Cri (pronounced “Cree”) Gabriele’s path to here was anything but a straight line. It started with making jewelry, working for a fine jeweler in London, and building her own jewelry company. But as she explored her creativity in different ways and places, everything she created, including her jewelry, became part of the process—sometimes a launchpad, sometimes an inspiration, and always a vehicle for communication. In this on-going liberation (from fixed objects, approaches or materials), Cri followed her curiosity, refined her clarity and honed her messaging through craftsmanship. In the process, she recognized that others wanted help to do the same. Now she offers her clients, her graduate students, and others a way to synthesize what they already know—in whatever form it wants to take. Cri is a professor in the graduate Communications Design program at Pratt Institute in NYC. She is the founder and CEO of MESSWORK, a somatic practice in which she supports clients with personal transformation working with and through the body’s wisdom. And she helps creatives, somatic practitioners, and alternative health professionals build their practices. And she’s just getting started. Near the end of our conversation, Cri shares about what she’s building next—the MESSWORK Living Archive. A real-time resource and body of knowledge, it sits at the center of the infinity swirl, the place where her pedagogy and research, her students, clients, and other creatives, intersect ethically. And that’s not all. Cri is sharing an inquiry into grief and performance as research work with 3, 30, 300, 3000: A Durational Psychosomatic Inquiry into Grief; Repetition, Rounds, and Reconciliation. To say that she inspires me would be an understatement. Cri and I recorded this conversation underneath a discoball. When I brought up photo booth pics, Cri had a strip of her own—taken that morning. And, as we talked and later as I listened back, I heard the thing I needed to hear: “the things that on some level you know, and that sometimes you doubt, […], you do know them. Listen to them. Follow them.” Even though it was recorded first, this conversation brought all the other ones in this series full circle: Georgia built a stage. Annie built a studio. Megan built a beverage. And Cri built a language—one which is not limited by words, materials, or states of being; one which, by design, offers a multitude of ways to get to where you’re going. I can’t think of a better way to end this series than with the woman who gives the often messy process of getting there its name. Been a beautiful journey to discover the connective tissue across these conversations and a joy to bring you “Becoming the Proof”—four women who built the thing they needed to ensure it exists for others when they need it. You can find all posts and episodes connected to this series here. Now, I invite you sit back, get comfortable and listen in. LINKS All things Cri Gabriele: Instagram: @messwork @messworkpracticebuilding @cristina_gabriele_studioWebsites: messwork.com cristinagabriele.com (Cri’s Communications Design Studio, Cg Studio) 3, 30, 300, 3000: A Durational Psychosomatic Inquiry into Grief; Repetition, Rounds, and Reconciliation (Performance as Research) All things Hella Rader: Every link in one place: linktr.ee/hellarader Wan to share your story? Open to submissions: hellarader.com/submissions Follow me on Instagram, subscribe to my channel on YouTube.com/@hellarader and learn more about me on my Website. To help me record more women’s stories, amplify more women’s voices and celebrate different women’s choices, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to my Substack, follow me on Instagram, and/or, buy me a cup of coffee. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every other Wednesday. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hellarader.substack.com/subscribe
