Head and HeART

TIFFANY MACHLER, known as Nugget, has embodied the phrase, “Be the change you wish to see.” Growing up, she felt the absence of a strong female role model. Today, she has striven to become one. Exemplified by her large-scale murals and recently published book, How to Rise to Meet a Woman Like This, her two-decade-long art career has grown in parallel with her sense of self. 

“I love painting things that are engaging to look at, that make people feel something, empowered, intrigued, connected to the dark feminine. I feel like I’m able to be more fearless and expressive through art,” she says. “My recognizable brand has evolved from the recurring themes, emotions, and visual language present throughout my work, even though I create across multiple mediums. Women, bold colors, and unapologetic expression became things people recognized in me. As I continued creating those paintings, my personal expression changed, too. I’ve become more anchored in my truth.” 

Machler is a classically trained artist with a BFA in studio art from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She credits community building and like-minded connections with providing her the greatest avenues for support and growth, especially over the last decade as she turned her focus to large-scale public art and commissions, eventually founding Art by Nugget LLC in 2020. 

From Social Casa de Tequila to Coco Pipa, her signature style is seen throughout Wilmington. Prominent pieces include Big Beautiful Brains, a mural in the lobby of the Novant Health Neuroscience Institute, and Indigenous Fly Feaster in Carolina Beach. She also appeared on the HGTV Show “Good Bones, New Beginnings,” where a vibrant three-dimensional installation celebrates the area’s native carnivorous plants. Bursting with blues, oranges, and pinks, paint extends to furniture, surfaces, and includes sculptural PVC elements.  

Her process is project-specific yet typically begins with digitally creating imagery, then scaling it to size, she says. She then works through large-scale portions of murals with spray paint. Fine details are added through brushwork with materials, such as PVC board, lending interaction and a sense of movement to the final product.  

Recently, she went from paint to paper, publishing her book, How to Rise to Meet a Woman Like This, in April. What started as a collection of short stories led to developing eighteen archetypes she explores in depth, she says. She sourced locally, using editor LYDIA PLANTAMURA and artist LACEY VILANDREY for illustrations alongside her own. 

“This book is about the roles we learn to play in relationships, the unhealthy patterns we repeat, and what it takes to rise beyond them. I explore archetypes like the Intimacy Evader and the Clingy Contortionist because I have played some of those roles myself,” she says. “I’m not writing from a place of perfection, but from lived experience, accountability, and transformation. At its heart, the book asks what relationships could become if we stopped abandoning ourselves to be chosen. I’m incredibly proud that people believed in that message enough to fully fund the book through Kickstarter.” 

Machler places a strong emphasis on mentorship, having mentors of her own and also advising young artists. At her former gallery and event space, 11oh9, she installed a 40-foot covered graffiti wall for classes and community programs. There, she hosted pro-bono workshops for DREAMS of Wilmington and GLOW Academy. She describes herself as intentional when staying engaged and visible beyond the arts community.  

Business development courses have also been invaluable to her, she says. She participated in Genesis Block’s Jumpstart Academy and its Minority Business Accelerator for women- and minority-owned businesses, she says. She also took classes through Channel, which is a resource center that Live Oak Bank funds. Additionally, she attends networking events like the Greater Wilmington Business Journal’s After Hours, is a WILMA Women to Watch Awards alumna and sits on the Carolina Beach Mural Project board.  

“Those programs helped me strengthen the practical side of my creative practice, including strategy, financial planning, entrepreneurship, and building a sustainable business,” she says. “I make a point of building relationships with business owners, civic leaders, and people across different industries.” 

She notes that as a working creative, one must be creative in how they build opportunities for themselves. Ultimately, she says, the legacy she wants to leave is a contribution to a thriving, sustainable public art program for Wilmington. 

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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