Morgan Harper Nichols - Storyteller, artist, musician, poet

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If you ask Morgan Harper Nichols who she is in a word, she’ll answer simply: a storyteller.

She’s an artist. She’s also a musician. And a poet. But it’s her journey to becoming a storyteller — a journey marked by glimmers of joy and touches of sorrow — that sparked this Gilbert resident’s heart for people.

“It’s through this kind of connection that we are able to build community and make change in our community,” Morgan Harper Nichols told The Arizona Republic.

Harper Nichols — a multimedia artist who now has an Instagram following of more than 2 million people — uses her platform to encourage and uplift others. Rather than posting personal photos of herself, Harper Nichols posts snapshots of her poetry paired with colorful artwork as the backdrops. Harper Nichols moved to Arizona — a place that has inspired her work — in July 2020.

One post reads, "you belong on this journey just as much as anybody else." Another says, "I cannot tell you what will happen but things will be different in the morning, when the sunlight pours in and you will feel warmth on your skin that reminds you no matter the times you have felt lost, you are free to start again."

Since her art’s birth in 2017, Harper Nichols not only shares her work on her account, but has also started Garden24, an online store where customers can purchase her artwork through prints, calendars and mugs, as well as her books. Her newest, “How Far You Have Come,” was published in April. Her work is also sold at large stores like Anthropologie, Macy’s, Athleta and Society6.

Each piece of work tells a story — and she’s been telling stories from the start.

Harper Nichols grew up right outside of Atlanta. A preacher’s kid, she grew up with parents who were role models in the church. It wasn’t uncommon for Harper Nichols and her sister, Jamie Grace, to see their parents out in the community serving. Some Sundays their parents would bring the church service to local nursing homes, other Sundays they’d be up on stage leading worship in addition to preaching and teaching. Both worked full-time jobs alongside their ministry.

Little notebooks were Harper Nichol’s friend from when she was only eight years old. Some stories were happy — like the ones she told about fairies.

arper Nichols was often lonely in high school. Friends didn’t understand her or her sister Jamie, who had Tourette syndrome. The two were often bullied and misunderstood. In many ways, Nichols says, the poetry and artwork she makes now take her back to high school and to the days when she battled serious depression.

“The stuff that I write today as a poet is reflective of giving teenage Morgan some comfort,” Harper Nichols said. “I think that version of me is still a part of me. I think that’s why I’m able to connect with high school students and college students.

One moment in high school changed her life. Harper Nichols was always close to her grandpa, also a man of faith. He would collect old instruments at garage sales, and one day, he called Nichols into his room to see an antique guitar. At first, Harper Nichols resisted — she had no interest in playing a guitar.

“I walked into his little music room, and as he handed me the guitar, I felt and heard as audibly as possible God say to me, ‘you’re going to use this.’"

And she did.

Years later, Harper Nichols began playing music with her sister. The two would play at church, and carried on playing Christian music throughout college, where she majored in English at Point University, then called Atlanta Christian College. That’s where she met her husband, Patrick Nichols, who was drawn to Morgan by her confidence.

Harper Nichols bought her first iPad in 2010, right before she went on tour. It was then that she drew her first piece of digital art — a woman staring out into a mountain landscape. She never finished the drawing, forgetting about it completely until 2016.

Money was tight in the music industry, said Harper Nichols, and as she and Patrick Nichols began exploring new career paths, she began to create. She’d make some artwork on the iPad. Other times she’d paint on paper. She was always writing poetry. Soon, she realized that the two — visual art and poetry — meshed together to create something beautiful.

Soon after, Harper Nichols began selling prints online. The prints sold out on the first day of the sale, and slowly, Harper Nichols realized she could carry on her passions while still paying the bills.

Harper Nichols always knew she was different and much of her art deals with her feeling that she has struggled with connecting with people.

Throughout quarantine, Harper Nichols would watch videos on TikTok. Some told stories about women who were diagnosed with autism.

As she watched more and more videos — and began an intensive diagnosis process — Harper Nichols, now 31 years old, connected the dots. On a Saturday in February, she drove to the doctor’s office for the final appointment and got a diagnosis: she had autism.

And in a moment when tears trickled down her face, the doctor shared four words: It’s not your fault.

“No one ever said that to me before,” Harper Nichols said. “I felt a sense of calm, a relief and peace. I walked out of that office more confident than I had been in a long time.”

Now, it's a part of her story she shares with others. The diagnosis has expanded her ministry, her ways she connects with others. She’ll continue to tell stories every day — ones of hope, ones that are honest, ones that intentionally meet those in her communities. And as she continues to learn her story — and the stories of others — she’ll continue creating with purpose.

"Being autistic has caused me to struggle with communication and social issues, I often have to put in extra effort to feel like I belong,” Harper Nichols said. "The thing is, the more I share, the more I discover that I am not alone in feeling this way.”

"For many different reasons, there are many people out there who feel like they’re the only ones going through what they’re going through and no one understands,” she continued. “The more I hear other people’s stories, the more I am motivated to keep creating, even if it just helps one other person feel seen.”