Life as a woman #1 -Explorers, creators, reformers… These are the stories of remarkable women who inspire change, courage and creativity. Today, Christina, artist and owner of “Kalliston Art Design” shares her journey and reminds us of an essential truth: “Everything is about art.”
A creative streak
Christina embodies creativity. Her imagination, a faithful accomplice since childhood, has never left her and continues to inspire her every day. At school, rather than listening to lectures, she would draw in her notebooks. “I love and I need to work with my hands”, she says of her passion for handicrafts. Very inventive, she tried her hand at painting from the age of 8, before finding her happiness in photography. “At that age, I was really passionate about photography, taking pictures everywhere and all the time”.
Driven by her sense of creation, she chose to study interior design, convinced that this field would offer her greater creative freedom than photography. “I couldn’t imagine spending my days cooped up in an office. At the age of 18, with her diploma in hand, she began looking
for a job, ready to take on new challenges. Although her beginnings were difficult, as many were reluctant to place their trust in a young
graduate, her perseverance eventually paid off: she finally landed a job decorating windows for pharmacies. “I finally began decorating the windows of the most famous pharmacy in Thessaloniki; I was really proud”.
Towards new horizons
For three years, Christina lived in Germany where she learned German, a skill that today enables her to welcome her customers in a friendly manner. Her stay in Germany also prepared her for her future profession. Back in Greece, it’s her welcoming energy and her ability to learn languages that make her an attentive hostess. Always ready to listen, Christina makes sure that every customer is cared for in the best possible way. That’s why, over the years, she has also acquired a command of six other languages by asking questions of the tourists who visit her boutique. “I am not afraid to ask because I am Greek, and if I make mistakes in English, it’s okay because it’s not my native language, “she says, underlining her willingness to communicate with her customers. “I speak what I need for my store, just to break the ice with the customers and make themcomfortable.” Her sense of hospitality and her passion for the human touch nurtured another dream, that of opening her own boutique. As the years went by, her dream of opening a business grew. “I have always wanted to have my own store since I was 19 years old. That’s why, on her return to Greece, she decided to settle in Crete and work as a waitress to save the funds needed to make her dream a reality.
When destiny knocks at the door
It’s when he meets Spyridoula, or Lulla, that everything changes. This woman, in her sixties and ready to retire, owns a small workshop of just a few square meters. One day, while strolling through the streets of Rethymnon, Christina caught her first glimpse of this store, which awakened her curiosity. “When she showed me around, I felt something special as I walked through the door: I knew this store was made for me,” she confides. After lengthy discussions about the store’s rent and after developing a friendship with Lulla, the two women finally came to an agreement. Things took a different turn, however, when Spyridoula finally found another buyer. A woman from Santorini who wanted to radically transform the space. “For my part, I didn’t want to change anything, because I felt at home as it was, ” says Christina.
Fate seems to have sided with her, as the buyer never showed up for the appointment. It was then that two of Lulla’s close friends addressed Christina with a phrase that resonated deeply with her: “The universe is with you now”, like a confirmation that her luck had finally run out.
A dream come true
At the end of 2007, Christina became the owner of her first boutique, To guri Talisman. Determined to reach her goal, she embarked on this new adventure. “I was sure of myself because I followed my heart, “ she says. Looking back on this period of her life, she can’t help but laugh, aware of how bold and reckless she was to open this boutique on her own, in this new city where she had no one to rely on. Over the many years she spent in that first store, Christina not only honed her talents, but also learned more about herself and how to grow. “I think I’ve given a lot to the store, and it’s paid me back well, ” she declares with satisfaction.
Second start
Christina opened her second boutique in Thessaloniki, declaring: “Here, in Thessaloniki, it’s my roots.” She undertook the search for the ideal premises on her own. Armed with her experience, she knew exactly what she was looking for in this new adventure. “I wanted a
small shop on a quiet street, close to the city center.” The premises she found were the same size as those in Crete, with an identical layout, structure and windows, which she considers far from coincidental. The move marked a new stage in her life as an artist.
Unpacking the boxes containing all her works and a part of her life was an emotional moment for her. “I had a strong feeling of wanting to put everything in its right place.”
The source of her creativity
Today, Christina describes her profession as “a way of life, not a job”. It is in her studio, nestled on the mezzanine floor of her boutique, that she devotes over ten hours a day to her creations. Finding a balance between the intensity of her work in the studio and her personal
life is essential to preserving her energy. “When I’m not here, I try to do nothing or just cook; it relaxes me to prepare meals for my family and friends, ” she confides. But it’s not always easy, especially for someone like her who is constantly on the go with new ideas. “I like to say that I need 8 hands. Not 4, but 8! That way, I can do whatever comes into my head.” When asked where she draws her inspiration from, she spontaneously replies that she often finds it in her dreams and fantasies. And it’s in the early hours of the morning, after a Greek coffee and a cigarette, that Christina plunges straight into her work in the studio. She confides with amusement that one of the things that surprises her most is the way her creations immediately resonate with people. “Every time I create something new, it’s
precisely what the first customer of the day buys. It’s happened to me several times, and it still amazes me,” she says, smiling.
“It’s as if my creations are always waiting for someone specific,” concludes Christina, aware that each object in her boutique is destined for a particular spirit. As the years go by, Christina sees her life, like her boutique, filling up with passing souls and memories. Each creation, imbued with her personality and history, becomes much more than a simple object: it becomes a talisman that continues to resonate far beyond the walls of her workshop.
