To Nick Brown, art is more than just a passion, it is a calling. And it started early. Like most children, Brown loved drawing – from dinosaur bones to Star Wars landspeeders. He had a desire to share things with the world and to help others view the world in a different way.

All these years later, Brown has continued his artistic pursuit, having his work displayed in galleries such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Drawing Center in New York City. He also discovered a love for teaching, and his desire to share his outlook with the world is fulfilled every day in the classroom. That is something he currently puts to good use at UCLA Extension.

“It was a very natural path where I just never stopped drawing, partly because I really enjoyed it, and partly because I was encouraged, and I had a very natural path to just continue to do it,” Brown said.

For Brown, art really took off for him in high school when he enrolled in an AP art class. There, he developed a portfolio of his work that got him accepted to School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While spending 30 hours a week developing his own art, Brown said he learned discipline and self-motivation. He recalled how his midterm and final critiques could be a bit rough at times, but he enjoyed showing and explaining his art, as well as engaging in discussions on his fellow students’ work.

Seeing his interest in this activity, his professors encouraged him to consider teaching, leading him to pursue a new passion. Brown, who was already considering staying at the school to pursue a master's program to further develop as an artist, saw it as an opportunity to also gain the skills needed to teach.

In graduate school he began working as a teaching assistant and later became a visiting professor. Not too long after, Brown was asked by a friend to teach her printmaking class at UCLA Extension, and since then, he has stayed on to instruct other classes. Currently, Brown teaches three different courses while also continuing to develop his own artwork.

“Once I got hired, they just kept asking me to teach a variety of different classes, and I'm always happy to do so because I love teaching,” Brown said. “There's just something about the transference of knowledge that is really gratifying.”

One of Brown’s most popular courses takes advantage of the robust Los Angeles art scene by bringing students to multiple art galleries for a hands-on experience. The course works to expose students to a variety of displays including commercial galleries, exhibition spaces or an artist’s personal studio.

“It's a combination of the staff of whatever institution or gallery that we're visiting, and then myself, guiding the conversation. Students are fully encouraged to ask questions, and that's usually where the best conversations come from,” Brown said.

He also teaches watercolor and advanced painting classes, allowing for mentorship of students at a variety of skill levels. Wanting students to explore their creativity, Brown’s teaching methods include guidance rather than specific instructions.

“My main teaching strategy really is to ask a lot of questions,” he said. “Some may think that your teacher is going to tell you everything, but the reality is, I ask lots of questions and from there, I understand what you're trying to do, what your needs are, and then I can guide you more specifically. That's a fundamental way in which I approach teaching.”

Aside from teaching, Brown still makes time to dedicate countless hours to his art, saying he has not spent less than 30 hours a week on his art since completing his undergraduate degree. Though his weeks are long, he still finds that all his efforts are gratifying.

“I love art, so to get other people to be interested in it and to help them be able to create their own work and express themselves and share this knowledge, it’s great,” Brown said. It's a pretty special job.”