Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Galante.
Hi Kristin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey has not been the most linear, but has been incredibly rewarding. As an artist & entrepreneur in the art & wellness space, I have learned to find parallels between the two. I started drawing and painting after watching my brother and Dad do so growing up. I remember the first time I watched my Dad draw a tree on a loose sheet of paper and thinking it was absolute magic and that he was a magician! After he passed away when I was 12, I experienced the fragility of life and it forced me to want to experience the most out of it. I began to feel a draw towards the arts & recognized that whenever I did anything related to Art or Music, I felt more connected to my Dad’s energy. During high school I experienced my first emotionally abusive relationship and learned what it was like to navigate losing your individual spark. After successfully leaving that relationship, I decided (with the immense help of my Mom) to go to art school in the city of Chicago. I received my Bachelor’s in Art & Design while minoring in Music Performance. I knew I wanted to focus on creating visual art and performance because that is where I felt most alive. During college, I worked at Free People, Artizia, and Marc Jacobs where I got to channel my creativity into styling people– even celebrity clients. I liked it enough to ask to transfer to New York to continue this line of work. After transferring to NYC, I left Marc Jacobs to work at Dover Street Market which is essentially a museum for clothes. There, I met many people who continued to inspire me both in and out of work. I was making a ton of visual art and participating in art shows more than ever before! From Dover Street, I met a mentor who became the Creative Director at Gagosian Shop, connected to Gagosian Gallery on Madison Avenue. Here, I learned to work with high end artwork and sort through many art books that continued to inspire my own style. During covid, I was furloughed from a seemingly “dream job” that was not paying enough for me to make rent. I began to get curious about exploring contract work from my home. During this time at Dover Street and Gagosian Shop, I began a second abusive relationship that was inherently worse than the first. This relationship forced me to look deep inside and ask questions of why I was equating love to abuse. From there, I began a journey of self-development–investing in many self-help courses. This led me down a path of learning to love who I was and no longer accepting abuse in my life. I began to fulfill certifications in Success & Life Coaching, Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Reiki.
My artwork grew and so did my journey of following my own inner voice. I began songwriting and making music in my bedroom along with painting and having art & music shows throughout New York. I saw a content creation job for the first time posted that seemed interesting. It was hosting a live stream to talk to people around the world. I decided to apply and recorded myself making artwork & music. What I did not expect is that people began to really resonate with my personal story and triumphs over my abusive relationship. While I was painting and making music, I was unknowingly helping people that were going through similar situations. I began to share the tools I used like meditations, healing frequencies, and journaling to really get to the root of each person’s pain and encourage them to take accountability to transform it. I fell in love with this work of coaching and helping others just as much as I did in making art and music.
After a bit of time with creating content for a brand I felt aligned with, I made the tough decision to not return to the gallery and instead to move home to the west suburbs to save money and begin building out my own business(es).
Fast forward a few years and I now work as an Artist & Wellness Coach in my local area and online. I am in a healthy & happy relationship with a partner that is also an artist (photographer). We collaborate on photos, but mostly support each other’s work.
My days are spent making and teaching art as well as coaching clients through holistic living. I recently have been exploring painting on a bigger scale while creating a mural for my local community theater–a place where I still get to perform! This work is what I would like to continue doing. I also began teaching Art & Painting at a Senior Living Center as well as using my skills in Coaching, Hypnotherapy, and Reiki at a Holistic Weight loss & Wellness company called VitaLife.
I help people transform their lives by taking accountability while simultaneously use creativity as a healing modality! I have seen the benefits of self-expression through art, music, and even styling. I believe that we are all put on this earth for a reason and I think mine is to inspire, uplift, and remind people of their power! Thank you for your time 🙂
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Those have been noted in the previous long story 🙂 But most of my struggles have built my character. My early struggles were my parents divorce when I was 5 years old as well as the death of my father at 12 years old. My mom became a single parent pretty quickly and struggled financially for most of my youth into high school. She was the rock that I needed though and provided me with more love than I can even begin to comprehend. She loved me through all of my phases and really learned who I was before I knew who I was. She was the one who encouraged me to go to art school and spent so much time building me up. My family had each other during the tougher times and I especially leaned on my brother closest in age to me (I have three).
In high school and after I experienced two emotionally abusive relationships. These were so incredibly difficult and my life was definitely in danger in the second one. They both taught me how to love and respect myself though. They also taught me how to take responsibility and accountability for my life. They inspired a healing journey that now allows me to show up more fully for my clients and relationships.
I struggled myself with finances in the beginning, especially with starting my own business(es). I realized pretty quickly that I needed support and a part-time job that allowed me to use & hone my skills while building out my dream life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think I have somewhat of a unique experience channeling the energy of my Dad when creating artwork. I always feel him whenever I am using my creative talents. My dad sat me down at an organ when I was growing up and told me I have “the ear” meaning I can pick up songs by listening to them. He also showed me how to draw. Artistry runs in my family so I feel like I am carrying that on in more of a professional way. In some way it feels like honoring my family by following my passions.
I also feel that I have found a parallel between creating art and living a spiritual life. I feel like entrepreneurship is a spiritual practice because it forces you to trust your inner voice over all else.
I label myself as an Artist & Wellness Practitioner because I use art as a healing modality. It has been an outlet for me through many of my own traumatic experiences. Additionally, my other certifications are in Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy & Reiki which I find to be their own art forms. I write my own scripts for clients which often looks like tailored guided meditations based on clients specific needs. Energy work & healing has been a part of my own healing so being able to use it to guide others to their own inner power and most aligned path has been incredibly rewarding.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I find that mostly other artists and healers inspire my work. Abraham Hicks, Kathrin Zenkina (@manifestationbabe), Sari Shryack (@notsorryart), Heather Hoffman (@activationvibration)
Books that have helped me are “The Power of Now” “The Artist’s Way” and any fantastical series that continue to inspire my artwork like the Harry Potter Series and even the Sookie Stackhouse series. I love cinema and going to the movies. My boyfriend is really great with names of actors and directors and we geek out over shots and lighting. I would love to explore the world of cinema someday. For now I make videos in my bedroom 🙂
Podcasts:
The Florence Given Show
Manifestation Babe
Abraham Hicks on YouTube
Activation Vibration on YouTube
Apps:
I love to use subliminals, meditations, and healing frequencies on YouTube. I have a whole playlist on YouTube called “Empower Yourself” that I share with all my clients to help them start the inner work easily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kritgalhelps.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kritgal and instagram.com/kritgalhelps
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kritgal
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kritgal
