Meet Nikki Abel

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nikki Abel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nikki below.

Nikki, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

Growing up I was a tough and logical kid on the outside, but always deeply sensitive. I remember when I was very young I would try to make bets with myself to not cry all day long, and often found myself losing those bets. As I got older I learned how this was received by others, and how it was often perceived as weakness. This on top of being an extremely competitive soccer player (think Dance Moms but for soccer) I became very good at hiding my sensitivity from others to protect myself and the image I was trying to present to college scouts and the people who’s respect I craved.
Of course this is a tale as old as time and eventually, the levee’s break. For me this happened right smack in the middle of my college years (a very inopportune time if I do say so myself). I was a college athlete, already trying to balance the weight of collegiate sports and a major in game design, when I found out my partner at the time had been unfaithful, for the entirety of our relationship. The floodgates that had been barely holding on were opened as a result of this especially trying time, just as COVID 19 was spreading across America.
Forced to spend an exceeding amount of time by myself, I began to realize how bad I had truly let things get while I was avoiding how I felt, and in turn was forced to seek help. I was given multiple diagnoses during this time, first with anxiety, major depressive disorder, and CPTSD; and later on BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) which is my current diagnose. I was suicidal, and I truly thought there was no help for me. The internet told me BPD’s were unlovable, medication didn’t work, and there was no “cure”.
Being part of a heavily stigmatized community was scary, and it still is sometimes. I still deal with strong emotions, I still make mistakes, and I still have my moments for sure, but at the same time I have learned so many coping skills and techniques that make BPD easier to manage. Through this process I also learned how many people struggle with mental health, diagnosed and not, and how the world we’ve created doesn’t always take kindly to people who need a break. It is a major motivator for me now in my art and outside projects, as I try to create more joy for people who need it. This doesn’t just mean happy and feel good projects, which certainly have their time and place, but also through creating things that people can relate to and see themselves in.
I sometimes wonder, “why me?”. Why do I have to struggle so much to do some of the things that come naturally to others my age, and why all of this had to happen when it did, right at a pivotal transition stage in my life? I think the answer lies in the work I’m doing now. Being able to help others see the joy in the little things, and showing people ways that they can help others do the same, I believe will result in a chain reaction. We know it’s part of life to go through hard times, but it certainly doesn’t have to be the only part. Finding ways to remain positive in times of trouble, instead of pretending the times aren’t troubled, is a very important distinction to make.
Feel your feelings, and let them go. You never know what life is going to throw at you, so I think the best thing we can do is to help each other through it in the best way that we can. For me, that’s through my art, my work with animals, and my conservation efforts. For you, it can be your own passions. Let the things that bring you joy hold more space than things that don’t, and work towards creating something that others can find joy in as well.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

