Wildernation

2017-2019

About

Wildernation was a sustainability-focused brand I started in 2017 to "to raise awareness about environmental issues and help people make small changes to their daily routines to live more eco-conscious lifestyles." I primarily posted content on Wildernation's instagram page (original photography and designs) and wrote articles on the (now defunct) website. The website also sold stickers and embroidered hats made from recycled plastic water bottles.

Lessons Learned

Although I will say Wildernation's initial brand identity was unique for its time, I ultimately felt that the content didn't bring anything revolutionary to the environmental space or general public. The design of my posts and branding materials had also started to veer with time towards the trends expressed in other "sustainability" blogs and accounts, resulting in already eco-conscious individuals comprising the majority of my audience. At Wildernation's peak, the website and Instagram generated decent traffic (attracting users from over 50 countries!), but I started to wonder: am I actually accomplishing anything here?

While the answer was technically "yes" — I had developed a brand with a relatively small but appreciative following, and that's definitely something, I would ultimately realize that Wildernation's initial goals and methods did not — and would likely never — establish systems to institute large-scale change. The brand reinforced the neoliberal ideology that personal responsibility and small lifestyle modifications were key to solving environmental problems and distracted consumers from the reality: that corporate-driven greenhouse gas emissions and environmental destruction comprise the majority of the problem.

In 2020, I officially stopped working on the project and decided to invest my time into better understanding environmental crises and researching more robust climate solutions. Realizing the importance of government within this larger framework, I also worked for the California Environmental Voters in 2021-2022.

Working on Wildernation taught me the importance of brand ideology. Brands wield social power, and I should ensure that if I am to construct another, I direct its power towards a productive, well-informed purpose.