““I had the pleasure of working with Cristina when we were developing and launching the brand Icelandic Provisions. Aside from being a wonderful human being, Cristina has a comprehensive and thorough understanding of Advertising and marketing from working both agency and client-side. As well as a global perspective from working both in the US and overseas. She has high taste levels in design and conceptual work (which is rare to find in our time;) and she is not afraid to use her intuition. I would highly recommend working with Cristina if you are lucky enough to have a chance.””
Hi...
My name is Cristina, and I lead with the heart. Driven across my career to do what I love, to create what holds meaning, my intent has always been to touch people’s hearts. To help them act from their hearts.
To do that more holistically, I went beyond what I’d accomplished helping to create global branding and integrated communication campaigns across 10+ years in Advertising, to push past my own limits, to create something for myself, to re-create myself. In doing that, I discovered how much I’m able to create.
I was inspired at 37 to write my first book, my second at 40. Then to create and evolve my own business. First, a life coaching practice and then, after picking up a paintbrush for the first time at 42, into an art business as MAKING ART::LOVE. To eventually merge the two offerings into one as LOVE SQUARED ALCHEMĒ, which I rebranded to LOVE SQUARED STUDIOS to better represent all that I offer. One element has consistently driven and remained embedded across these evolutions — LOVE. Throughout, I was guided by a passion to help people see what truly drives all of us on the deepest levels, to clear their limits and help find a deep self-love. I did that by creating art, products, programs, and content that inspired and guided people to dive deeper within themselves. To empower themselves. To then be able to share that love they hold for themselves with another.
While my focus over the last few years has been on developing and promoting what’s aimed at the heart, I’ve also drawn on my multi-faceted abilities to concept passion projects for myself and others. One of my favorites – Urban Nature – is a locally driven mission-based apparel line with global expansion built into its DNA; conceived for a foreign investor. The strategy woven throughout that idea can be seen in my portfolio below.
My desire to make a positive, creative impact on this world, my love of well-crafted words and the power of visual beauty, intertwined with my managerial experience in Branding and Advertising has given me a wide range of strategic communication skills.
Moving forward, I’ll always paint for the pure joy it brings me, but I’d also love to take what I’ve learned – in creating and promoting my brand, as well as helping people empower themselves – back to what I’ve always loved to do. To collaborate on a team of like-hearted souls who have a matching desire to enrich this world by adding more meaningful beauty into it. Beauty that communicates.
Put simply, I want to help tell beautiful stories. Ones that people will love to hear. Ones that will add value to their everyday lives. However they’re best told. From deep emotional resonance to a light and humorous touch. Creating more impact by telling them together. Because together we can do so much more.
If you like how I do what I do, I’d love to talk about what we can do together.
CRISTINA
Details about my Advertising experience are on my resume. Both there and here, you can see what those who’ve worked with me have to say.
Using the visual of the heart, amongst others, along with my own life lessons, I created tools and wove stories that guide people deeper. To help raise awareness of the wounds every heart has received across time and the importance of healing them.
Beyond driving awareness, I used mindfulness techniques in 1:1 Sessions with clients across the U.S., U.K., Europe, Asia, Canada, China, and Taiwan. I guided some even deeper across a 6-12 WK, 1:1 DEEP DIVE IMMERSIVE PROGRAM.
Currently I’m only offering those tools as DIY kits and have been focusing on my art.
““Cristina is a Godsend. I dove right into her 6-week program eyes and heart wide-open. Cristina is extremely supportive throughout the whole program whether it was via email or during our sessions. She empowered me. What she says resonates because it’s so grounded in what happens in THIS life that we’re living. What I received from this program is significantly more than what I expected coming in. I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity to work with Cristina.””
Early on, to promote the coaching business, I ran multiple campaigns on Instagram, all focused on love. To bring a deeper awareness to it and help people think and feel more deeply into it, into themselves in relation to it, into what’s keeping them from feeling more of it. Here’s some of what I’ve done...
With my first campaign, my intention was to use signs I’d seen in everyday life – pulling from ones I’d seen across the years – to open people up to seeing more in the everyday across their own lives, as it relates to love. To help focus their attention on love...because what you focus on grows.
A campaign to raise awareness of how powerful love is when unrestrained. To help people think more deeply into ‘how to’ love.
Using the popular LOVE WINS mantra, I coupled it with what it has to win out over. To raise awareness and drive people to think more deeply into their own love and how they might be letting blame, shame, guilt, pain, etc drown out their love. To help LOVE WIN.
