My name is Imke Arndt. I was born in Langenfeld in November 1991 and grew up here too.
I've been painting for as long as I can remember. For me, for friends, on sheets, on frames, on walls.
It has always been a part of me to be creative and artistic, it was my 'normal' and also the 'normal' in our family.
I enjoyed making others happy with my creativity, that was enough to compensate me for a long time. Trying to earn a living with that was not in sight for a long time, even if after graduating from high school in 2011 I took part in a so-called portfolio course for six months at the Cologne Design Academy.
I then decided to train as a physiotherapist, which I successfully completed in 2015 and started working in this area. After a year in this job, I went - mainly for very personal reasons - to a social project in Tanzania for 3 months, which also made it possible for me to discover the country. I got to know many different people who also sharpened my eye for their lives.
I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with a special group of people and have known since then what I can do with the right spirit for me.
Back in Germany I worked in an espresso bar. Here again it was the people I met who inspired me. I started painting again for them. From today's perspective, they were my first 'clients'. Through them I understood a little more what I - from the point of view of others - actually can do.
Then there was a return to physiotherapy / massage. I worked in the Claudius Therme in Cologne. Even if I am good at this work, I was not happy and finally realized that I am much too freedom-loving person to live with these work rhythms and I quit. For a transition period I started to work in my favorite cafe, because I wanted to go to Australia again (after a high school year in 2008) for longer, to do work & travel.
Then came the first corona lockdown and everything changed. In the cafe we had to grow organizationally and creatively together to keep it alive. We succeeded in doing this with good organization and a lot of commitment! It was exhausting, but we were a team and I could do my part. Due to this worldwide, all-touching incision, I was suddenly able to see where MY path wanted to go: into independence. I wanted to earn money with what I've always done and loved: painting. And so I started to set up this life project from autumn 2020.
To be sure that I was on the right track, I asked my brother for support, because he is a founder himself and works in the online business. Over the past year, my decision took shape very quickly. In addition to the homepage, an online shop was created where you can see and purchase my pictures, which was published at the beginning of July 2021.
And now here I am. I've learned a lot over the years about my strengths and weaknesses and about what I want in my life and especially what I don't want.
I want to enable people to be enchanted by my art. My goal is to also incorporate the factors that are important to me: sustainable, ecological, empathic, environmentally friendly, resource-saving, climate-neutral work (material, shipping, etc.) and to support important organizations / projects with the proceeds of certain work.
So I am very happy that you are here today!
Feel warmly greeted!
I send you sun and colorful thoughts 🌈
Yours Imke