Daily Inspiration: Meet Christina Tafoya

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Tafoya.

Hi Christina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My start was not a great one. Although I always knew my parents loved me, they both struggled with addiction throughout my life. I saw and endured things no child should have, and through this trauma and pain, I learned to create. If all I had were dirt, I would find seeds and grow poppies. If all I found were bottle caps, I would make collage art. If all I had were grease rags, I would make little dresses. I was left to my own devices and from that, I grew beauty. My isolation taught me early on to transmute my pain into something of value. This had a profound way of me finding beauty in all things and it that started my lifelong journey to heal others through art.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Struggle for me is a construct. Like a building or a bridge, it was once built, therefore it can be dismantled. My biggest challenge I would say, is the mental barriers we have learned to put on ourselves. Whether it is from our peers, parents, or society as a whole. We all have automatic negative responses in our heads because of trauma and if we are not taught or do not learn how to change these ideations, we will struggle. As a youth, I struggled with addiction and was in and out of facilities. I learned positive affirmations helped me kick my negative self-talk and started to build confidence in myself. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do a little bit of everything. But I’d probably say loving. Lol, I can find love in all things and hopefully this doesn’t sound like toxic positivity, but I really can see the light in the darkness.  It makes me very insightful and extremely grateful. That and crocheting! I started SpreadLoveCrochet as an avid traveler back in 2017. I was going to several countries and I would see couples arguing over being lost and their missed flights or just annoyed with one another. It hurt to watch their pain and I wanted to or rather I needed to give my love to them somehow. I saw so much beauty when I traveled and some days, I would find myself crying in disbelief that someone like me could be in Paris or Rome. I thought about being houseless as a kid. I thought about all the nights I ate out of a can because my mom didn’t come home. I thought about the times when I hid from abusers and just wanted to escape. I remembered being so lost, and so cold and alone. I remember dreaming about the day I made it out of my misery. I remembered little Christina and that that I had endured and so I was grateful at the opportunity to be safe and how precious life was to me.  Because I guess I did not think I would make it this far. My history rather dictated that I did not make it this far. So I had such a grand perspective that I wanted others to know how much love was in the world if we only could stop to see it. 

In every city I would go to I felt as if it was luck and I never took the opportunity for granted. I remember laying in a field outside the Eiffel Tower with my Los Angeles Dodgers hat on my chest. As I looked straight up the tower I thought, “Anything is possible with love”.

So I started crocheting little hearts with affirmations attached to them. They most always say “you are loved” in that countries language. I am in over 13 countries now and I have had Art shows across the country and even in Italy!  I have heard from people all over the world that have had some amazing stories from those that found my love. From engagements under my hearts in Paris to changing careers after seeing my heart in Bordeaux to meeting one another and falling in love because they both found my hearts in Budapest. I’ve had people tell me it was their darkest hour until they saw my love sitting on a fence. My love even found a young man at Kings day in Amsterdam while he was having his bachelor party. He sent me a message saying it reinforced the power of his love for his future wife and couldn’t wait to purchase hearts for their honeymoon so that they could spread their love hearts all over too.

I’m most proud of when I build community. I love that I’ve been able to spread love all over the world and people have felt my love from afar. But building community in my hood is what sets my soul on fire. I love teaching. I love seeing my kids light up when they make something. It gives me life. Art saved my life. It changed me and showed me love. So I’m most proud that I can share those gifts with others.

What sets me apart from others would be the way in which I transform my pain. I’m very open, honest and transparent about turning your pain into beauty. In my day career, I’ve dedicated my life to Adolescents and Young Adults at Children’s Hospital as a Counselor. I run groups that assist youth to express their pain into beauty and connect with themselves. 

My next big project will be March 19, 2022 working with the Natures Parkway in building a colorful mural for their Urban Trail expressing how nature is a natural healer. 

Then on September 24, 2022, I will be at FrogTown’s Artwalk and I will doing a Community COVID-19 Memorial, in dedicating yellow hearts to all the lives lost due to COVID-19. 

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Life changing books for me are: Like Water for Chocolate. The way Tita expressed her love for good food inspired me to be so passionate and expressive with my art.

The Alchemist taught me that, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” so it made me go back to school to study Addiction Medicine.

The Four Agreements gave me guidance to live my life intentionally with meaning and grace.

Tattoos on the Heart showed me humility and reinforced that people do believe in hood kids like me.

And countless others that aren’t coming to mind atm.

Contact Info:

• Email: Spreadlovecrochet@gmail.com
• Website: www.expresslovecoaching.com
• Instagram: Spreadlovecrochet
• Facebook: Expresslovecoaching

Image Credits
Jessica Tafoya-Soberanis