With the intention of helping people dive deeper into their hearts, their compassion, and their forgiveness, I shared my own love story across a series of posts.
This campaign was married to and posted live during the creation of two series of HEART paintings...The Original & Innocent HEART Series and The Real & Raw HEART Series, After painting each HEART, I posted what I felt as I painted it. Each message focuses on what the heart feels, how the heart’s been wounded, or what the heart needs. Sometimes a combination of all three. To help people become more aware of and focus in on their own hearts, their own emotions. The ones that are often hidden; buried deep to protect oneself. Bringing awareness to what we feel in the hopes of helping people know they’re not alone in how they feel and to help them see how vital it is to heal what’s hurt them.
These are from The Real & Raw HEART Series...
Drawing on my everyday experiences, I wrote stories to help people see deeper within themselves and the synchronistic patterns many share across their lives. I took this a step further and used my experiences to create step-by-step guides that help people know how to evolve themselves and their lives.
Click the snapshots to read the story, or head to HEART Wisdom to see all.
That’s how I do everything, including this product and services driven e-newsletter. With more depth, more detail than I could share on social media, I turned my experiences into stories that led to solutions. Ones aimed to resonate with readers’ hearts. Written to help them understand how the tools, services, and programs I offered would help them. To help them not only see but also clear out what had hit their hearts across time. To create space for more love to come in.
Having written dozens, four are below. Click on each to read the full letter...
Gathering the mindfulness techniques & tools developed over the years into one holistic offering, I created The CORE reBUILD Program in the Spring of 2021. To help people become more aware of, heal for, and deeply embed the energies of EASE, SELF-RESPECT, CONFIDENCE & SELF-LOVE within.
Through weekly kick-off messages that drive one to journal on the specific topic/energy, guided meditations that help them see what’s hidden within more clearly, daily practices to help break their patterns, energy clearings and more, the participants are given all that they need to dive deeper within themselves, to heal themselves.
While the content and tools are delivered in 8-Weekly Segments, the program is self-propelled so it can be done at one’s own pace.
““This course was perfect for building stronger foundations around these energies. I’ve noticed a change in my relationship to myself & my thoughts. I became more aware of how my thoughts & feelings were attracting the wrong types of interactions with others. It shifted how I treat myself & I have a stronger relationship with me.””
To promote the value of the program and give people a peak into what it offers, I guided everyone through it on IG across the 8-WKS I ran it LIVE for a group of women. Marrying my feed each week to the program’s energy/content, I posted snippets of the insights and tools I was sharing in more depth with the participants. I also posted stories, experiences from my own life that related to that week’s energy, to help ground it in the everyday and bring it to life. While I posted multiple times for each while it was running, I’ve only highlighted one for each week here...
...in a LIVE I held on Instagram.
Containing a combination of my HEART art to meditate on, a mantra to repeat to oneself, and an energy clearing audio that helps drive one’s awareness deeper on that specific wound/energy, these kits contain all the tools people need to help dive deeper within themselves. With 70+ Kits, there’s multiple options people can choose from to help themselves in any area they’re looking to dive deeper into, as well as to tackle all from different angles. Each is offered as a stand-alone kit or grouped (and discounted) into bundles of 3, 4, or 5 that are focused on specific themes.
““I did a meditation with the painting while softly repeating the mantra at the same time. The painting had a very powerful effect on me and I found myself being drawn to each brush stroke and wanting to trace them with my finger tips as the energy flowed through me. I find the strokes evoke a feeling of trust in me as well as being soothing and almost ‘safe’ feeling at the same time and when combined with the mantra too, it felt like unconditional love flowing from the painting to my heart. I’m very excited to see where this week will take me next.””
Learning the techniques of art photography & production, which is as nuanced as painting the art itself, I turned 25 of my HEARTS into Giclée prints that can be purchased at various sizes or in bundles.
““It is an amazing energy in the room! While recording my music today I felt so magically connected and guided. The heart is almost alive...you are an amazing artist! It is incredible, powerful art! My home looks and feels so beautiful with it! I love to get lost in it while watching it. Almost like watching a fireplace, just more watery…””
For a time, I was offering Custom HEART Crests to couples and families. Tuning into their energy, I painted a HEART that showcased their love story. Along with the painting, I sent a 5+ page story showing every stage and explaining the symbolism in every swoop and color that went on the canvas. I’ve since evolved this concept into paintings of intertwined initials...known as Love Stories.
