Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I am a creative turned solopreneur. Photography was my entry into both the creative realm and the business realm as an adult, but I’ve been using creative modalities to explore and express myself since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I can’t imagine a life that doesn’t include artistic expression and so it was a necessity that I leverage my inspiration to create the life I want.

Ten years into my business, Christina W. Kroeker Creative, my creativity and my business acumen are so intertwined that one cannot exist without the other. I use my creativity to build this business, which in turn supports the art I want to put out into the world.

What is your why? - Why do you create? What do you love about creating?

My business has never been just about the money; it is about creating a better life, creating a better me, and creating a better world. This means that my business is built on a foundation of core values that inform and direct the decisions I make for my business from daily operations to marketing. Entrepreneurship has offered me a freedom that other career paths couldn’t; the freedom to meld together my passion and purpose.

I believe that the world needs imaginative, intuitive, and impatient creative minds that are grounded in their values and have the capacity they need to create the life they want. This is where a new era of Christina W. Kroeker Creative has come in. I want to coach other creatives who are ready to create their way into a better world.

How did you get started?

I started my photography business after 6-months in Sears Portrait Studio, where I was lucky enough to have a mentor that actually invested in my creative growth. After leaving that minimum-wage, part-time job and devoting time to a non-profit in a full-time position, photography became a side hustle that didn't produce much income for the first few years.

If you could give your 16-year-old self some advice what would it be?

Honestly, I would tell my 16-year-old self to look into autism. It would give her some much needed context for her biggest struggles.

Do you still get scared in your biz?

I think I will always have anxiety around money and for various valid reasons. I've been leaning more and more towards anti-capitalism while still trying to survive a capitalist hellscape. Art isn't an easy path to financial success and the pressure to generate income can often suffocate creative inspiration.

What is the one tech support you couldn't live without?

I used Google Workspace for pretty much everything.

What is one management support you can't live without?

Google Workspace, in particular, the templates and systems I've created within it.

How do you feed your creativity?

Permission has played a big part in generating creative inspiration for me. Permission to be myself. Permission to do the things that make my brain happy. Permission to put the work down when it's too heavy. I write myself a lot of permission slips these days.