2021-May-27
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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
BY KRYSTAL CHENG
We all have secret passions that are an essential part of who we are.
Sometimes we discover those passions with a stroke of fate or a little bit of luck. But sometimes, we’re born with them, as though they were already embedded in our DNA.
That’s the case for Christoph Lindner, a business development manager for cloud and managed services whose passion for art has always been inextricably part of who he is.
Bringing stories to life with paper and pencil
Christoph has been drawing for as long as he can remember. Drawing has always been his way of telling a story.
“When I draw, I want to capture the essence of life, make sense of it, simplify it, and interpret it,” he says.
“It’s about explaining the unexplainable, and capturing truth, beauty, and light. Whenever my pencil meets paper, I always ask myself how can I capture all of that and more in a single picture.”
Painting a universal story
Although Christoph has always had a gift for drawing, he wanted to gain a deeper understanding of art.
That’s why he enrolled at the Reidar Finsrud Academy of Art in 2015, where he improved his style, technique, and impression.
Most importantly, he learned to paint with watercolors. Like his drawings, he hopes his paintings will challenge others to reflect on life.
Some of Christoph’s favorite paintings include those that address individual struggle, our resiliency during COVID-19, and love. Of course, he always makes sure to add a bit of humor to his paintings despite some of their serious messages.
“Although my style is simple, my paintings often consist of hidden layers that question life and how we live it,” he remarks. “Often, this requires me to think outside the box to come up with a concept that is both unique, yet a universally understandable story.”
For Christoph, it may take years for him to come up with a concept to create. But once he gets the concept down, a painting can take anywhere between 10 and 50 hours to complete.
For his next big painting project, Christoph is looking forward to telling a story about teachers because they are some of the unsung heroes during the pandemic.
And although he enjoys sharing his art through his website, his biggest dream is to display his art at large outdoor parks where everyone can enjoy them. And he would also love to exhibit his paintings at a Cisco office too.
Simplifying life at Cisco with art
Christoph has been working at Cisco for the past 11 years.
He integrates his passion for art in his everyday work. He finds that his search to tell a story in a single picture always guides his best presentations. And, of course, he has found that his way of simplifying concepts and thinking outside the box has proven useful when working with service providers day to day.
Art is an essential part of his life. It has always colored his way of seeing, experiencing, and sharing the world. That’s why Christoph is proud to work at Cisco, where he feels empowered to share his passions at work.
“At Cisco, I’m able to bring my whole self to work, which includes my inner artist. And for that, I’m always proud to integrate my passions for drawing and painting into the work I do to make it even better.”
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