ABOUT

Hi. I’m Nicky!

If you were to ask me what I want to do with my life, I’d say:

Follow my curiosity, create with intention, and inspire remarkable change. Dot by dot. Line by line. Story by story.

I studied at Edinburgh College of Art, earning my degree in Visual Communication (specialising in traditional animation), and soon began working freelance in the animation industry—training under stop-motion legend Barry Purves and working on kids TV shows like Postman Pat, Roary the Racing Car, and Fifi and the Flowertots at Cosgrove Hall Films. I later completed an MA Computer Animation at the University of Bradford, which opened the door to a 3D animation production internship at Studio Distract in Manchester.

As a creative professional, I have worked on a wide range of projects across multiple disciplines, including: logo design, idents, promotional video, workshops, and commercials for clients such as The Children’s Media Conference, Robinwood Activity Centres, and Toyota.

My short films have been nominated as official selections for Animated Encounters’ Best of British Award (2011) and Animated Exeter’s Screen Out Loud Independent Talent Award (2012).

In 2015, I transitioned into education and spent the last ten years honing my skills as a storyteller delivering transformative learning experiences for kids (…and their grown-ups) as an Outdoor Instructor.

This is where I got to see with my own eyes the power of storytelling as a tool for learning, self-discovery, and transformation. For me, there is no better way to spark curiosity, engage, educate and empower.

My creative process is built around the idea of intentional documentation—which is intentionally documenting your life so that you can use it in your creative projects (Thanks to Nathaniel Drew for the inspiration). I have integrated this with the practice of bullet journaling from Ryder Carroll, and Tiago Forte’s PARA Method to create my own personal knowledge management system (or “Second Brain) in Notion which allows me to capture everything I learn digitally and store it for future reference. So, I guess you could also call me a curator who creates! I love to explore, collect, reflect on, and transform notes, life experiences, and ideas into something intentional, impactful, and meaningful.

In my freetime, I am a keen swimmer, an avid reader, and a theatre-nut who spends far too much time in museums and galleries, drinks excessive amounts of coffee, and if they could be doing anything, they’d be flaneuring around cities with a sketchbook in hand (yes—I’m an urban sketcher).

Flaneuring, originating from the French term "flâneur," refers to the act of leisurely strolling and observing one's surroundings, often with a sense of detached contemplation and appreciation for the details of urban life. It's about wandering without a specific destination or purpose, enjoying the experience of being present in the moment and absorbing the atmosphere. 

Here’s just some of my adventures:

• Sliding down the world’s longest and tallest slide — the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

• Flying over the Eden Project’s three giant biomes on a zipwire (…and hugging a giant seed).

• Standing in awe of the Cristo Rei in Portugal.

• Toasting Marshmallows on an open fire at Kew Gardens.

• Buying a Paddington Bear at Paddington Station.

• Quadbiking.

• Riding around Lisbon on a TukTuk.

• Completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks on foot in under 12 hours.

• Saying “Hello!” to Dippy the Dinosaur and Hope the Blue Whale at the Natural History Museum.

• Chasing Wallace, Gromit, and Feathers McGraw all around Bristol (and meeting Shaun the Sheep at Covent Garden) as part of Gromit Unleashed and Shaun in the City.

• Spotting every Mandeville and Wenlock on the London 2012 Olympics Art Trails in London.

• Hiking the length of Hadrian’s Wall (PS I had the best pizza I have ever eaten here too—and it was delivered to my tent via golf buggy. How awesome is that!?)

• Seeing the magnificent Kelpies in Scotland.

• Seeing Hogwarts in the Snow.

• Visiting Gilwell Park, home of the Scouting movement (and becoming a certified Archery GB Instructor).

• Circling the isle of Arran on foot in 7 days.

• Climbing up onto the roof of the O2 Arena at twilight, and…

• Embarking on a Nessie cruise captained by the man who faked the world-famous photo!

As you may have already guessed, I love to travel!

I developed a passion for long-distance hiking after completing the Cotswold Way in 2013. In fact, since then I’ve set myself the challenge of walking every UK National Trail solo. I’ve completed four so far, plus three Scottish Great Trails (and burned through several pairs of walking boots along the way).

A random fact about me?

Whenever I cross something off my bucket list or complete a personal challenge, I buy a Harry Potter Wand to remember it by.

At last count, I have 27.

If you’re on a mission to make a difference—and need a storyteller, visual communicator, or creative educator in your corner—I’d love to hear from you.

Email me or drop me a line for inquiries, or even just to say hello at: hello@neekonline.com.