Meet Christina King

We recently connected with Christina King and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?

I believe that everything happens for a reason. The reason can be identified quickly but most often it takes perspective, patience and therefore faith.

I was fired in May from a Visual Arts teaching position. Although I sensed the layoff, I’ve never been fired before and didn’t know how deep the insult would run. It brought past layers of fear and doubt right to the surface. To distract and remain purposeful, I decided I would use the time to study for the State Art Therapy exam. The first identifiable gift I found was to reignite my passion for artmaking. The previous jobs I had taken since leaving my career as an educator, depleted my creativity instead of feeding it. I decided I would spend my time drawing and studying as students were excused from classes at the end of the year. I fell in love again with my passion, my desire to use creativity to express emotion and convey messages often difficult to share.

My mantra became; “Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should”. I slowly began to realize that the previous positions were a bit of a challenge but something that I was more than capable of and looked forward to combining forces with. What I was unaware of as I would strive to please and fulfill expectations, was that I was compromising myself. Each challenge and position I morphed to fit what the organization was looking for, which mimicked a path in my past personal life. This realization became the greatest gift. These positions kept leading me back to my origins of Art therapy; creativity heals.
I have always considered myself spiritual, but I floundered with the word Faith. The act of creating (whether visual art, music, food, gardening etc.) is a manifestation of a voice inside us that takes form when we listen. This in essence is faith. Listening to or regarding something bigger than yourself.

Each job brought me to the next step, each step culminated in an additional attraction and further exploration of my creative process. This process is healing if you allow yourself to connect to it. I have wanted to share this message and skill with women since I graduated in 1997. I have tried to apply it in a number of positions, but this circuitous path has brought me right back to the beginning; to lead women in healing experiences through their creative process.

As faith often performs, she sprinkles gems along your path for you to gather. In June a colleague informed me that she was losing her work space and was looking for a new location. We had run workshops together, and I had long ago shared that I could see the two of us in a group setting. Shortly after passing the Art therapy exam, she informed me she knew of a space in a Cape house easily accessible off the highway between 2 smaller cities. The fact that it was not in a strip mall should have been enough of a sign (far too prevalent in New York state) but ultimately when I mentioned it to my partner he responded, “ I think I know exactly where it is”. As we drove to see it one Sunday, he informed me that he thought it was a building that his father built for his real estate practice, where he had mowed the lawn as a boy. Once we gained access and saw the space, it became evident that this was “our space”. As I write we are scheduling a second look at the space with a third partner.

Getting fired and being let go was not just a gift but it has become my balloon, my lifeline and the steadfast knowing that this is my calling. The identification of my faith has me nervously aware, but safely pursuing a lifelong dream with like-minded, complimentary, generously gifted souls. If three short term positions helped me connect to my faith, I would do it all again. I overcame the doubt and fear with the broad understanding that my faith has led me to each of these steppingstones where I have remained safe enough to expand, interested enough to grow, and fulfilled enough to believe I’m on the right path.

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

I first felt the healing properties of creativity at 18, when two high school friends were killed two weeks apart. Creating a life size sculpture in their memory was what allowed me to access the grieving process. During that process, professors shared with me the “new field” of Art Therapy, that I then went on to pursue.
I now help women connect to themselves and experience more joy through creativity. I am a clinically trained Expressive Arts Therapist and Visual Arts Educator. I choose to work with people where they are at. My professional experience allows me to draw upon psychology, yoga philosphy, breathwork, meditation, somatic healing and art to co create a healing experience for my clients.
Each person’s journey is unique, therefore each clients program or ciriculum is individually guided by their experience, situation and goals. My healing is found in nature and painting, but my clients is often in something very different and persoanl to them.
We are excited to be exploring the option of a brick and mortar helaing arts studio in the near future. I currently offer workshops and individual coaching virtually, but in person creativity is particularly more juicy and cathartic. We cant wait to expand this community!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Compassion for others individual path, determination, and learning to honor what I needed in the moment would be the three top qualities that have helped me proceed on this journey.
Leraning to listen to yourself and what you need is critical. You are the only authority you need. If you have a dream dont discount it, share your desire by bringing this dream to life because others will benifit from it as well as your bravery. Lastly and maybe most importantly, the compassion for others is important but do not forget yourself! Being brave and fulfilling your dreams requires endless amounts of self-compassion.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal clients are women in mid-life who have put their dreams and goals aside to fulfill roles for others; wife/partner, employee, mother, care taker of aging parents and although those are all extremely important they often lose their identity in the mean time. Passion begins to disappear, sadness and emptiness creep in and you feel lost in your own life and your own skin. I love working with women who say “I can’t draw a straight line” to which I say, “that’s what rulers are for”! Everyone is creative, you may have had a person or let alone a teacher discourage you, but it can be nurtured. When creativity is nurtured, release, relief and vibrancy follows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ckcreativewellness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ckcreativewellness/