Meet Christina Clark | Artist & Photographer

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

Hi Christina, why did you pursue a creative career?

Making things has always been fun for me. Whether it’s painting, sewing, photographing, repurposing, etc. I’ve always enjoyed the process of creating. During the early days of the pandemic, I saw an ad from a lady who wanted a mural painted in her backyard. I jumped at the opportunity to both leave the house and be somewhere safe outdoors where I could paint. Completing the mural reminded me of how much fun I’d had painting in my youth. So I started offering similar services to my community and by June of 2020, I started Christina Clark Creates, LLC.

In January of 2021, as part of the ongoing investigation into my chronic illness, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and began immediate treatment. Treatment made a lot of my symptoms worse. As a result, business activities ground to a screeching halt. I had no energy and basic daily functioning required more than I had to give. By June my symptoms had worsened and I began an 8 week intensive IV treatment program. But my body had other plans. In late June, I suffered a pulmonary embolism and had to stop IV treatment for several months. Restarting the program looked less and less promising as my doctors were concerned about how I was holding up. I spent the rest of 2021 and half of 2022 on a strict at home program swallowing buckets of pills daily. Heavy metal chelation rounds made me sick most weekends and my body needed all the rest I could get. My only respite during these dark days was going birding. I loved finding critters of all kinds and taking their portraits.

Thankfully by June of 2022, I was off most of the medication and slowly started to get back to creative projects. I’m offering my mural services again and I couldn’t be happier to be back out there making walls beautiful. I’ve also recently started selling some of my wildlife portraits in adorable vintage frames. Working creatively, and running an ever evolving creative business has afforded me the freedom I’ve needed to take time away when I needed it most. It really is the best day when someone pays you for what you enjoy doing, and having had a number of prior careers in high stress environments, I really appreciate the ability to work creatively and at a pace that allows my body space to heal.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve had a number of challenges in getting to where I am today. I’m still really just starting out as a creative even though I’ve been at it for awhile. I’ve had careers as a Deputy Attorney General, private practice lawyer, Associate Faculty at a university, and nonprofit legal counsel. Moving into the creative space has been a slow transition I began in 2016. I’m probably most proud of some of my wearable art made from recycled cat food packets. I’ve also struggled with a litany of recent chronic illness diagnoses including late stage Lyme disease, heavy metal poisoning, mitochondrial dysfunction, mold toxins, thyroiditis, and immune system dysfunction. I’ve spent most of the last year specifically working on my health so that I could get back to a productive creative space. Throughout my journey I’ve adapted new creative pursuits including wildlife photography, that I was still able to pursue even if I wasn’t always functioning at 100% physically.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d take my friend on a wildlife tour. I love visiting the numerous burrowing owls out in Buckeye, the chuckwallas at the Beardsley Boulders, and the wild horses on the Lower Salt River. We’d probably grab Matt’s Big Breakfast to go, and almost certainly wander around the Gilbert Riparian Preserve. For afternoon cocktails we’d probably grab Mai Tai’s on Hula’s patio. I’m always ready for an evening swim in the back yard, watching the sunset, and watch the night hawks fly around on the hunt.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My incredibly loving and supportive husband Bobby has seen me through a lot of difficult times. He cooks amazing food, reminds me to take breaks, loaned me my first telephoto lens, and makes me laugh daily. He’s paid bills, on bills, on bills, to help me feel human again. And he is the love of my life.

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