Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Holm
Hi Christine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been drawn to laughter. I love laughing alone, with others, and even watching people laugh at things I don’t find that funny. I think that’s the reason why I began a career working with children. They’re hilarious and they don’t always know it. They feel unbridled joy and effortlessly pass it along to whoever is around them!
Working with children in a clinical setting has been particularly beautiful. Meeting their families and helping their families understand them better has been, quite honestly, surreal. Not every member of every family communicates in the same modality. Spending time focusing on Autistic communication, specifically with children, has allowed me to see the multitude of ways a child can share their love. They might hand you their favorite toy or sing the lyrics of that one song you always play in the car. They may show their love differently than their family or the world had envisioned. But that doesn’t make their love or communication less genuine.
A light bulb went off in my head when I was working in a clinic one day. Families with neurodivergent children may not always have that “picture day” moment. They may shy away from inviting a photographer into their world. They may not have the resources needed to get that fancy family photoshoot. And I didn’t like that.
I’ve always been a photographer and have held strong to the idea that my role as a photographer (and person) is to experience authentic moments with others. And I love children. I love family. I love including everyone in special experiences. So, I started Picture Day. And now we’re here.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. Imposter syndrome is powerful, as is the demand of graduate school. I have constantly doubted my ability to take meaningful photographs that will be both emotionally and visually appealing. I also spend a lot of my time in school working towards a Master’s in Speech Language Pathology (Go Towson SLP!). I’m exhausted and not always confident that I have what it takes to build up a community of people who know I’m here for them in the way I know how to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
While I am a photographer by trade, I haven’t had the opportunity to expand my scope as much as I would like to. I have been shooting portraits for college graduates for about 8 years and done a handful of family/ event shoots. The family shoots I’ve had are always the most fun because they’re really just an opportunity to meet a group of loving people.
Another thing I LOVE is collaging. I cut up images and have friends over to glue them down however they see fit. I make digital collages to express myself. I would love to incorporate this into my work with children and my professional creative work.
What sets me apart, though, is probably my experience with Autistic populations. I have an intense passion for sharing creativity in a way that includes Autistic children. If I have a passion and skill that are both deeply important to me, there’s no reason not to combine them.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Easy! It’s hard to remember every single detail, but there’s snippets of this evening that cross my mind at random. I was sitting on a bed with my parents, and my father was playing the guitar. He had this 4 track recorder that my mother was finicking with as we sang “Country Roads” together. My father is an incredibly passionate, caring musician and my mother is the most steadfast, loving person I will ever have the honor to love. They both shaped me into a creative, warm person.
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