Nicola currently works on a broad range of projects that include her own artwork & sculptural installations as well as still life styling and set design for both editorial and advertising campaigns. Collaborations include photographers Dan Tobin Smith, Toby McFarlan Pond, Mario Testino, Sam Taylor Wood, Miles Aldridge and Kate Jackling. She splits her time between London and the Oxfordshire countryside.

Please tell us your greatest inspirations and influences Nicola

My greatest inspirations are in nature. When Im in the city for too long I crave the space. I miss the horizons, seeing sunset and sunrise, the ebbs and flow of the seasons, the swallows arriving, the change in landscape etc. Its not that I go for walk and have eureka moments, in fact often my mind can be blank, its afterwards when Im back in the city that it creeps in. It ignites thoughts and ideas which often emerge at a later date.

My greatest inspiration in terms of other artists are vast and varied but if I had to pick 1 I would say Anselm Keifer, there is a rawness to his work that massively resonates with me. 

Please tell us about your creative process

My creative process has always been very organic. Sometimes I will sketch and idea then try and make it, but it always changes, once your hands start working they kind of lead the way, it’s just an instinctive thing really. I tend to have a large selection of materials, of ingredients to hand and then just start tinkering until it feels complete.

How did the pandemic affect your work and creativity?

The pandemic was in many ways a really great turning point for me. I had been working on much larger scale projects, big installations and events then suddenly everything was cancelled, all my work booked in for the year disappeared. After the initial panic and anxiety (and trying to home school a 6 year old) I found a stillness that hadn’t been there for years. I spent a few months back on my dads farm in Yorkshire, spent time in the fields and on the land, turned a shed into a studio and started tinkering. I re-found my love for stills and creating images and started taking pictures myself, 2 years later and this is now a regular practice for me. I do still work commercially and do enjoy collaborating with other photographers but spend an equal amount of time now on my own practice.

What does wellbeing mean for you?

Wellbeing these days I would say is trying to keep mental equilibrium, I think work is probably the single and only practice I have that helps. Its meditative, you can zone out and loose hours creating, your mood and state of mind is irrelevant in fact it often helps to feel abit ‘jangly’ and to channel that energy.

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