As much as Natalie Moggridge loves working in a beautiful Victorian studio in Norwich, making whimsical creations for her accessories brand, it can be lonely, and never more so than this year. Here are her tips on how we can all learn to reconnect
My childhood garden backed onto woodland which has been a huge influence on my interests and aesthetic as I’ve grown up. I’m quite impulsive so have always followed my heart on decisions during my life. I was drawn to the magic of theatre from a young age and chose to combine this with my love of fashion by studying costume and set design at university and postgrad level. After living in London for a few years I tired of the city lifestyle and was drawn to a new adventure in Norwich where I’ve been able to pursue my love for nature. After studying both Costume Design at Bournemouth and Theatre Design in Covent Garden, I completed my training in 2011 and designed various shows around London.
I designed the costumes for a musical performance at Kings Cross Station in 2012 where I created abstract animal headpieces for a number of singers. The producer’s friend saw the headdresses and contacted me to ask if I could make some for him and his friends to wear to a festival. At the same time as this was happening I had decided to start an events design business with my partner Guy under the ‘Curious Fair’ umbrella. We collaborated on a number of photo shoots to promote our styling services where I would often make headpieces for the models. I decided to create an Etsy store for a selection of my headpieces in 2013 as a way to make some extra money on the side of my theatre and event work. After a few years I had collaborated with a wide range of clients including Oasis Fashion, Porter Magazine and M&C Saatchi and the accessories side of the business took over.
As soon as I moved to Norwich I joined a wonderful, shared creative studio where I worked on my accessories business and met lots of talented freelancers who I’m still friends with today. After three years in this set up I outgrew my space and went on a search for a studio that I could also use as a place to display my creations and meet clients. I collaborated on a photo shoot with Norfolk based photographer Kerry Curl in 2018. I fell in love with her Victorian studio, complete with tall ceilings and natural light. A few months later she let me know she was moving and I jumped at the chance to take on her space on as my own! I loved transforming the space into an extension of my Curious Fair brand but after a year working on my own I felt like my mental health was suffering and something needed to change. I know that a lot of people are currently feeling disconnected from nature and community and I felt the same way. I wanted to reconnect with like-minded souls by using my creative skills to make beautiful or useful creations from natural materials, this was where ‘Rewilding Studio’ was born.
It has, of course, been a tumultuous year on so many levels. People’s personal experience and response to the current social distancing measures is circumstances. I like to think about things deeply and respond in a creative way to any challenge that may arise. Lockdown helped me reflect and observe small ways I could make changes in my life to reconnect with both nature and like-minded people.
Preparations for my first workshop are going well. I’ve been really enjoying foraging for beautiful elements to team alongside my store of dried seed pods, foliage and grasses. As someone who suffers from anxiety, the foraging process has been so beneficial to me. I’m hoping to include foraging into weekend long workshops in the future.
There are still a few tickets left for my ‘Autumn Wreath’ workshop on Friday September 25 (from 6-8pm). The workshop includes all materials to make a beautiful, natural wreath; drinks, nibbles, an autumnal good bag and 10 per cent of each ticket goes to the charity, Mind. Tickets are available via the link here. I am, of course, keeping an eye on the latest social distancing guidelines but I will be announcing new workshops over the coming months. I will also be sharing simple nature based DIY’s via my Instagram page. I’m hoping to collaborate with local creative types to offer workshops in 2021 so please get in touch if you have any ideas!
My favourite ways to reconnect are:
To go on foraging walks in nature. These don’t have to be far afield. I’ve found beautiful grasses and seed pods by the river in Norwich and blackberries on the roadside near Trowse. Walking in nature is of course good for the mind but finding natural elements in nature that you can turn into something beautiful or delicious is definitely good for the
soul! There are plenty of inspiring creative ideas and recipes on Pinterest if you aren’t sure where to start. I’ll also be sharing my own experiments via the Rewilding Studio Instagram feed.
To listen to podcasts. There are so many wellbeing podcasts out there, giving tips and inspiration to improve your life in so many ways. A lot of the podcasts I listen to make you feel less alone and remind you that everyone is experiencing huge amounts of change at this time and it’s ok to feel confused and unsettled. My favourite podcast at the moment is ‘How to Fail by Elizabeth Day’ where she explores to good side of ‘failure’.
To reach out and share your ideas with like-minded people. It’s so easy to message someone on Instagram for example. I have recently been messaging people I admire about collaborating on future workshops and it feels me with so much joy to know that we share the same interests and we can get excited about future projects together.
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