“If you’re risk-averse, then nothing particularly wonderful happens,” says Mary van de Wiel — though most people simply call her Van. And she would know. Van’s life has been one bold leap after another, shaped by an ever-shifting landscape of cultures and countries. Born in Venezuela to a Dutch father and Canadian mother, her early life was marked by constant movement and a sense of navigating between worlds. From Venezuela to Canada, Holland, Australia, New York City and now San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Van’s global experiences are a defining feature of who she is.
“I’m part of the multi-lingual Third Culture Kid experience,” Van explains. “It shaped me to be comfortable in different cultures, with new languages and ways of being. That’s why landing in the middle of Mexico years later didn’t come as a surprise — I’d been landing in new places my whole life.” This type of dynamic flexibility, for Van, is a hallmark of the maverick spirit. She identifies a maverick as someone who dares to walk outside the lines and is comfortable doing what others might not. Being a maverick is about being fearless.
Van’s ability to navigate cultures deeply influenced her successful career in branding. Dubbed the “Brand Psychologist” by Time Inc., Van built an award-winning branding and design agency with offices in Sydney and New York. She became known for her deep understanding of human emotion and authenticity, helping clients — like People Weekly in Australia — tap into their true essence. “How do you want people to feel when they experience your brand?” she would ask, a question that went beyond business to touch the heart of identity and connection.
Van helps people recognize who they are, deep down. If you’ve ever admired the masthead of The Mavericks Game, then you’ve already appreciated Van’s artistic flair. After a casual call one day, Van asked me, “Hey, can you send over a few of your headshots? I’d like to play with them.” What followed were stunning, audacious doodles — Monica in Lennon glasses, Monica as Business Angel — that transformed the ordinary into extraordinary. They are truly works of art — and frankly, just as Van intended, they inspire me to see myself in ways more dynamic, more daring, more authentic.
Van’s creativity has always showed up in playful ways. She fondly recalls transforming her New York loft’s dining table into a work of art for dinner guests, covering it with butcher paper and decorating it with black tape and marker designs. “We’d have friends over, and I’d draw the table settings — forks, knives, and playful abstract lines,” she recalls with a laugh. “The food was great, but everyone always talked about the table!” Her whimsical dinner party designs would later inspire Black Line Crazy, her art form defined by bold black strokes on massive canvases.
That playfulness evolved into something much larger when Van, in the wake of a life transition, found herself in Mexico. A friend asked her a question that would change everything: “You know you’re an artist, right?” The question hit her like a lightning bolt. For years, she had been a “doodler,” a creator of black lines and bold strokes, but never had she embraced the identity of an artist. Until that moment. The very next day, she bought black acrylic paint and a massive roll of paper, determined to unleash whatever creativity was bubbling under the surface. For days on end she painted floor to ceiling, in a torrent of artistic flow.
Her work quickly caught the attention of curators, leading to a sold-out gallery exhibition in Sydney and placements in museums like MOCA in Chicago and the Museum of Art and Design in San Francisco. You can still catch her public art installation What Were They Thinking at UBS Bank’s New York headquarters, where it has been on view since 2019. Every collaboration and show is a testament to her fearless artistic vision.
Van didn’t stop at creating art — she turned her exuberant brush strokes into wearable fashion and home goods, launching her own line which now sells under her name, VAN DE WIEL. Her haute-fashion collections have captivated fans and devotees — like me! Take a peek at her work, and fill your cart with wearable art — shopvandewiel.com.
For Van, being a maverick means taking risks, embracing the unknown, and daring to be seen as who you truly are. She speaks in emojis, doodles endlessly and lives with exuberance — fully committed to the unapologetic expression of the authentic self. “If you’re risk-averse, you’ll never know what wonderful magic you’re missing,” she says, a mantra she lives by.
I adore my friend Van. She is a force who inspires others to leap into their own creative adventures. She has constantly shaped and reshaped her identity, giving us permission to do the same. Her journey from a global branding maverick to a fully recognized artist is a testament to her bold spirit and a refusal to stay inside the lines.
Ciao bella. x
Find Van at MaryvandeWiel.com, ShopvandeWiel.com, IG and LinkedIn.