Since the age of 15, I have worked in healthcare. I started in nursing and, in recent years, moved into occupational therapy.
For most of my life, my work has been about helping others.
### A New Beginning — 2026
In spring 2026, after rediscovering the poems I wrote more than 25 years ago, I finally asked myself:
**What about me? What do I truly love to create?**
That question opened a completely new chapter of my life.
I discovered my passion for art, storytelling and design.
In April 2026, I started creating again from scratch. Within just one month, I built my small creative business and taught myself Canva, graphic design, how to run an Etsy shop, and how to build a presence on social media.
In August 2026, I opened my shop on Contrado and began creating luxury fashion bags.
And then I discovered something I had never fully understood about myself before.
When I look at a bag, I don't see only a bag.
**I see an entire dress.**
Within minutes, I can imagine its silhouette, fabrics, colours, details and the story behind it.
I use AI as a visualisation assistant to help me bring the ideas in my mind to life faster. But the vision, stories and designs come from me.
In everything I have learned so far, I discovered something else: I learn quickly when I am creating something I truly love.
The stories.
The motifs inspired by my poetry.
My love for roses and butterflies.
My dreams.
That is NikiArtStories.
After almost three decades in healthcare, I am stepping into a new world — creative design.
In 2026, I built something from nothing that finally feels completely mine.
NikiArtStories.
It is more than a shop.
It is the story of a woman who spent most of her life helping others — and finally gave herself permission to dream too.