Christa Franklin shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Christa , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
Honestly, I felt most loved when I was with my ex fiancé. Not only did he go above, and beyond to spoil me, but he prayed daily for me. His close relationship with God made me chase after God even more. Did I deserve that love? I honestly didn’t think I did. I was scared to be loved so greatly that at times it made me distant, or confused on why anyone loved someone “ like me”. I built walls around myself, because of my insecurities. Now he is happy with someone who could equally give him that love back. Something I will forever regret, but everything has a purpose, and a plan.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a self taught artist that paints for the world. I paint to bless people in various ways. I paint for mission trips, and most importantly I paint for God. I own a tiny art studio where I paint with various mediums. My style is elegant whimsical, calm, and inviting. Recently I stepped back from missions temporarily, but I’m still painting for the world.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
One thing that breaks my bond with a person is loosing trust. I’ve been hurt a lot in life by friends, and people in general. I’ve been misunderstood, left out of things, talked about. I trust easily, and that’s my downfall, but I’m also a strong believer in forgiveness. I believe in grace. Bonds can be mended starting with change in behavior, genuine change, and grace.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pains, and using it as power when I started doing mission trips. India taught me confidence with talking in front of people. I was scared of doing that before I served there. New Mexico taught me it’s ok to be vulnerable, that my past doesn’t define my present, etc, etc.
Each mission trip stripped past hurts, and pains away, and turned them into testimonies.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My close friends would say people matter to me, after my love of Christ. I love people, but on a deeper level. I love them with a Christ love. I love Getting to know other cultures. I love praying for people. I love serving people through missions. People often see me as “ the artist”, but those that truly know me know that I’m way more than that.
Humanity matters to me, but first God.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What light inside you have you been dimming?
My light of art has been dimmed a bit. Art is my gift. Art is my escape from the world, but lately I lost confidence in it.
I watch so many artist go further than me, and I should never compare myself to others, but I find myself not being good enough, not getting enough sales, not noticed like I once did. My light is fading slowly if I had to be honest., but the reason behind my art keeps me going.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Once upon a time art line
- Facebook: Once upon a time art
