Meet Christopher Alagna | Founder and Programs Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Alagna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We live in a society where we are almost always working beneath somebody. It’s someone else’s venture, ideas, authority, money. Even when we choose an artistic career, our paths are often largely determined by the desires of people who we need to support our work.

It is important that we benefit from the fruits of our own labor, not just monetarily, but spiritually (so to speak). I wanted to find a way to live a life that felt meaningful to me, and was outside the control of others.

I was never thinking “business” originally. Starting a business always implies finding a way to make money, but I have never made a single penny from my project. In fact, I’ve spent a lot of money that I will never get back. I make money working as a cook. In the restaurant industry, I have flexible hours to make sure I can do what I want outside of work. I also get to supplement my income with the cash tips I receive. This work means nothing to me, but it affords me the pursuit of what I really love.

Creating Liminal was to feed the artist within. In many ways, this nonprofit business has functioned as an ongoing art installation I’ve gotten to work on for the local community. Fortunately, I got to pursue my own vision, without the interference of any other incentive which might limit or abstract it.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m one of the two original creators of a Flagstaff nonprofit called Liminal. Let me firstly provide a brief explanation of what Liminal is. Liminal is a cafe and community center that is entirely run by volunteers. Everything we offer is donation-only, which means the space and our resources are always free for everybody. All sales and donations go directly into keeping the space up and running. We encourage people to pay for our services when they are able to, so that we collectively support those in our communities who can’t pay.

In reference to your question, I don’t think of myself as a “professional’ per-say. I suppose founding a nonprofit sounds like a feat for many, and I’m certainly proud of it, but so much of developing Liminal was trial and error. I had no prior training or experience in starting an organization like this. I think this may be part of the reason why Liminal is so different from other community spaces. I felt passionate about experimentation, and the seemingly boundless possibilities of the project. It was a task that required a lot of perseverance, but also much creativity.

To provide some more perspective, I’ll share a little bit of my personal story. I went to Northern Arizona University and studied Women & Gender Studies until I received my bachelor’s degree. I think this taught me discipline, and prepared my philosophical and political journey towards creative leftist thinking.

The biggest lessons and challenges I faced along the way came afterwards. After studying so many difficult social truths in school, I remember feeling a crushing disappointment towards the perpetual monotony and consumerism of mainstream culture and society. After college, I was also left with the feeling of an uncertain and seemingly dead-ended career future. My personal struggles with depression and other aspects of neurodivergence did not help, of course. I think these all represent obstacles that many face in my generation.

However, things started turning around for the better when I introduced myself to new healthy habits. I started journaling, going to therapy, eating well, exercising, and developing an appreciation for the unique outdoors of the southwest. I learned that developing simple healthy habits, whatever that means for different people, can make all the difference in turning pessimism into optimism, impossibility to endless possibilities, depression into motivation. These lifestyles don’t cure mental health issues, but they certainly made mine easier.

My friend, business partner, and co-founder of Liminal, Ryan McElligott, also deserves equal credit. We were close friends throughout college and ongoing years. We loved to have conversations about creative cultural and social possibilities with one another. We both felt very countercultural and also stubborn. Together we refused ideas which suggested anything was impossible or unlikely to be able to be achieved. We also developed a lot of our healthy habits together as friends. It’s hard to make things happen by yourself.

Together we came up with the idea of a community space that felt unlike any other we had known, and addressed all the issues we saw in other places. It was to be completely free and donation-based, yet entirely financially self-sustainable. It was also to be community-oriented, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ inclusive, multidisciplinary, experimental, and eventually volunteer-driven. An ambitious feat, but that was Liminal. Whether or not we achieved it, we wanted to spread the idea.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve had to consider this question before. First and foremost, I would introduce my visiting friend to all my other friends! I think it’s the people we’re close to who make for the most exciting experiences.

Specifically, I would contact each of my other friends individually and say, “hey, we need to make a time this upcoming week for you to meet my visiting friend”. I would fill out my schedule with these little friend dates.

I’ve never been a fan of making strict plans to do particular activities and see particular sights. I think it’s the in-between time, moving slowly from place to place and indulging in conversation, that most strengthens our bonds. Plus, I hate disappointment, so making big plans that sometimes inevitably fall through feels bad, and I’d like to avoid it.

Although I wouldn’t make an itinerary, there are still many activities I’d push to do with my friend. I love to visit art exhibits, see local music shows, go thrifting, and get drinks at divey bars. Also the outdoors would be essential. I love to go rock climbing, mountain biking, explore the vast surrounding trail systems, and simply walk through local neighborhoods. All those things sound fun to me.

If we decided we wanted to leave town, heading 20 minutes south through Oak Creek Canyon and into Sedona would be a must. I find it absolutely beautiful. If it’s the summer time, you have to get into the creek for a swim.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, I’d like to shoutout to my friend, business partner, and co-founder of Liminal, Ryan McElligott. We spent years during and after college engaging in dreamy conversations about creative social and cultural possibilities. Our friendship is really what made the whole concept come to life.

Secondly, I’d like to shoutout to the founder of a local radio station in Flagstaff called Crater Community Radio, Carrie Danielson. For those who do not know, Crater Community Radio and Liminal share the same building. Carrie has been an excellent friend who has participated in many of the constructive and conceptual developments of Liminal. Her positivity and friendly support knows no bounds, and I simply wouldn’t have been able to push on during my hardest moments the last couple of years without her. She is developing an impressive community radio station with great local programming. In addition to Liminal, please everybody check out Flagstaff’s Crater Community Radio!

Thirdly, I need to thank all of the longterm volunteers who collectively make Liminal possible. Some names include Styles Soares, Taylor Schweikert, Matthew Urban, Moon Strangeweather, Sedrick Cap, Cecyl Rheulen, Claire Lemcke, Chloe Legay, Monty Daniel, Dennis Givens, Jack Neff, Sprout Perez, Isabella Bolton, Olive Caldwell, Griffin Franklin, and Estevan Fausto.

Lastly, I’d like to shoutout to writers and political activists who discuss social change while including themes of creative possibility and love-ethic in their work. This includes individuals like bell hooks, Cornell West, Paulo Friere, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Vijay Prashad. There are so many more, but the writings of these individuals have been greatly influential to my thinking personally.

Website: www.liminalflagstaff.org

Instagram: @liminal.flagstaff

Facebook: @liminal.flagstaff

Image Credits
Chloe Legay Monty Daniel Matthew Urban Christopher Alagna