Hi, I’m Nicole.
The endlessly curious mind behind Your Eccentric Sister, and your go-to for authentic photography, thoughtful storytelling, and immersive content. I work with brands and experiences that are rich in history, culture, and nuance helping them communicate with their audience, uncovering the depth that makes them remarkable. From luxury travel to culturally significant destinations, lifestyle and wellness brands, and beyond, I craft narratives that feel as authentic as the experiences themselves. Every word is chosen to honor the story, the place, and the people who make it extraordinary.
Ever since childhood, I’ve been captivated by adventure, culture, and the beauty in the world around me, as echoed in the words under my name in my high school yearbook: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air.” That spirit has flowed through my life, shaping the career I have crafted and weaving together my diverse passions—photography, writing, research, and storytelling—into work that resonates with intention, depth, and authenticity.
I’ve been called a degree collector, an eccentric hobbyist, and occasionally by a slightly overwhelmed immigration officer, “a walking encyclopedia in nice boots.” Fair enough, I can get a little excited. With a background that reads like a librarian’s dream—cultural anthropology, religious studies, psychology, archaeology, history, photography, writing, a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and more—I’ve spent my life seeking depth and connection in every experience. That same curiosity informs my creative lens, which is story-forward, intentional, and delightfully eccentric.
Photography has been a lifelong love. From my early days in elementary school photographing historic buildings and family vacations, to award-winning cross-cultural work while living in Japan, I’ve always been drawn to capturing the world with nuance and feeling. Writing and editing have been constant companions. Childhood afternoons spent poring over enthralling stories in National Geographic and obscure encyclopedias sparked a passion that later translated into a career: crafting copy, editing publications, writing newsletters, and creating brand emails for audiences who value authenticity and depth.
This combination of visual and written storytelling allows me to craft content that resonates with discerning audiences and elevates luxury and boutique brands. Infusing passion in every project, I support brands in travel, wellness, and lifestyle who value authenticity, intention, and depth.
When not traveling for work, I can be found writing and editing on my idyllic orchard in Vermont with my husband, among the evergreens and apple trees where I cannot stay away from the always-crisp spring-fed lakes that surround us. The changing seasons inspire my curiosity, fuel my creativity, and shape the stories I bring to life. Here, I cook farm-to-table meals for family and friends, explore seasonal ingredients, and watch the natural world guide the rhythm of daily life.
This connection to place and attention to detail informs everything I do as a storyteller. Whether I’m photographing a boutique wellness retreat, capturing the timeless elegance of a European château, capturing the luxury found on an expedition cruise, or crafting copy for a curated lifestyle brand, I bring the same intentionality, sensory awareness, and narrative depth that comes from years of living in and learning from the land.
My Philosophy
I believe storytelling should be immersive, elegant, and transformative. It should capture how a place feels, how a product resonates, and how a brand speaks to the hearts and minds of its audience. My approach is flexible: whether you need a single campaign, recurring content, or a full creative partnership, I shape stories and craft visuals that are inspired, functional, and enduring.
When We Collaborate
Working with me is as much about exploration as it is about results. I partner with boutique retreats, historic hotels, luxury lifestyle brands, and curated products to create narratives that elevate every touchpoint. Each collaboration is informed by deep research, curiosity, and a commitment to excellence and guided by a quietly eccentric, insider perspective that brings unexpected richness to every story.
Think of me as your creative confidante: capturing the details you love, shaping the narrative your audience will remember, and helping your brand flourish in ways that feel intentional, thoughtful, and unforgettable. Whether you’re looking to elevate your social media, refresh your website copy, or commission bespoke photography, I provide solutions that feel tailored, deliberate, and authentic.
What's in a Name?
I’ve been asked about the name Your Eccentric Sister more times than I can count.
Usually with a pause before the word “eccentric,” as if it needs a moment to settle.
Which, to be fair, I understand. The understanding of eccentric has shifted in recent years into something closer to unpredictability or chaos, when historically it had more to do with orbit than disorder. A life moving slightly off the expected center, not outside meaning, but outside convention.
The truth is, that name etched itself in my mind years before my adventuring heart settled down enough to combine my interests into a human-centered, experiential creative studio.
Even during my undergraduate studies in Japan, while immersed in religious traditions and surrounded by some fascinating people, I found they would often steer conversations back toward a familiar place. People were curious about my life, the breadth of experiences I’d had at such a young age, and the unusual collection of interests mixed with academic paths I had amassed.
Throughout these encounters, there was a word that surfaced again and again: Eccentric.
Not in the modern, dismissive sense, but in a more Renaissance one. A shorthand for someone whose curiosity refuses to stay in one discipline, one place, or one way of seeing the world.
Aviation, scuba diving, sailing, kinesiology, philosophy, literature, religion, archaeology, languages, photography, to name a few. My interests never stayed neatly contained, and apparently neither did the way I moved through the world.
So, when I started this studio after post-graduate studies and a decade in the corporate world applying my creative and analytical skills, a life continually shaped by both structure and exploration, the name Your Eccentric Sister felt inevitable.
The second half of the name has always carried something quieter, and in some ways, more important.
“Sister” was never meant to define a relationship, but to point to something I kept noticing in practice.
Across the places I traveled and studied, the people I met, and the traditions I spent time learning from, there was a familiar rhythm beneath them all. Different languages, different customs, different ways of living, but often the same human questions underneath it all.
What gives life meaning.
What is worth remembering.
How people carry history, family, place, and story with them.
Over time, it became harder to see these as separate places, and easier to see them as variations of the same human experience, expressed differently.
That sense of recognition is what “sister” came to mean. Not closeness in a personal sense, but a kind of kinship in perspective, the recognition that we are shaped in different places but moved by many of the same human questions.
And “Your” grew from something even simpler. Not ownership, but relation.
A reminder that none of this exists in isolation, that meaning, story, and experience are always shared, always reciprocal, always part of something larger than the individual telling it.
And that is how the name truly settled for me, because it was never just a name after all.
