This week, our Katie is chatting to Nicola Allan, an artist, writer and consulting astrologer based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After 12 years working as a lawyer, Nicola pivoted to illustration and has since built a brand that weaves together everything she loves: The Wild Way.
Nicola's a brilliant example of what happens when you stop trying to choose between the things you're drawn to and just bring them aaaall along for the ride. We chat about slowly switching from a regular job to illustration, why crowdfunding is such a powerful way to test if your idea has legs before you make all the things, and how to weave your obsessions (in Nicola's case: astrology) into work that's unmistakably yours.
Plus the maths of email lists vs. social media, why you should start promoting WAY earlier than feels comfortable, decans and scribes, trusting your gut, and the idea that ideas themselves will find someone else if you don't act on them. Mmmm.
Timestamps, for the timestamp fans:
00:00 – Nicola's wiggly path from law to illustration to astrology
01:00 – Early days of greetings cards and Not On The High Street
02:00 – Why a slow transition beats quitting cold turkey
03:00 – Remote lawyering from Mexico
04:00 – Pandemic, dogs, and the chance encounter that became Nicola's first tarot deck
05:00 – Why Nicola walked away from a publisher to crowdfund instead
06:00 – The Kickstarter campaign that ended up on their front page!
08:00 – Coming back to Scotland on a whim and never leaving
09:00 – The Wild Way oracle deck and the 36 decans
12:00 – Katie's reading and the literal scribe in her chart
13:00 – More years studying astrology than law, apparently
15:00 – Recurrence transits and creative breakthroughs in the birth chart
16:00 – Why 2026 and 2027 are big collective years
19:00 – Everyone's wired differently (phew)
20:00 – Self-publishing the Wild Way
22:00 – Coming up: a 78-card Wild Way tarot deck on Kickstarter in June
23:00 – Top tips for first-time crowdfunders
26:00 – Start small: a calendar, an enamel pin, anything
28:00 – Email list maths
30:00 – Trusting your gut and listening to the little voices
32:00 – Ideas have a lifespan and will find someone else if you don't act
33:00 – Trust yer gut
Links mentioned:
The Wild Way: https://www.the-wild-way.com/
Find Your Creative Voice: https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag
The Wild Way on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewildway_
Nicola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicola__allan/
Byeeee for now!
x The Good Ship Illustration (Helen, Katie & Tania)
p.s. If you loved Nicola's "take all your weird interests and weave them into something only you could make" then you'll probs get excited about our Find Your Creative Voice, Fly Your Freak Flag course, a safe little cocoon to figure out what work is properly yours and start basking in your weirdness.
Come and fly your freak flag with us! https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/freakflag
Come and say hello!
✏️ @thegoodshipillustration
🌏 www.thegoodshipillustration.com
p.s. We love answering your illustration questions. Click here to submit your question for The Good Ship Illustration Podcast 🎙
Netherlands