Meet Christine Gooden | Curator & Artist

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

Hi Christine, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I was always a creative kid growing up. While watching my parents run their business, I knew that was my path as well. It wasn’t til college that I realized I wasn’t meant to start just any type of business. I knew I’d have to keep my creativity alive & help others express theirs as well. I wanted to help other artists overcome the same hardships that I faced when I first started a creative business, like finding platforms to showcase my art & keeping up with steadily changing marketing strategies. I knew then & still know now that it takes a community of artists & creatives to keep art alive & well in today’s society.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art style is inspired by my personality & whatever chapter of my life I am currently going through. My color palettes are typically warm, vibrant colors to reflect my personality. Different concepts in my pieces depict the vivid dreams I constantly have during transitional time periods of my life. I’ve always been very well-connected to my dreams, being that they are perceived as messages & guidance from the Most High.

I’ve been painting since the 3rd grade, but started professionally pursuing art during the pandemic. Not only was art a way to escape the trauma of Covid, it was a way to express how I felt during joyful & not-so pleasant periods of my life in ways words couldn’t describe. Once I learned more about the entrepreneur side of the art world & found different avenues to sell my art, I got hired at a local coffee shop as their Art Curator.

After a year of curating solo exhibitions for local artists & selling a wide variety of artwork to my growing network of collectors, I decided to start freelance curating so my brand can be attached to something that helps a larger variety of creatives. I knew how hard it was to get started as an artist & making that tough transition from art as a hobby to art as a career. I wanted to help creative individuals like myself find the resources they need & provide a platform to emerging artists.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
All of my friends are also entrepreneurs or artists as well, so of course I’d take them to all the same spots that are in my weekly rotation! If they’re looking for somewhere quiet to study, do some work, or just want a nice, healthy lunch in a chill environment, then we’re going to Brass Tacks. It’s literally my favorite coffee shop in Houston.

For Happy Hour I have a couple favs. Gotti’s or The Warwick, but if we are really on a budget we can go to The Deck on Fountain View. Let’s say it a friend’s birthday, we’d definitely have to hit up The Warwick or Juliet or a cute birthday dinner. Both on the same side of town with really good food & the ambience is unbeatable.

I typically only go out during special occasions, but when I do, I like to go to Nameless or Nomad because they are BYOB. I LOVE Off the Record downtown, it’s literally just one huge dance floor with a bar & amazing DJ’s. Prauper Studios is the same setup, they also host art events that I like to go to along with RnB dance parties on Thursdays. And for chill spots that I still consider “outside” I like to hangout at Bald Kitty.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout the founder of Zion’s View Collective! My friend Zion has been on the same entrepreneurial journey I’ve been & has kept me grounded along the way. We are the same age, scaling our business from the ground up together, & constantly keeping each other motivated while holding each other accountable & giving credit where its due.

Website: https://www.ccstudiosevents.com

Instagram: ccstudioevents

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cc.the.artist?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
@aymiiel on Instagram (photographer)