I met Nikki Neri at an event in October of 2025 She and her dear friend Rachel were standing next to me and we are all pretty friendly, if it feels right. I just immediately liked the two women.
They are warm, smart, kind and talented people. Nikki is a graphic artist, her work, designing invitations for whatever occasion, is beyond beautiful. Her portraits are alive with energy and love. I asked Nikki if she would give us a little background and some samples of her work. So here we go!!
Did you go to an arts college? If not, what did you study?
I went to Felician University, which is not an art college, or a college known for art in any capacity. I honestly went to Felician because I got a scholarship there and I knew they had a graphic design program, which was what I majored in.
I graduated with a BFA and won Felician’s Excellence in Art award. Having been a part of their art program and being exposed to different kinds of creative expression planted seeds of inspiration and curiosity.
It ignited a spark of awe and wonder in me that I had never felt before. I was always drawing and creating as a young girl, and I loved it so much, but being introduced to graphic design was a whole new world. It opened the door for me to create art in an entirely new way that I had never been exposed to before. I will always be grateful to Felician for opening that door for me.
Why invitations, etc?
Early on in my career, I was freelancing, creating logos, flyers, t-shirt designs, and creating a lot of custom pet portraits at the time. I would post my work on Instagram, and eventually, people started to notice and compliment my work. It was then that I started to gain more traction. One day I got a message from someone asking me if I would create her wedding invitations, completely out of the blue! I had never created wedding invitations before, so I really didn’t have the confidence at the time to do it, but I said yes anyway!
I remember as soon as I said yes, I dove deep into researching print shops, printing processes, what to charge a client, how to properly design a wedding invitation, different embellishments, you name it, I researched it. I was glued to my laptop for a few days soaking in all the information I possibly could in order to feel confident to take on this job.
This was also back in 2020 during Covid, so I had the time to spare. I successfully designed her wedding invitations, and it was the coolest feeling in the world to design something so special and important for someone, and to be a part of their big day in some small way. After I posted her invitations on Instagram, I slowly started getting more and more messages from people asking me if I could design their wedding invitations. I couldn’t believe it! Mostly because I remember saying to someone a year prior, when asked if I was going to design my sister’s wedding invitations, “No way, I could never do that.”
I constantly think about that moment and look at how far I’ve come since then. If I never said yes and didn’t take the leap to just TRY, I would not be where I am today. And I did, in fact, design my sister’s wedding invitations.
Was being able to run your own business important to you?
Having the freedom to create whatever I wanted and to not answer to someone higher up than me was the absolute most important thing to me, and with that, came running my own business. I never necessarily wanted to “start my own business”, per se. What pushed me into doing so was feeling extremely boxed in, stagnant, and micromanaged under someone else’s rule. Once I started freelancing and gaining more traction while working my 9-5 job, the urge to break free became stronger and stronger. I absolutely hated the structure of a 9-5 job.
The lack of freedom, flexibility, and creativity was something that I couldn’t comprehend. What do you MEAN I have to ASK to take a vacation, and I only get 10 days??? What do you MEAN I’m only allowed 1 break a day, and it’s only for 45 minutes? I genuinely couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that this was supposed to be a normal way to live.
My fresh-out-of-college brain was boggled. At my second 9-5 job, I wasn’t even allowed a break…we were expected to eat lunch at our desks and work while doing so!!! Humans aren’t meant to function in society or in the workplace in this way, especially creative human beings. I knew I needed out of that job, fast! This was also in 2020, and when Covid really hit the business badly, I was furloughed. It was the greatest blessing ever. I figured, if I really want to work for myself, and live how I want to live, this couldn’t be a better opportunity.
What do you do for fun?
I love to do a mixture of different things for fun! Anything that involves creativity or making something is fun to me. I love to bake and I love to cook. It’s a satisfying way to be creative and to turn my brain off. I also love to read. I mix it up between physical books, my kindle, and listening to audiobooks. I love reading anything from spiritual enlightenment to twisted murder mysteries!
I’ve been experimenting with oil pastels lately which has been really fun, and I’ve also gotten back into watercolor painting. My favorite thing to do is sit outside in my beautiful backyard filled with trees and chirping birds and just paint. It brings me so much peace and joy. It’s how I ground myself. There is nothing better than entering the peacefulness that is flow state.
What are the challenges you face being your own boss?
I think the biggest challenge I had faced for the longest time was overworking myself, and blurring the lines between my work and my home life. Since I work from my home, there really isn’t any separation. I always felt like I had to be working because I wasn’t necessarily leaving my home to start my day. When I first started gaining momentum in my business, my work day started as soon as I woke up.
There was a long stretch of time where I would just roll right out of bed and immediately check my emails and continue a project that I had been working on in the late hours from the night prior. I was quite literally working from the early morning hours to anywhere from 10:30pm-12:00 midnight. I didn’t realize how unhealthy that was until I faced severe burnout and complete mental exhaustion.
The only thing on my mind at that time was working really hard to keep up with my work and to bring in more clientele. I truthfully still feel like I’m recovering from that burnout a little bit, but I’ve really scaled back and put boundaries in place for myself so that I don’t hit a wall that hard ever again. There are days where I still work later than I’d like to, but I no longer push it to the point where I don’t get enough time to relax or sleep. I make sure to prioritize a morning workout before I begin my work day, and I try to finish my projects early enough in the evening to unwind on the couch, paint, or read.
How do you get your business?
I would say most of my business comes from word of mouth and recommendations, which is the greatest compliment! To know I’ve made a client so happy that they’re willing to tell friends and family that they should work with me is an incredible feeling. I also get clients through my Instagram as well. I’m not as active as I probably should be on there, but I try to make sure I post every so often so people know I’m still alive and creating, ha!
Where do you see your business going or you being in the next five years?
I think within the next five years, and even sooner, to be honest, I’d like to focus on painting and perfecting that skill. I want to slow down a bit and create art that is more of a reflection of myself and what I like, rather than creating someone else’s vision.
It’s wonderful to be able to make someone’s dream wedding invitation come to life, but it’s not always a full extension of my personal creativity and vision. It would be enthralling to see my designs and artwork that I’ve painted on home products like bedding and different linens and such. I’ve always been infatuated with the process of seeing my art come to life through something tangible.
My first job was at a promotional company where I designed headwear and all different kinds of products and apparel; It was then that I fell in love with that process. It would be immensely exciting to take it to the next level and see my painted patterns and illustrations on more elevated products that people use in their daily lives, and on items that make a house a home.
I’ve also had a dream for quite some time to illustrate and write my own children’s book, so that is definitely a goal I wish to accomplish in the next few years. My notes app is already filled with a book idea, so I better get to work!