My story within 15 snapshots

Hi, I’m Christina Salerno.
My story began in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 31, 1986.

As a little girl, quirky was considered “adorable”.

My family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I grew up creating stories in the woods, making friends with the rocks, and immersing myself in imaginative galaxies of art.

I never got the memo that I was supposed to “fit in”.
I became the bullies favorite emotional chew toy.

So, I worked the system in various ways.
Following all the trends. Using humor to make fun of myself before others could. Presenting the “best” parts of myself. I got really good at faking it.

These were brief moments in the cool crowd.

Inside I was really pissed off at the world.

I tried sports as an outlet, but it was more fuel for the fire in such a competitive environment.

Music has always been a crucial part of my life.
At 16, I moved to Los Angeles, California and stirred some s%&# up in the entertainment industry for a while.

Eventually, I focused my anger, experimented with blue hair, and coordinated a 200+ show U.S. tour for my rock band at the time, Within The Eddy.

Guess what… living out of a van for 7 months will destroy your health.

So, I quit music, moved to Atlanta, Georgia and tried the normal day job thing.

Fail.

Next, I found myself living in New York City, the city I said I could NEVER live in.

I experimented doing the things that scared me the most.
Challenging everything I thought I knew.
Re-learning myself intimately and what I needed most to thrive.

I stumbled into becoming a freelance web and graphic designer.

But, still, I felt my gigantically diverse creativity craving freedom.
I knew there was more out there, somewhere.

After a long process of purification,
stripping away the layers to the essential core,
to the thread connecting all of my parts,

finally on September 1, 2013…

Living Quirky was officially born.