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

Christie, appreciate you joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope through my story others can learn that art can serve a greater purpose. By serving, volunteering, and donating your craft and your time can make such a difference. I hope that they can learn there’s beauty in starting with what you have. All you need is already within you. Looking back on my journey as an artist, I realized that’s how I started to tap into my creativity. As someone who doesn’t have a degree in fine art, I found joy in constantly learning and experimenting to express my unique perspective with the world. I also hope they can learn when you trust, have faith, and put in the work, there’s more that awaits us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Christie Toussaint. I am a self-taught visual artist, creative director, and freelancer based in Palm Beach, Fl. Growing up, I remember on the weekends as a child, my mother would take my sister and I to visit our local artisanal market in Cap-Haitien, Haiti and I would be so intrigued by the vibrant colors and the skills of the artists. So this sparked my interest to start drawing at an early age and then eventually start painting. I officially started painting in 2016 during my first year of college while I was in search of a creative outlet and to build a more profound connection with the world around me.
I work primarily in oil, and acrylic paint but I started to realize that each idea manifests in its own individual style. Therefore in order to not restrict my artistic process, I am constantly experimenting with different mediums and I also find it liberating to paint with unconventional tools and materials. My artistic style is definitely leaned toward abstract art and I think I am most proud of my work and how It has evolved over time. When it comes to abstract art, it isn’t so literal as other forms may be, which I think engages the viewer in different ways. At times, the viewer doesn’t even need to know the intended story behind the piece to relate to it. From their perspectives, they can form their own interpretations based on how they feel when they gaze upon it and I certainly think there’s beauty in that.

I think what sets me apart from others is my unique style and technique which is to combine the classic style and colors of Haitian art with the contemporary. For me, creating is like looking through a catalog of the events and thoughts of my life. It serves as my own personal form of journaling. Whether it’s excitement, love, frustration, solitude, loss, hope, and even the little details in my everyday life. The viewer can find a piece of me in each piece that I create while simultaneously finding themselves as well.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

A few things I wished I knew earlier in my creative journey is to adopt an abundance mindset and to believe that challenges are learning opportunities. Also, practice often and keep on experimenting.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist I would say is the way that I get to see the world. My work has allowed me to create a space where I can share my own experiences whilst impacting others. With each piece, the goal is to challenge the viewer to interact with my work psychologically and emotionally by seeing beyond what is presented on the canvas and to me that is the most meaningful part of what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artctoussaint.com
• Instagram: @artctoussaint
• Facebook: Christie Toussaint
• Linkedin: Christie Toussaint
• Twitter: @artctoussaint

Image Credits
Photos by K&H Digital Photography