Humans of San Marcos: Nikkye Re’Anne of Daughter of the Wild

By Asia Daggs
Blog Content Contributor

Meet the lady behind Daughter of the Wild, Nikkye Re’Anne.

Daggs: Did you grow up in the San Marcos area?

Re’Anne: I was born in San Marcos and I have stayed close to the river growing deep routes here, but I love to travel around as well.

D: When did you first start up your business and what inspired you to do so?

R: I grew up running an antique store with my mom when I was around 12 years old. Since then, I have acquired more skills from other jobs that have helped me create the solid platform to launch my personal endeavors which really started in late 2012.

D: How would you explain Daughter Of Wild?

R: Daughter of the Wild is the collaboration of Mother Nature and I; I always say she does the hard work because it’s true. We all come from her and depend on her in every way. I like to think that my creative expression is a testament to the very natural connection we share with plants, stones, bones, etc. but too often get disconnected from in our social patterns of late. It’s definitely a therapy for me and is intended to offer safe space as well as positive energy.

D: How did you come up with the name? Does it have any personal meaning to you?

R: I remember before I came up with Daughter of the Wild, I was toying around with a few other cool names but none of them hit me in the way that this name did when it came to mind. It has personal meaning for me because it is simply me. The “Wild” is all that we come from. (From an) indigenous perspective, we all come from and are a part of Creator, the Great Mystery. We are all Daughters & Sons of the Wild. In addition, my mom is one of the biggest reasons (why) I am the way I am and she laid the foundation for me to do what I am doing, so she is the Wild. We are Wild women.

D: Do you have one favorite piece out of your personal collection?

R: I enjoy all of the creations that come to pass. If I had to choose one of my more unique designs, it would have to be my terrarium necklaces. They are small glass bottles that have a microenvironment that you can wear around your neck. You get to watch and wear living art, they’re super neat.

D: Do you have any other hobbies?

R: I do a lot of work with the river; she’s my favorite. I love swimming and spending time with the water and wild rice. I enjoy gardening too. In San Marcos, we have such a unique ecosystem that is one of the few places where we have seen restoration to natural habitat. I dig that idea so much. I like to incorporate that into my gardening and do what I call wildscaping. Introducing native vegetation and creating wildlife habitats.

D: Do you have a motto that you try to live by?

R: Let go & flow. Wisdom of the River.

D: I personally love your social media presence and the jewelry and all of the other items you create. Could you go into detail about how you choose your crystals, stones and other materials you use?

R: Thanks Asia! When it comes to choosing the materials I work with, often times, it is intuitive based which can be hard to describe with words; especially for crystals, stones, minerals (or) fossils. Generally, I say they chose me because at the end of the day, I am just an outlet for them to get to whoever needs them the most. Stones are are created all over the world under different circumstances, pressures, chemical compositions, etc., so naturally they have different feelings, vibrations, and healing properties. The work I do and the designs I choose are usually simple, allowing for the stones (and) crystals to be most celebrated and useful. Other materials, like the bones and feathers, are either found out in nature or sourced from native traders or folks who have birds and sell their naturally molted feathers. I also have to keep in mind certain laws when it comes to natural materials. Some feathers are illegal to own, such as birds of prey or migratory birds. That’s why you will never see owl or hawk feathers in my work but you will instead find turkey, chicken and parrot feathers.

D: Is there any other info you would like our readers to know?

R: Embrace your vulnerabilities, don’t settle. Get up and do it. F**k the fear, let go & flow. Also, check out the Farmers Market every Saturday on the square from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.