Interviews

Kelp, colour and wild fibre with Lydia Miller

Lydia Miller weaves with the wild. From ocean-foraged kelp to antlers, sticks and horsehair, her sculptural fibre works are shaped as much by intuition as by ecology. In this episode, Lydia shares how place, process and material co-create her art – and how slowing down, paying attention, and working with what you have can transform both your creative practice and your connection to the natural world.

Alongside weaving, Lydia also works with natural plant dyes, growing and foraging colour from her own garden. Her practice reminds us that creativity can extend from the soil to the studio, with every season offering new possibilities.

🌿 As a gift to listeners, Lydia has created The Plant Lover’s Guide to Solar Dyeing – a free downloadable resource to help you begin growing, harvesting, and creating your own natural dyes at home.

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Listen or watch on your favourite platform:

Host: Nicola Rough

Show Notes

I pretty much just offer the technology – the skills to hold the materials together. They have agency. They lead the way.
- Lydia Miller

Takeaways from this episode

Discover how to work with organic materials in intuitive ways.
Lydia shares how she sources, prepares, and responds to natural materials like kelp, sticks, and antlers – and how these forms often guide the direction of her sculptures. You’ll learn to let materials lead, rather than control the outcome.
Learn what it means to build a creative practice in relationship with place.
Whether living in the city or foraging on the coast, Lydia adapts her artmaking to what's available in her environment. This episode will inspire you to explore your local surroundings with new eyes – and see creative potential in unexpected resources.
Explore the emotional and ecological dimensions of fibre art.
Lydia’s work doesn’t just use natural materials – it’s in conversation with them. You'll hear how weaving becomes a way to reflect on our connection to the land, and how handmade objects can carry memory, meaning and care.
Get practical insights into natural dye gardening.
Lydia offers tips for growing your own dye plants, even in small spaces. If you’re curious about making colour from plants or kitchen scraps, you’ll come away with ideas you can try at home – plus a downloadable guide to get you started.
Be reminded that your creativity matters – even if it’s slow.
Lydia speaks candidly about balancing work, life, and art. Her approach offers gentle encouragement to honour small wins, keep showing up, and trust that your creative rhythm doesn’t have to be fast to be meaningful.

Download The Plant Lover’s Guide to Solar Dyeing

Explore the artwork from this episode below

During the live interview, we shared some images of Lydia’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.

Join the conversation

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