In my professional journey, I embody a multifaceted individual named Nikki, where my strengths lie in a discerning eye for design, meticulous organizational skills, and a rich tapestry of diverse work experiences that make me a true jack of all trades. My motivation stems from a deep-rooted desire to spread happiness and joy, infuse fun into every endeavor, and impart knowledge to others, all while embracing and expressing creativity. Grounded in a set of core values—empathy, kindness, balance, and loyalty—I am driven to cultivate environments that not only foster innovation but also prioritize the holistic well-being and personal development of those around me.
I’m determined to make a difference in the world through my passions, and have plans to start a non-profit in the future to help with conservation efforts to protect our planet and all of the creatures that inhabit it. I want to turn my creativity into a gateway for education, passion, and joy.
Right now for me that means creating projects that people can connect to, and look forward to. I’m currently in the testing phases of an upcoming board game, Witch Hunt, set to start production next year, as well as a card game, Embers, that’s in pre-production. The best way to find out more about these upcoming projects will be my new account, @abeltoflowart on Instagram. Beyond that I will continue to look for opportunities to aid those in need, like the victims of Hurricane Helene in the southeast, and using my voice and expression to create positive change that can be felt anywhere.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’ll talk first about empathy since I think it’s one of the most important things a designer, business owner, human, etc, can have. The first time I took a course in graphic design and learned how much things as simple as color can impact someone’s decision making, for example, I immediately felt a sense of responsibility to use that information ethically. I believe having the ability to put yourself in the position of the people you’re selling to will not only allow for a more transparent and less manipulative relationship between a company and it’s consumers, but will also mean better business. This isn’t always easy, and it’s far easier to become jaded over time, especially with how accessible bad news is nowadays, but I think it’s extremely important for us to recognize this responsibility as designers, and design an authentic and genuine world, using our skills for good rather than evil so to speak.
Another skill I’ve learned over the years that changed the course of my journey is adaptability. We know that life is going to throw you curveballs at one point or another, and being able to change course on the drop of the hat is far easier said than done. In fact, it’s still something I struggle with on occasion, but I’ve recently really began to understand what that means for myself. Being able to roll with the punches will not only help you cope with the challenges that are ever-present, but will make you stronger and smarter each time. Change is one of the only constants we have, and as someone who used to cling onto the past with white knuckles, trust me it’s easier to change with them. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon the person you are, rather you get the opportunity to meet all of these amazing new versions of yourself you’d never see otherwise. As humans we get the chance to reinvent ourselves constantly, and I think it’s often taken as a negative rather than a positive. Things aren’t always black and white of course and I don’t mean to oversimplify the difficulty that change poses, it’s natural for us to resist it, but I’ve seen firsthand how much better things can get if you allow them to.
I’ll talk first about empathy since I think it’s one of the most important things a designer, business owner, human, etc, can have. The first time I took a course in graphic design and learned how much things as simple as color can impact someone’s decision making, for example, I immediately felt a sense of responsibility to use that information ethically. I believe having the ability to put yourself in the position of the people you’re selling to will not only allow for a more transparent and less manipulative relationship between a company and it’s consumers, but will also mean better business. This isn’t always easy, and it’s far easier to become jaded over time, especially with how accessible bad news is nowadays, but I think it’s extremely important for us to recognize this responsibility as designers, and design an authentic and genuine world, using our skills for good rather than evil so to speak.
Another skill I’ve learned over the years that changed the course of my journey is adaptability. We know that life is going to throw you curveballs at one point or another, and being able to change course on the drop of the hat is far easier said than done. In fact, it’s still something I struggle with on occasion, but I’ve recently really begun to understand what that means for myself. Being able to roll with the punches will not only help you cope with the challenges that are ever-present, but will make you stronger and smarter each time. Change is one of the only constants we have, and as someone who used to cling onto the past with white knuckles, trust me it’s easier to change with them. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon the person you are, rather you get the opportunity to meet all of these amazing new versions of yourself you’d never see otherwise. As humans we get the chance to reinvent ourselves constantly, and I think it’s often taken as a negative rather than a positive. Things aren’t always black and white of course and I don’t mean to oversimplify the difficulty that change poses, it’s natural for us to resist it, but I’ve seen firsthand how much better things can get if you allow them to.
Finally I want to mention a recent lesson I’ve learned. As a self proclaimed hippie, I love nature. I love animals, plants, and everything in between. My early career choices were never a doctor or a lawyer, but a marine biologist or a paleontologist. When I began to grow up and understand the environmental impact people have made on our planet, I was angry, guilty, and honestly just quite sad. I felt for the nature that I saw us destroying, and wondered how whatever being above allowed this. I was speaking to a dear friend about this a little while ago, and he had this to say, “People are nature, the things we create are too”. This seems like a simple take on a surface level, but it changed my mindset about humanity. It snapped me back to reality in a sense as I processed it, and it’s stuck with me since. I had grown somewhat jaded and bitter about people, seeing how many of us will still throw trash out the car window, or on a larger scale cut down forests. While I of course still don’t think these are great things to do, my friend’s perspective gave me a new one of my own, and allowed me to be more patient with mankind. It is not us against nature, we are nature. Our cities and structures that we’ve built, while we declare them man-made, are still natural on a basic level, because they were created by us. I think this perspective can help us move forward. In not only making smarter choices for the world, but also in giving us more patience with our fellow humans. We’re all living for the first time, and while there’s a lot we can improve upon, I think we lose sight of the beauty that exists within it.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I believe being well rounded is generally a better approach to life. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve struggled to accept change in the past. That doesn’t always mean within my circumstances, but also within myself. As a creative, I definitely find more enjoyment in the arts. In school I would take as few math classes as possible, to make room for more creative exploration. While I valued this time to hone my craft, I noticed it starting to limit me in other areas. As I got older, this manifested in me not knowing a whole lot about finances or starting an actual business, because I wanted to focus on my art. I think this mentality can create the “starving artist” stereotype I grew up with, when people have the skills they need to create something beautiful, but in turn never developed the skill to sustain it.
I think a balance can be found between the two. Doing what you love and continuing to exceed in your passions, doesn’t mean you can’t learn new skill sets that may or may not aid you in the future. I have a friend who I went to art school with, and they currently work in banking. Not because their passions changed all of a sudden and they lost their passion for art, but because they want to learn more about that side of business. I find that strategy inspirational, and believe that charging head first into something that scares you is the best way to conquer fears and become a higher version of yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @abeltoflowart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkiabel/