JuicyU is the brainchild of Christine Elizabeth. They say that you have to learn the rules before you can break them. You can't be an abstract artist before learning how to paint realistically. Why is that? Who is making the rules, anyway? Why do we have to learn to be an adult just so we can learn to relax and play like a kid again?

I begrudgingly graduated from Milford High School in suburban Cincinnati. When faced with the decision to take AP math or gifted art portfolio my senior year (because the classes were offered at the same time), art won. I never really liked math except for geometry, but somehow being good at math meant you were smart. Ever since that decision, I felt less respected. But hey, artists don't need to be respected because they are rebels and do their own thing anyway. I really like that attitude.

As a child, I danced jazz, tap, and ballet, even winning a couple of talent shows with my dance group. I always loved performing - wearing a costume, makeup, and hair, and being in front of an audience with music and applause. I tried soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball and liked them in that order. A knee injury ended my soccer career early, so in high school I played volleyball and basketball. I was best at volleyball, being tall and having the highest vertical leap on my team. Blocking an opposing spike was my favorite thing to do! Sadly, I was so worn down in high school, after being required to take the same "American Government" class required over and over again every year, being corralled day after day, and even having military recruiters come to our school and tell us what a great idea it would be to fight in the Persian Gulf War because we would get to see the pyramids, that I did not have the motivation to try to play volleyball in college. I didn't really have much motivation at all about college, but I knew I needed to do it.

I studied fine art at the University of Cincinnati. I enjoyed many of the art classes, and did pass the difficult design courses that all Design, Art, and Architecture students had to take. I passed with A's and B's, which wasn't bad. As I progressed towards my degree, I fell in love with modern art, and especially French and German modern art. I already had studied German, and although I never loved the language, I did love German Expressionism and could relate a lot to the artists. A strict art history teacher required that we memorize French titles of artwork. At first I found this frustrating, but then I realized I was starting to learn French and instantly liked French culture, so much so that I changed my major to art history so that I could take honors French. I did really get into the groove at UC and enjoyed learning and writing. Aesthetics, a philosophy class, was one of my favorites. In my early college days, I prioritized going to dance clubs: Beat Club on Tuesdays, Sundays, and Thursdays; and the Warehouse downtown on most Wednesdays and Saturdays. Vodka tonic was my drink of choice.

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I graduated with my bachelor's in art history and thought, now what? Luckily, the answer arrived in my mailbox when I received a letter from the UC School of Planning suggesting a career in community planning via a master's degree. I saw the stock photo of design professionals in an office, and I knew the career was for me. My planning career began in 1997. I have worked for a number of local governments in the Cincinnati area and in the San Francisco Bay area. My areas of expertise include: design review, zoning administration, transportation planning, and Geographic Information Systems/cartography.

Along the way in between my two years of community planning school at UC, I picked up a master's degree in art history from Indiana University, with a fleeting desire to become a professor. I make art now and then, and have participated in a number of local art shows and have sold my artwork on Etsy. Fashion excites me, and I believe there is a fine art to having an expressive wardrobe and an organized and functional closet full of clothes and accessories that look good on you, and help you to express your true self.

I am a Certified Practitioner of Integrative Quantum Medicine™; am a Certified Yoga Teacher; have studied advanced feng shui; and am currently studying the art and science of astrology. I am also a self-trained psychologist, having learned a lot "in the field"!  I enjoy hiking, playing tennis, biking,  yoga, and running.  My greatest accomplishment is being a mother to two wonderfully gifted, beautiful daughters.

I hope JuicyU can be a virtual "University" where you can learn all the juicy stuff they never taught you in school. My aim is to provide a mix of serious and fun topics, and to work toward my mission of living life to its fullest; leaving a legacy of lasting justice.

❤️️☮️😊