Angel's Designs

Angelika Arnold has turned her passion and creativity into a business opportunity, painting colourful portraits and murals of people and animals.

Encouraged by family and friends, Angelika signed up for Invest NI's Go for it programme in 2009 and now runs Angel's Designs from her home in County Antrim.

"I heard the Go for it programme advertisements everywhere and decided to call the number," said the Polish-born artist. "If I hadn't taken that first step I'd still be wondering about it today."

Angelika took art classes in school and studied graphic design in Canada before moving to Northern Ireland with her husband in 2002.

In between the arrival of her two children, Angelika studied for an NVQ in Early Childhood Studies, taught English in schools and worked as an interpreter at the University of Ulster. But her heart still lay in her art.

"I was painting at university level from the age of 13, so the urge never really left me," she explains. "I paint portraits of people and animals in a realist style and, inspired by my son, I started to create murals as well.

"He made me realise that while children's posters don't last, murals do – and they can be personalised to the client's needs."

The Go for it programme gave Angelika the confidence she needed to start her own business, helping her every step of the way.

"There are people you can contact if there is something that you need help with or who provide you with the reassurance you need," she continued. "Now my business is growing, I can easily fit work around my family's needs.

"'I am so glad I signed up for the Go for it programme. It gave me the inspiration to start something I had a passion for and which I loved doing.'

"The Go for it programme is provided by Invest Northern Ireland and is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund. For details, log onto: www.goforitni.com.