“As an introvert, I had to push myself to come out of my comfort zone. My business opened a new door of work for me.”, explains Nielouphar Abdurahiman whose body of work includes the esteemed apparel brand Prada and cosmetic brand Mac CosmeticsArabia among several others.
Nielouphar is a Lettering and Calligraphy artist who decided to take her unmatched skills of lettering to bewitching highs with her Art & Craft business called “Pretty PaperStudio”. She single-handedly founded and managed the business in Dubai where the Art scene was still at its nascent stage in 2012. To know more about her life and profession, look into her quick chat with Storiyaan.
Interview
Questions and answers
When it comes to calligraphy, do you have a favourite style and what aspects of it make it so?
Yes, my favourite style of calligraphy is pointed pen calligraphy. It has an old-world charm to it which feels like I am writing letters. Thus, I have always loved the nostalgic feel of it.
What was the rationale behind “Pretty Paper Studio” and what life skills did managing your business help you develop?
“Pretty Paper Studio” started as a means of documenting the childhood of my children. But the lack of art & craft stores in Dubai compelled me to start one of my own.
My communication and networking skills improved greatly. A business requires one to communicate about your offer and also engage with others for its growth. It was a great learning curve.
What are some of the major areas that you cover in the Group Business Coaching Sessions?
The Group Business Coaching Sessions called “Team Sparkles” covers all the major areas and dimensions required to give an art/creative business a solid foundation including understanding who your audience is, how to communicate to them, how to market your products/services, how to work smarter and not just hard among other things. It is a holistic guidance on managing and scaling an art/creative business.
You have worked under major brands like Prada and MAC Cosmetics. What were some of the lessons that you gained while working with these companies?
The major lesson I took back from working with high profile brands is that consistency gets rewarded. You need to be at your productive best, have the right network and the accurate work profile for these brands to consider working with you.
How did motherhood impact your work life and what were the greatest postpartum challenges that you faced?
Motherhood made me realise the acute importance of time management. I began working in short breaks and focused on doing one task at a time instead of multitasking.
As my business grew, my family also grew which meant that I had to get acquainted with new systems and processes like meal planning and prepping. My husband also played a major role in helping me achieving my goals and dreams as he would take care of the children when I had to be for a longer period of time.
cARTel : Breathing ‘ART’ like never before!
“We were independently running as artists in our respective streams before we stumbled upon cARTel. All of us are know each other since school times
The Story of Hair Care Revolution with Traya
From Struggles to Solutions: There’s Hope For Hair with Traya Hair carries emotions, memories, and stories—of the entangled fingers of loved ones, the tug of