We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Lloyd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christine, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
My journey with taking risk has been an interesting one, with my relationship to risk changing at different points in my life. I’ve always been someone who has wanted to live life to the fullest and taking risk is a very large aspect of that philosophy. I grew up admiring adventurers, explorers, artists, and storytellers. My mom dated a guy for the majority of my childhood who was a pretty serious risk taker. Because of him, I grew up sailing, flying around in tiny single-engine planes, doing extreme sports, and having all sorts of crazy adventures. When they separated, I no longer felt supported by my family to become this type of a person. I really wanted to go to art or photography school to become an underwater photographer or nature documentary maker, but they suggested to me that I would never survive as an artist and so I went to college to get a traditional degree (Economics) and eventually went to work in a role where I was managing very large risk in the construction insurance industry. I became financially independent as a young adult and at that time felt like living a more conservative life was perhaps a good option, though I still took small risks every day. The first major risk I took while in this career was going on a trip to Iceland for 2 weeks to make an art project with a friend where I met an incredible British guy who I dated long distance for several years. The next major risk I took was leaving my career to move across the world to explore a possible marriage with that person. After we separated, I then took another massive risk of solo world travel for over a year. The results of that left me feeling very risk averse, so I came back to LA and returned to the construction insurance industry where I once again regained the feeling of stability, but after another two years in this role I felt extremely unfulfilled and out of place. When the pandemic happened, I realized that there was no real sense of security to be had in this life, we risk our lives every single day, and considering how little time we actually have to live, I decided to take the leap to try my hand at creative entrepreneurship. It’s been an incredibly difficult and terrifying journey, but things are starting to pay off and I know it’s been an important part of my personal development and resilience, no matter how much I doubt myself or feel like I’ve made a mistake in giving up stability. While I am still figuring things out, I am realizing that taking risk to be in alignment will launch you much farther than clinging to safety ever will.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an LA-based creative consultant and multidimensional artist with skills in makeup, photography, styling, video production, branding, and design. I work on all types of projects ranging from music videos, social media, e-commerce, short films, brand and pitch decks, and product design. I assist creatives and entrepreneurs execute their visions through collaborative play and resource exploration with a focus on purpose and storytelling.
I believe that collaborating is the best way to create as it brings in multiple perspectives and squeezes the most creative juice out of everyone involved. With a former career in finance and operational analysis, my holistic approach to creative execution is aided by analysis of all resources available for the project – financial, technical, material, and human. I believe that the success of each project is determined by finding the highest intersection of all available resources and goals. Overall, I love telling stories and anchor each vision on intended messaging and purpose.
While I’ve primarily been performing makeup services in film and entertainment, I’m always taking on new clients for social media, video, branding, etc so please contact me if you need any of my services!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities that were most impactful for me on my journey was curiosity, courage, and seeking collaboration. In the creative field there is no playbook to become successful and you just have to dive right into projects and creating a portfolio for yourself in any way that you can. Take advice from others but also take the time to figure out what works for you. Be bold and courageous. I’m constantly putting myself in situations where I am having to figure out things as I go and find solutions on the fly. There is a vast community that you will need to tap into and participate with and collaborations are always the best way to learn from those that have been on the path ahead of you. Don’t be embarrassed to try new things or ask for help.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
The best way to connect with me is to send an email at [email protected]. I love to work with directors, actors, photographers, musicians, models, set designers, small business owners, brands, start ups, fellow creatives, etc. I provide a vast array of services and I am here to support anyone with any creative venture they may have. You can think of me as a creative concierge and director. If it’s slightly outside of my more specialty skill sets, I can serve as producer, consult on strategy, assist with finding the proper talent, and provide project management services. I have a vast network of creatives and artists. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or ideas!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christinevictoria.art/ and www.christinevictoria.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christine.victoria/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lloyd/
Image Credits
Francisco Barroso, Vivi Rishe, Taylor Russ, Fabienne Limage, Giselle Keena