““I am blown away. I love it! Literally had chills reading the story. It was spot on. Amazing! And my husband loves it, he was very surprised by the story behind it!””
For the 2019 Holiday Season, I created 5 specialty HEARTS that could be gifted to show how someone felt about the person, as depicted in the shape and name of the HEART.
The HEART That’s Cradled
...for the person one truly cherishes.
•
The HEART That Flows Free
...for the person who lives by their own rules.
•
The HEART That’s Held High
...for the person one truly respects.
•
The HEART That Dives Deep For Love
...for the person who does everything with a load of love.
•
The HEART That’s Raised High By Love
...for the person one loves more than anything and will do anything for.
Each was available as 5x7, 8x10, and 10x16 Giclée Prints that could be purchased framed or unframed and given individually or mixed-and-match into a set.
Designed, produced & photographed stationary using my signature HEARTS. Created content for and promoted the line on social media. I also offered customization and bundling of the HEARTS so they could be ordered for parties, baby announcements, etc.
Created merchandise so people could showcase their own love of the heart and to give themselves a daily reminder of the meaning it holds for them. The latter was done through the look & name. With the jacket – A Pure HEART – symbolizes innocence and the bracelet – The Flying HEART – were for those ready to take off in life.
The final HEART Bands only had one version, but I’ve also shown an earlier version I photographed myself wearing to promote on social media. These were carried in boutiques in Florida and New Jersey. There were five versions with unique meanings. I created postcards with their messages for the boutiques to showcase with them.
To drive exposure for the HEART art and merchandise, I took part in a Holiday Fair. Along with promoting the Original & Innocent HEART Series, I created unique holiday themed-products that could be gifted. I designed the structure and interior, developed the signage, set pricing, and staged all within a 10’x10’ space.
In 2019, I finalized writing, editing, and design of my 2nd book – REBORN – as well as created social media ads, static and video content (virtual book readings) to promote it.
I also concepted a one-hour series based on the book and pitched it to a reputable Hollywood producer.
Hear a spoken word poem I wrote based on the book’s premise.
In 2021 I worked with a successful U.S. entrepreneur who wanted to expand on a passion of his, to launch it into a second business – re-sale of high-end coveted street apparel and sneakers. A collection curated from various sought after brands. Collaborating closely with him and the name he conceived, I concepted 5 logo options, showing a range of what could be possible with each. I’ve shown my reco in the first image below, as well as the range that accompanied it. Intended to convey the intersection of a street, the graphic element of that crossing was designed to be used on its own in the future, as he intended to create and include his own apparel in the long-run. The concept also lends itself to using the first half of the word ‘FIT’ in various phrases that could then be printed on apparel, such as...FIT for the street. FIT for life. FIT to be seen.
In 2017, working as a strategic consultant, I conducted a comprehensive study of both the global & local deforestation crisis as well as an analysis of the competitive t-shirt market. From that, I provided a recommendation – based on the info gathered + a consumer survey I conducted – on if a global or local mission approach would be better received by consumers. I then concepted a product idea, brand name, and tag-line for a potential mission-based apparel brand. As well as developed a preliminary year 1 budget to create and launch the product(s).
While working on a 6-month contract position as a Brand Consultant at Icelandic Provisions in 2016, I helped run the agency search, pitch process & award to Brooklyn Brothers. Then drove Brand World and launch campaign development with the agency across a digital, experiential, social, and sampling program. I also drove internal art direction and copy development and designed/wrote an Icelandic Provisions hand-out for a major East Coast wholesaler trade show.
During my time with IP, the Head of Communications and I conceived a social media campaign to help set the tone for and raise awareness of this new brand by partnering with a well-known U.S. based Icelandic adventure photographer. Drawing on his social following, which was in the hundreds of thousands, he agreed to launch a contest with IP, for two people to win a trip with him to Iceland. While there, he would also photograph a library of brand shots for us to use on the site and across social media. With a limited budget, this was a win-win. The contest was designed to drive sampling, as well as create consumer generated content, which gave us even more bang for our buck since the company’s investors were focused on sampling. To enter, people would post a shot of themselves eating Icelandic Provisions Skyr after ‘an adventure’ like climbing a mountain, at the top of a waterfall, surfing, etc. Tagging the photographer and IP, which would help grow the brand’s (at the time) non-existent social presence. Since the name itself pointed to the product as a provision, which is taken on a trip, it was a good brand fit. The partnership/contest would also give the Head of Comms a story for the press, some of whom would be invited on the trip, helping her drive exposure for the brand beyond social media.
