Nikko P

NC: WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR WORK?

I think the first thing that influences my creations is my mood at the moment: whether I’m happy or sad.

Also, originality. I have a big issue with originality. I want to make unique things that don’t resemble anything else.

That's why I never use start images or Loras (I've tried just a couple in the past). I'm a perfectionist. I can press the Create button 100 times just changing a couple of words in the prompt.

Last but not least the theme of creation influences my creativity. I really like magical images that remind me of innocent childhood. In my gallery, you will find countless carousels, ferris wheels, tree houses, castles, marionettes, etc...

NC: MOST UNDERRATED ARTIST ON NIGHTCAFE?

I really don’t think there are underrated artists. Getting likes and followers is also a matter of luck. I have never imagined a few months ago that I would have creations with 4000 likes. 

And you know, my first super popular image was one that I was thinking whether to publish it or delete it. And yet, after that, this has overgrown. It's very nice to see your work recognized, but the most important for me is when you press Publish that you press it first for yourself. Because its you, and no one else! 

In this sense, nothing is underrated. Every creation that is a product of thought, emotions, mood, experiences and of course personal effort is much more important to me than something that was made without any thought, just to be made, yet has thousands likes. I’ve got beloved images with single digit likes. So what? 

So, no underrated artists, but for sure some underrated images. And that is what we have to do. Like images that we really love, that tell a story and not only Nikko’s image because he is a friend or a follower.

NC: PROMPT THAT MOST SURPRISED YOU?

After 500 days in NC, my prompts are huge! 

Really huge, and I would say, still unstable. This means it’s really common to make fifty to keep just one, but that one will make me smile.

If I go back in time, my first days at NightCafe were certainly full of surprises since I would shout "wow" at every creation.

My first childish prompt with DALL-E 2: "a treehouse in the forest by night with waterfalls and lakes around" is something that I’ll never forget (5 likes… and so happy!)

NC: ANY TIPS FOR PROMPT WRITING?

Still struggling to give tips to myself so I really can’t. 

I use older models - SDXL mostly - so I’m used to make crazy combinations of styles, artists, and things that I’m sure they don’t fit together. Somehow all this is working for me. All these don’t work with new models like Flux, Google Imagen, etc. 

New users that have the Flux option can create really beautiful creations with simple prompts. In my opinion, this is good and bad. Good because less failures help you focus on what you want to achieve. But bad because it’s easy to say… ah it’s ok, next please…  and quit trying for something better. 

Many newbies ask me "how did you get 2000 likes"?, "Do you upload them to Instagram, Facebook, etc"? 

When I reply that I don’t use social media, it sounds crazy. I always say this: Try to BE YOURSELF, and no one else. 

What's the point of trying to do what I did? It's not bad to be inspired, but it's bad to try to copy in every way. 

So my motto remains BE YOURSELF! Start with a simple prompt, and step by step add details. Read about techniques, learn about artists, and if you have difficulty - just ask!

The community is so kind and I'm sure no one will refuse help to anyone who asks for it.

NC: WHAT LED YOU TO USING NIGHTCAFE?

While searching for educational tools that use artificial intelligence, I came across NightCafe. That was it. After signing up, I started creating and now it has become my main hobby.