We were lucky to catch up with Christina Galagarza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Being an artist is the best job in the world! Nothing is more satisfying than having the time and space to embrace your curiosity. I’ve had many “regular jobs” that have provided financial stability and structure to balance my passion for self-guided expression through visual art-making. My parents nurtured my creativity in early childhood and gave me access to various art classes in and after school. Moreover, there are several artists in my family I look up to for spiritual guidance as I navigate the “starving artist” stereotype. Job opportunities post-graduate from Kutztown University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree were not tricky due to the relationships I built with my professors and peers. And every job I chose after that was based on art’s impact on social science, arts & humanities. I have yet to find the right balance to maintain full-time artist status, and that’s okay. Whatever path you choose to take as a contributor to the human experience, there will be a moat of dirty work, physical & emotional, to cross before you reap financial benefits. If you’re a natural-born artist, you never grow out of it; you must find your way to grow through uncertainty, comparison, and rejection. Find a community you are drawn to, get to know the people involved, and let them know you. Your daily choices will impact your momentum toward your goals and your definition of success. When one door closes, another one opens.
Christina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Every space deserves a piece of artwork that makes the people who dwell there smile, one that brings them a specific joy.
I create custom artwork that invites pause and recollection of happy memories and significant details from a time worth remembering.
I am a deeply feeling person, and when I have the urge to create something, I have found that feeling sentimental motivates me. I admired the hand-colored wedding portraits commonly displayed in my elders’ homes as a child; my first job at 14 was at a flower shop; and at one point in my meandering post-art school career, I worked for a photography hosting site where I spent most days categorizing wedding photos for albums and other memorabilia. These experiences triggered my inclination to memorialize ceremonial flowers. Using my preferred painting medium, oil paints, I give new life to the thoughtful details that make your occasion unique and special. I use color and texture to enliven the senses and conjure a specific joy for families to treasure as a timeless heirloom.
Visit www.eternalflowerpaintingsllc.com to view client work, follow my Instagram to see what I’m up to in my New Hope, PA studio @christinagalagarza_art, and email me to work with me on custom artwork for your space.
Love is Fine Art, Cheers to Yours.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Permission to be the weird one!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Inner peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eternalflowerpaintingsllc.com
- Instagram: @christinagalagarza_art
- Other: www.christinagalagarza.com
Image Credits
All photos are the property of Christina D. Galagarza