What helped me through the process of creating the deck was actually calling in my spirit guides every time I sat down in front of the computer to create the cards, and asking them to help me out during the process of illustrating. This taught me about the connection between spirit and creativity. It also taught me that I had more skills than I had previously thought and that it was ok for me to go outside of my comfort zone.
Smudge: How do you use spiritual wellness in your everyday life to amplify your power?
Nicole: This truly varies from day to day! Sometimes, I'll sit in meditation before I work, to clear stress and anxiety, and to help create more space for creativity. Other days, the act of creating itself is my spiritual wellness, since it can be meditative, move energy, and also gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Smudge: How do you promote diversity in wellness and avoid spiritual bypass?
Nicole: As someone who creates spiritual tools, it's really important to me that they are inclusive and empowering for all people. Because of this, over the past year I have really been working on unpacking some of the biases and outmoded ways of thinking within color theory/psychology/cultural perceptions of color, as well as with shapes and symbols. I also have been digging deeper into the roots of my own spiritual practices. Overall, it’s been a really transformative, and has totally reformed how I think about my work and practice. It has also impacted the tools that I create, and how concepts are expressed and framed within them. I've found that it's important to be flexible in your work and belief system to allow room for growth, and to also examine/question why you practice what it is that you do.
Smudge: What are a few of your favorite well products?
Nicole: The Crystal Grid & Pendulum
Smudge: What are you working on and where can people find you?
Nicole: The release of the new Prism Oracle of course :-)
Plus our website and IG, listed below.
