To call Kristina Hatcher a Jill of All Trades would be a massive understatement and a blatant falsehood, particularly the bit about being a Master of None. She absolutely has a lot of irons in her fire at any given moment, and she manages them all with a miraculous ability to keep the same positive, forward thinking energy from one project to the next. She would be better classified as a veritable Force of Nature. Kristina is not a native of Jacksonville, however, to speak to her, you would never know it. She's one of the biggest advocates for this city that you will ever meet, and she is especially passionate about promoting and nurturing the Arts and Culture scene in Jacksonville. From the moment she moved here twelve years ago, she hit the ground running within the Arts and Entertainment sector, using her photographic skills to leverage her way into a position to begin creating and developing her artistic identity. She's a creative force to be reckoned with and can often be heard saying, "just put me in the room with [insert name of influential behemoth] and I'll get it done." She's indeed done it all: from coordinating and hosting events, to creating content for print and broadcast media, producing and modeling in fashion shows, and artist development, management, and promotion. She's connected to nearly every scene in Jacksonville in one way or another, and if she's not involved yet, it's probably on her to do list. Motivated, forward thinking, creative, and sincere - she's one of Jacksonville's best kept secrets and it's about time the word got out. Good to have you with us, Kristina! Introduce yourself to the readers...
What are the main projects or programs you're working on or involved with in Jacksonville? My husband, Dominique ‘The Diesel God’ Hatcher and I run a website called Salted Culture. It has many meanings but it primarily stands for Shining a Light Towards Entertainment, Diversity & Culture. We host a Facebook Live Interview Series on Sunday Nights at 8pm where we highlight and interview artists, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and more. I recently accepted a position as an Event Manager at Friday Musicale in the Historic Riverside area of Jacksonville and I’m also the Event Coordinator for Xclusively Kissed’s 5th Annual Kissing for Toys Drive and Benefit Tasting for the second year in a row. It’s a beautiful event that assists the less fortunate during the holidays. You're well known in many circles as an avid supporter of the arts and all things Duval. What motivates you to be such a dedicated advocate for the arts and Jacksonville as a whole? Well it’s nice to feel appreciated! Really, it goes back to finding my artistic identity in the Jacksonville arts scene. When I moved here I was a young mom and, believe it or not, a full-time photographer. I started working with musicians, created written and visual content for several local publications (ISM Magazine, HFL Magazine and one of my photos was featured on the cover of the 2008 Summer Travel Guide for Visit Jax Beaches), I co-hosted The Daly Braxton Show on 105.7 which became 105.3 in Jacksonville from 2008 to 2009, and eventually found my way to the stage as an emcee and host. I've opened for Jacob Latimore, worked events with Xscape, 95 South, Faith Evans, Brandy, and Cuba Gooding Sr. I host events for various nonprofits including the Jordan Davis Foundation, and was involved with the 1 Year Memorial featured in the documentary 3 1/2 Minutes. I went from being behind the camera to being center stage and fell in love with it - and the scene supported and accepted me. I will always have a deep love for Jacksonville, no matter where I am. This city still has a lot of growing to do, but I am proud to have been a part of the city's current growth and I am passionate about continuing to support the arts. Networking and Marketing are a very large portion of what you do. How important is a strong marketing strategy for artists in this digital/social media dominated era?
Aside from diving fully into networking and marketing, you are an artist yourself. What sort of art do you create and do you still find time to nurture your creative and artistic side? I’m an artist in so many ways: painting, sewing, photography, acting, and more. Often times helping other people allows me to get creative and scratch that itch but there are times where I just have to pull out the acrylics and paint something special. What have you learned about yourself through your artistry? That I don’t have to define myself as one thing. I am a lot of things. I am a creator. You've been living and working as an artist and arts advocate in Jacksonville for a while now. How do you view the evolution of the arts since you first put down roots in this city? A lot has changed in so many ways. Downtown is growing as well as Riverside, Five Points, San Marco, the Beaches... It’s beautiful to see. We have the Cultural Council, public art and murals popping up everywhere, grants and training programs available... I see a lot of love and support and it’s exciting. What are the greatest challenges you face as an artist and arts professional living and working in Northeast Florida? I do wish there were more opportunities for artists and entrepreneurs to get people, corporations, or agencies invested in their art and ideas. While we do have a lot of grants and programs available, it’s not easy to be someone living with real world bills to really invest in their art full-time which is what many of us creative types wish to do. Getting people to understand the importance of investing in and supporting the arts as well as the artist is an ongoing challenge. How do you define success in what you do? By finding a balance between living the life I want and being happy while doing so. Success comes in many forms and while we all have different dreams, there are many paths to get us there. We each have our own path and respecting that is important. Tell us what's next! Speaking. I want to speak more. Motivational speaking and consulting are the areas in which I want to focus a lot more of my attention. I'm also dedicated to growing and nurturing Salted Culture. Our end goal is to open a business in Downtown Jacksonville that would serve as a creative space, restaurant, and entertainment venue. Until then, we look forward to covering more events, interviewing and creating exposure for more artists, and helping to grow community connections within our city as well as from Jacksonville to other cities by way of a cross-country tour. My hope is that I can also further expose my children to culture and communities all over the country while networking. THANK YOU
We'd like to thank Kristina for her participation in this interview. We'd also like to thank you for reading. The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville serves six primary roles in Northeast Florida.
In 2018, we have set the goal of building relationships with 2,018 individual contributors. Whether you make a small gift of $10, make a pledge of a re-occurring sustaining gift, or make a large dollar contribution, your support of the Cultural Council enables the agency to advance its mission of investing in arts and culture to enrich life in Northeast Florida. You can make your contribution as an individual, family, foundation, or business. Your tax deductible donation allows the Cultural Council to support the growth of Greater Jacksonville's arts and cultural sector through initiatives and programs that align with the agency's mission.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Questions? Comments? Submit something for consideration?Please email [email protected] Archives
June 2019
Categories
All
|