Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Connell.
Hi Christina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Earlier this year, I was hired and rigorously trained for my dream job, to become an airline pilot. I have spent the last seven years in prior flight training, earned a four-year bachelor’s degree in aviation, taught flying to people of all demographics in St. Louis, Missouri, and in 2022 landed my first job flying jets for an American regional airline. It is an understatement to say this year has been monumental for my career and I couldn’t be more excited. While this is all true and still exciting, I also came to a quick realization: the aviation industry leaves very little room for creativity. This is in the name of safety, professionalism, and efficiency, so the thought of a lack of creativity in such a high consequence profession is not one to be argued but left me feeling like I was missing out on self-expression. This summer, for the first time, I attended Burning Man. If you don’t know what Burning Man is, (google at your own risk) it is an annual event that takes place at Black Rock City where 80,000ish people gather to endure the extremely harsh conditions of a temporary city in a dried-up lake bed in the desert of Nevada at 5000 feet elevation to celebrate art, music, creation, love, connection, and people. Sounds fun, right? But basically, at Burning Man, only creativity exists.
When we return to the “default world” from Burning Man, I see how black and white so much of the aviation industry is and begin focusing on the things that are beautiful, creative, and exceptional in my everyday life to remind me how amazing people are. This is what sparked my interest in photographing for my instagram account @Perfecly.Lucid. My first photos with this objective in mind were taken in Salt Lake City as I explored while I was still in training for my airline. Over the course of training in three and a half months, I visited the botanical gardens, the capitol building, etc., and thoroughly enjoyed hiking actual mountains (we don’t have those in Chicago). I don’t have much of a following yet, but I am thankful for collaborating with groups like Voyage Utah Magazine that see the beauty in their state as I do and thank them for reaching out to share my short story.
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?
My interest in creating and sharing is fairly new and amateur. It was triggered by realizing my dream job is limiting my creative mindset. I wouldn’t say I reconsidered my career for this realization, but I knew I needed to actively seek beauty and creativity in my everyday life. I hope by sharing these photos on my instagram, it will be easier for others to see the same beauty in their lives that they may see every day but not give as much appreciation for.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have long enjoyed photography. While I don’t have a professional set up right now, I still very much enjoy capturing beautiful moments and places I have experienced. In my friend group, I am known for my profession as an airline pilot, but being an airline pilot does not allow much margin for creativity or subjectivity. Our routines and habits are fairly cut and dry, decided by people that have decided when, why, where, and how we basically breathe in the cockpit. This is why I started my professional instagram account in the hopes that I would have an outlet for my newly appreciated desire to be creative and subjective. What I think makes my content stand out is that I can share the beauty of many places as my day job allows for a constant change of scenery and travel.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I’m not sure if I would consider myself a “creator” but I very much appreciate how creators can share such amazing views, experiences, and lives. I thoroughly love how people of basically any age can make content about things they love and are passionate about and even make a decent living on it. I hope so much the trends of online content creation continue and more and more people decide to share the beautiful details of their lives.
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