Student

Nicolette Fleming Follows in Footsteps of Her Creative Father

Tell us about your experience working on the Macy's Flower Show in San Francisco: From start to finish, this experience was fun and exciting. I had never worked with anyone in the industry at all and was super interested in the process. Macy's visual team was so supportive and kind, and just as excited as we were.

What was the biggest lesson learned? Always be prepared and on time. Every minute counts, especially when you are working for someone else. It's important to set a plan of action and get things done either on time or ahead of time to allow for something that might go wrong.

What are you most looking forward to when the show opens? To see everyone's creations that we've been watching unfold for the past few months. Standing up there together will be so fulfilling for us all, as a team. Individually they are unique and interesting, but together they tell a super fun story.

Tell us a little about yourself: My father is a musician, and it's in my blood to create. I was a competitive dancer for the majority of my life. At 19, I decided dance wasn't my most lucrative and fulfilling career choice and found myself exploring the world fashion. I immediately fell in love with this industry and found a lot of my training as a dancer helps me with my creative design choices.

How did you choose your major? Originally I was interested in majoring in Interior Design, but because of my creative background with dance, my counselor encouraged me to look into Visual Communications. The Visual Communications major allowed me to think more creatively and think outside of the box.

What are your career goals and how is FIDM helping you get there? My main goal is to enjoy my work and evoke feelings of any sort from the public. FIDM has given me all the tools to do just that as well as tools to help set my designs apart from the rest.

What advice do you have for someone thinking about going to FIDM? Give it your all! You will get out of FIDM exactly what you put in. And use the resources that are available to you!! Everyone wants to see you succeed and will help you get there, but closed mouths don't get fed. It may seem like a lot of work, and you may feel like you live to do school work, but when you look back on it all, the memories you made with your peers and teachers will be some of the best ever.

Would you recommend the Design Installation class? Absolutely! This class gives you hands-on experience working for a client and meeting deadlines as well as how to work in a team to create awesome artistic pieces.