When we first started dreaming up Project Pony, we knew we needed artwork that created a feeling, not just a brand. We wanted something that stirred that inner (perhaps long forgotten) part of ourselves; something nostalgic, a little wild and deeply connected to the coast, where salty air, sun-faded mornings, horses, surf checks, good coffee and a quiet sense of freedom still felt possible.

The moment we came across Emily Wright’s work, it just clicked.

Emily, the artist behind AHKI Illustration, lives and creates on the Surf Coast of Victoria, and her work feels deeply shaped by the natural world and life lived close to the ocean. Working primarily in graphite pencil and lino block printing, Emily’s art carries a beautiful rawness and warmth to it, expressive, imperfect in all the right ways and full of feeling.

There’s something incredibly grounding about the way Emily captures movement, nature and human connection. Her work doesn’t feel overly polished or manufactured; it feels lived-in, soulful and honest. Exactly what we hoped Project Pony would become.

The final artwork perfectly captures the spirit of Project Pony, a blending of surf culture and horse culture, softness and strength, freedom and ritual. A coastal cowgirl carrying a surfboard while sitting bareback on horseback somehow says everything we struggled to put into words ourselves.

It represents the slower rhythm we were chasing when creating Project Pony. A life shaped by waves, community, creativity and connection to the outdoors. Coffee as part of a lifestyle rather than simply a product.

Collaborating with Emily felt less like commissioning artwork and more like finding someone who instinctively understood the heart of Project Pony before we even fully knew how to explain it ourselves.