FRIENDS OF NILLY

I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting lots of people who do amazing things and want to support their work by sharing them with you! Over the years I’ve needed a lot of help, support, friendship, and guidance. These are people who I care about deeply, who’ve had a massive impact in my life and I’d love for you to meet them too so here they are! P.S will be updating this as and when✨

CREATIVES

Reyhana Ismail - Graphic Designer

Rey is a multi-passionate graphic designer with a beautiful portfolio of work. I had the honour of working with Rey when I first started Stori Dori and needed help with bringing my ideas to life for creating stationery for this brand. Rey has been designing her own stationery products over the years, for adults & children, and has a built a massive collection of diaries and planners that can all be found here.

Harry Fear - Documentary Filmmaker

Harry’s reporting of the war on Gaza back in 2014 is what first drew me to his work. As a young journalist and filmmaker his body of work has inspired thousands of people to ask hard questions, start conversations, and reflect deeply about the impact political aggression in all its forms has on innocent civilians. You can view his documentary here: ‘Gaza Still Alive’ and connect with Harry here for more information.

Farrah Azam - Artist

Farrah is an amazing artist and many of her signature designs have graced many luxury brand products over the years. Farrah’s intricate illustrations are a fusion of her eastern heritage and modern eclectic patterns that are all painted freehand. A simple scroll through her Instagram page makes my heart sigh with joy when gazing at her designs. She offers limited editions of her designs on products, check them out here.

Rai McLaren - Photographer

Rai came to my aid a few years ago when I was desperate to get great product photos of my Stori Dori journals. He’s a talented and dedicated portrait photographer with an incredible eye for capturing the essence of his subjects and moments. Working with someone of his calibre was an incredible experience filled with many ‘ah-ha!’ moments. Rai’s calming demeanour, patience (with me!) and dedication to his craft made our photoshoots fun and fruitful. Find out more about Rai here.

Brooke Benoit - Jewelry Maker

Brooke is a gifted jewelry designer and maker who has been dedicated to her craft for decades. Among her gifts, she also writes and I’ve had the pleasure of reading her works over the years with appreciation that someone speaks the language of my thoughts and feelings that are hard to convey. Brooke’s courage and huge heart has helped many Muslim women and she is a beautiful example of dedication, grace, and kindness. You can visit Brooke’s shop on Etsy.

PUBLISHING

AMALIAH

Founded by the Bakkar sisters, Selina & Nafisa, AMALIAH is the leading online platform to amplify Muslim womens voices and champions Muslim women to be seen, heard, and represented with formidable grace. What I love most about AMALIAH is their dedication to authenticity and integrity in all matters, because this truly does matter. The Amaliah team are a strong ensemble of what it means to be Muslim women on a mission to support and raise eachother up. Long may they continue! Visit AMALIAH here.

MENTORS & TEACHERS

LaYinka Sanni

LaYinka’s dedication and support to help women come home to themselves has been the driving message throughout her work over the years. Many times LaYinka has helped me pick myself up from the floor, dust myself off, and supported me to discover my courage to continue on. Her inside out approach to the deeply impactful and introspective work, thus ensuring a meaningful connection women have with themselves throughout life – no matter what. Find out more about LaYinka here.

Ciara Ash

Ciara and I connected through a personal trauma I’d been carrying and wasn’t aware of. Her impact on my life has been immense from the moment she reached out to me to help. I’ve had the honour to be coached by Ciara to not only overcome this particular trauma but several others as well. With her kind support, strong mentoring, and exceptional gift to understand with great compassion what I’ve struggled to articulate, has inspired me to reconnect with my dreams and continue on the journey in personal improvement and growth. Visit Ciara here for more about her work.

BUSINESS OWNERS & SERVICES

Lewis Hillier - Master Draughtsman

Wouldn’t be right if I didn’t include my husband here, lol. Lewis is a structural steel & metalworks specialist providing design and consultancy services to the steel industry. Fabricator by trade, he worked his way up into the design office and carved out a niche for himself as a master steel draughtsman. The balance of his skills, knowledge, and experience added to the mix has made him an incredible talent for structural steel and Metalworks projects. Visit Lewis here for more.

Ally McMurtry - Virtual Services

Ally and I first met on Clubhouse during the pandemic in 2021. Her joy and no nonsense approach drew me to her and we’ve had the pleasure of sharing the same discussion spaces. I adore her joyful spirit and passion to make bookkeeping a breeze for her clients and how this ultimately brings ease into their lives. Find out more about Ally here.