Assisted in art directing multiple product shots for Icelandic Provisions yogurt.
““I had the pleasure of working with Cristina when we were developing and launching the brand Icelandic Provisions. Aside from being a wonderful human being, Cristina has a comprehensive and thorough understanding of Advertising and marketing from working both agency and client-side. As well as a global perspective from working both in the US and overseas. She has high taste levels in design and conceptual work (which is rare to find in our time;) and she is not afraid to use her intuition. I would highly recommend working with Cristina if you are lucky enough to have a chance.””
““Cristina is an absolute talent. Period. Her work in developing and launching the IP brand was invaluable. Not only does she have a strategic, big picture viewpoint of the work to be done, but her attention to fine details and process are what really set her apart. She’s candid, smart, creative, collaborative and forward-thinking. More importantly, she understands how marketing and advertising work in today’s world. Cristina advised Icelandic Provisions with her full heart, full rolodex of highly capable individuals and agencies and pushed us down a path toward a smart launch campaign and branding exercise. Snatch her up. You’ll see.” ”
In 2015, I wrote, edited, designed, and self-published my first book – Who Broke The Girl? Narrated by the soul, it traces the self-propelled broken patterns of one girl from childhood into adulthood. With no names, anyone who reads it is able to see themselves and their own lives in this story.
To promote the book, I created a website, press kit, book trailer, and postcards. As well as an Instagram and Facebook feed. Across all, I used quotes from the book to draw people in through its powerful, poetic verse.
I also performed multiple readings at open mic nights in NYC.
In 2015, I wrote copy for the PlsPlsMe app content needs, developed promotional marketing materials including a press kit, promo cards and infographics for SXSW, and scripted, selected the clips, and drove the edit for a promo video for the PlsPlsMe app.
““I had the opportunity to work with Cristina at M&C Saatchi NY, and till date she continues to be one of the most strategic account thinkers I have come across. Three things that really stand out when you work with her: She’s great with clients - always reading between the lines to identify the true business challenge. She’s tight with strategy and creatives - always ensuring our creative thinking gets room to breathe. She’s a great human - just an amazingly energizing and positive human to have on your team. If you get a chance to work with her - Do not miss it!””
““Cristina is an exceptional professional. I worked with her at M&C Saatchi where she managed client relationships with strategic thoughtfulness and operational competence. She has great taste in the creative product and advocates for the best work that will drive business results. She is a pleasure to work with and has an integrity that makes her a trusted partner to those fortunate enough to work with her.””
““Cristina and I worked together on a high profile CPG launch (for Kraft) with an aggressive, accelerated timeline. She was able to quickly gain my trust and establish the close working relationship we needed to achieve the challenging task at hand. Cristina is highly skilled at navigating different stakeholders, advocating for the needs of a client’s business whilst also maintaining the integrity of the creative process. A highly strategic thinker, she also has a strong leadership and influencing style which was invaluable when working with multiple agency groups to get the best integrated communications plan for the launch. She really went above and beyond to help me get the results I needed. I am happy to highly recommend Cristina as a fantastic senior agency partner and a huge asset to any creative shop.” ”
““Cristina understands great creative. Not only that, she knows how to help develop it so that the client will buy it. She has the ability to see things through a client’s eyes, but not break them down, rather, she can help build them up. In my time working with her, I saw her deftly handle complicated client situations with excellent results. No one at our agency ever felt the “account vs. creative” struggle. Cristina made sure everything was collaborative. Great ideas came first, and she helped us get there. I would certainly recommend adding Cristina to your team. She’s smart, savvy, confident, and a great team leader and team player.””
““Cristina has an ability to bring together numerous areas of an organization - from marketing to engineering to sales - and create a cohesive marketing campaign that addresses the needs of each area while respecting the varying politics and personalities that can come into play. She is both honest and tactful, managing to direct a meeting to the desired result with ease and integrity.
…she keeps projects moving in the right direction yet does not micromanage. And always, the end results of her direction are high quality marketing campaigns or collateral that appropriately address the intended market and the underlying business need of the client.
I believe Cristina possesses a strong, and not easily found, combination of strategic, creative and communication skills that will make her an asset to any organization.””
