The Khoollect Squad Series: meet Emily Nelson

The Khoollect Squad Series is a chance for us to introduce our community to our most-loved digital stars — the bloggers, Snapchatters and Instagrammers  — who are setting the pace on and offline. This squad is online, on point and, now, on your radar too. We think you’ll love the worlds of #thekhoollectsquad as much as we do.

A little lady on her littleWren, men in fedoras and deliciously sweet pineapples. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Emily merges watercolour and digital editing to create colourful illustrations of interesting people, new places and charismatic animals. If you’d like to spice up what you’re scrolling through on Instagram, or if you’re yearning for a new perspective on the day-to-day, welcome to the whimsical and quirky world of Emily Nelson, where anything, including Father Christmas as a merman, is possible.

Name: Emily Nelson

Instagram account: @emilynelsonart

Website: emilynelsonillustration.com

Where in the world do you live? Brisbane, Australia.

What do you #khoollect? I #khoollect dolphin sightings and dog pats. I love to paint animals and all things tropical.

What’s your favourite recipe? My signature rosemary and date cookies. They’re kind of made up. Use 125g dairy free margarine, 1 cup of coconut sugar,  a dash of vanilla extract, 1 egg, 2 cups of spelt flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary and 1 cup of dried dates. Cream the butter, sugar and egg. Mix everything together and then stir in the dates. Bake until lightly browned and delicious!

What’s your favourite film? Fantastic Mr Fox by Wes Anderson (I’m also really into the new Moana film!).

What’s your favourite book? Just Kids by Patti Smith

What’s some of the best advice you’ve ever received? I was listening to a beautiful interview by Nai Palm from Hiatus Kaiyote the other day, and she spoke about how making art is not just or your validation. It’s for other people. I’m still working out what that means to me. I like the idea that my art and that the joy that I put into it can bring joy to other people. It’s not all about my ego and what I get out of it.