As a Northern Lake Girl from the most chilling city in Minnesota, Duluth offered the perfect backdrop for this only child who was adventurous and always had a big imagination. A longtime fan of the dark side, Kim loved all things spooky. Even during her childhood, fear was always an adrenaline rush as she loved to scare and loved being scared. She always loved making things weirder, more unique… to stand out and/or not look like every other kid whose parents bought them the same clothes. So, she took up sewing at a young age. Her first career brought her to become a Cosmetologist, but it was less than exciting after fours years. Always having a love for the Natural World in her own backyard…(Witch : ) she went back to college in Superior, Wisconsin (which was just miles away from Duluth) enrolling in Marine Biology & Natural Sciences. Needing a side job, she signed up for a Work Study program and with her background in sewing, hair & makeup, she took a job in the Theatre Department working in the Scene Shop building sets and helping with costumes. And realized her creative spark was always to flourish in entertainment industry.
But the program wasn’t intensive enough, so she transferred to Northern California to receive an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Theatre & Film from California State University-Humboldt. Her focus was Special Make-up Effects, transforming actors and creating creatures. But was invited to side-step and become a Graduate Assistant as a Costume Designer. After graduating, it was either L.A. or Vegas baby! So, she decided to move to the desert and work on Costumes and Make-up for some of the biggest venues with Cirque Du Soleil and Blue Man Group!
Seven years later and three overuse injuries sewing full-time as a corporate athlete, shifted her career into healing and wellness, but a move for her husband’s film career to Savannah, GA., reignited her original passion in Special Make-up FX as she was unexpectedly called on for several projects from photographers, student filmmakers and a reality show prank. It was even more exciting to be immersed into the most haunted city in the US and getting exposed to the spooky tourism industry. She worked part-time as a Paranormal Investigator & Tour Guide, amping up her “Dark Side” credentials even more and getting to be a background actor on Ghost Adventures at the haunted property she worked on. But that’s another conversation 😉 Visit Duluth Ghost Tours
It was truly gratifying being part of the film crew to win an award for Best Commercial for Project Yellowlight’s “Don’t Text & Drive” campaign, Underworld-you may have seen it run latenight about seven years back! But sadly, Savannah was short-lived and they moved back to California. Continuing her work as a freelance MUFX artist, she teamed up with a photographer doing some wonderful specialty photoshoots for kids and couples and a B-flick. But, as most of you know living in L.A. is tumultuous, and her Master’s degree made it difficult finding secure work. Needing three jobs to survive, esp if you’re wanting to get into the industry, the marriage was falling apart. So the inevitable happened; a separation & divorce in tow. So in 2017, she packed up her scars and blood, and came to the small community of Lake Havasu City, AZ to be with family to recover and get a better backup plan so she could eventually pursue her darker passions once again!
She is now a Licensed Massage Therapist and Reiki Master, for people and animals, while continuing to design costumes for pets at Hounds of Hell Boutique and accessories for meditation, yoga & massage therapists at her Etsy shop-which is currently migrating to her Shoppe here! In April 2022, she relocated back to Duluth to be with her entire family after a 23-year hiatus and continues her healing work and Reiki Certifications at her space in Cloquet, MN. Her “Dark Side” continues to flourish as she conducts Duluth Ghost Tours and researches the paranormal, while widening her Spiritual practice diving into the Occult in Tarot, Runes and Witchcraft.