Meet the Artist

Hello! I'm Nicole. The mama, artist, designer, storyteller and maker of all things behind The Wilde Store.

l am a Sustainability Analyst by trade in conjunction with identifying as a Global Indigenous Woman living and working on Gimuy Walubara Yidinji and Yirrganydji lands. I am a proud Papa New Guinean, Cantonese, Irish and Australian Woman. My creative practice is rooted in returning to natural ways of living. I'm a mixed media artist who draws knowledge from traditional skills within my cultural lines and incorporates modern techniques with early childhood philosophies. Memorializing my cultural heritage by drawing on those skills intertwined with sustainable practices to safeguard culture in our modern world, is an integral part of making in my home.

My initiation as a Textile Artist was born shortly after the birth of my daughter Ochre when the call to nourish and nurture infinitely expanded in my new role as Mother.

I felt the sacred responsibility as my daughter's first curator deeply, with a knowing that play will be her greatest teacher. As i journeryed through matresence and explored my culture and identity, slow-stitching become medicine for me in this identity shift from Maiden to Mother. A fire ignited in my spirit and I began curating sustainable playtime resources that reflected the magic of nature. I felt as if for the first time in my life, I truly experienced the world by viewing it through her eyes. How magical a Ulyssess butterfly is or the cockatoos on the flight path home in the afternoons. That we really have complicated and divested from the simple magic of childhood. Storytelling of animals, connection to land and ancestral roots became foundations of play facilitated by the hand-made pieces I made during nap times.

I'm continuously evolving through the seasons of motherhood, experimenting with natural fibers and dyes that are gentle on little hands and the planet. Whilst reclaiming skills within my ancestral lines. I weave stories, love and intention to every unique piece so our little ones can embark on their own journey of connection. By providing them with a unique lens of resonance through sustainable play.

My creative practice is a wellspring of nourishment that holistically supports my family. My work is also an act of resistance against the capitalist paradigm designed to extract and exploit for profit. Thank you for supporting my journey as a Mother-Artist and if you ever feel helpless in this world, supporting slow-made is a form of protest

Big love,

Nicole