Hi there.
I'm Nikole Stephenson, but you can just call me Niki.
I have been working and writing as a freelancer since 2014, first as a freelancer, then as a burgeoning creative agency (I see you, Computer Blue Media LLC!), and now, back to freelancing again.
Before that, I spent years in art galleries, liaising between artists, collectors and corporate clients, prepping gallery spaces, designing museum-grade frames, and using mitre saws and glass cutters. I managed to teach myself how to blog, use Wordpress and Constant Contact, and a little SEO to give the gallery’s site a little TLC in the downtime moments—I didn’t know then that it would become my gateway to content marketing and virtual assistance.
Before that (and in between), I spent time selling high-end furniture and offering faux-finishing for home interiors, assisting with PAP exams and DOT physicals in a small medical family practice, waiting tables in a kilt and heels, prepping agreements for lawyers and accountants, photographing weddings and senior portraits, transcribing audio files, and supporting grocery store cashiers during a pandemic.
Turns out, being a free-agent writer, support person, and consultant works best for me. Keeps things fresh and inspired, grounded in the real world while staying flexible to move with the changing tides in culture, technology, and relationship. My varied repertoire informs current and future work, which I find is only to my clients’ benefit. I see and understand people from all walks of life. I know how to listen. I hold so many stories.
As a writer, I have worked on projects ranging from social media captions to sales emails to ebooks to grant proposal narratives. I’ve edited/supplemented book manuscripts, provided critical feedback for dissertation drafts, and ghostwritten countless blog posts. I specialize in brand voice, narrative and ghostwriting for clients who struggle to find the right words for their unique approach and key message. Each project challenges and sharpens my skill set that I bring to each new project.
I love to work with therapists, healers, health and wellness professionals, coaches, and nonprofits working in the arts, the environment, and social services.
I hold a BFA in Fine Art and was just one quarter shy of finishing my BA in Creative Writing at Ohio University, Athens.
I currently reside in Bakersfield, CA, with my partner and daughter, where we love to support local theatre, shout at our TV during Angel City FC games, gaze at the mountains after it rains, and find ways to avoid using our oven in the 110-degree summer heat.
I’m Nikole Stephenson. But you can just call me Niki.
I have been working and writing as a freelancer since 2014, first as a freelancer, then as a burgeoning creative agency (I see you, Computer Blue Media LLC!), and now, back to freelancing again.
Before that, I spent years in art galleries, liaising between artists, collectors and corporate clients, prepping gallery spaces, designing museum-grade frames, and using mitre saws and glass cutters. I managed to teach myself how to blog, use Wordpress and Constant Contact, and a little SEO to give the gallery’s site a little TLC in the downtime moments—I didn’t know then that it would become my gateway to content marketing and virtual assistance.