Stand at the checkout, unpack goods and hand out packages. This is how Agnes Hjalmarsson describes her working days in a grocery store in Helsingborg.
"As someone who dreams of becoming an artist, these jobs are a bit soul-killing. They're very repetitive," she says.
The flashes of light were the regular customers who visited the store daily. Many of them are older, who could sit and have coffee for several hours or played on horses.
"I was very fascinated by the fact that we were strangers who met every day. You become a big part of each other's lives without knowing each other.
Daring to make small talk
Slowly, the idea grew into the portrait book "Regulars", originally intended as an application to an art education where Agnes painted of her favorite customers.
But chatting and asking them for permission didn't come naturally.
"When I started at work, I was the shyest person ever. But the job was so boring that I eventually wanted to talk to anyone just for something to happen.
And when Agnes started asking about the customers' lives: how they were doing and what they were going to do this weekend, the work days suddenly felt meaningful. She became friends with several of the customers she photographed and then painted. The response overwhelmed her.
"Some of them called me their grandson, bought me coffee when I had a long passport and souvenirs when they travelled. There were a lot of hugs and someone crying.
A man was so delighted with Agnes' paintings that he invited her to his daughter's wedding.
Wanted to say thank you
Eventually, Agnes resigned, studied for a year at a folk high school and today works as a freelance artist. After posting videos with the customer portraits on Tiktok, she has gained a large following.
Now she makes a living from commissions from people who want paintings.
Customers in the grocery store often come to mind.
"One of the reasons I wanted to do this was also to somehow say thank you for being so amazingly nice.