Her Story
About Karen
My artistic journey truly began between ages 5 and 7, watching my mother at the sewing machine. I climbed into her lap, put my hands on top of hers, and after we sewed two pieces of fabric together and opened it up, I told my mother it was art. She didn't see it as art because she was a seamstress in the garment industry - this is how she fed us - but I saw it as art. In 7th grade at Lincoln Middle School, Ms. Gwendolyn Cook showed me different mediums of art, and I still have my drawings from Highlight Magazine that I mailed in. I went to Hallmark Cards every Wednesday to draw in the Oak Room. After graduating, I worked at Hallmark for 24 years before being laid off in 2013, which was devastating - I had just graduated college, just bought a house, and lost my job. But that's when storytelling and performance came in. I became a tour docent, dressing in 1950s character as women from that era, studying African American women in history. I would design artwork and textiles as my backdrop, then portray the character. I went to the Australian Jazz Museum in 2015 to perform about jazz, and that's when I knew I had it - I had to leave home to discover who I am and the gift I had. From 2014 to 2020, people kept telling me I missed my calling, that my work didn't fit. But I had to take the word 'fit' and make it positive: Fabulous, Intelligence, Transformative, Artists. An eight-pointed black star would never fit inside a white box - those are my 8 points: my five senses, me, myself, and I. In late 2024, I got the phone call that I was named Missouri Arts Council Individual Artist of the Year for 2025, and I received resolutions from both Jefferson City and Kansas City. That's when I knew I didn't miss my calling - God was patiently preparing me. I currently work three jobs: full-time activities coordinator at 55 Connect inspiring seniors, part-time tour greeter at the airport assisting high school bands, and running my business as a visual teaching and performing artist. I'm a manager, producer, host, and now officially a curator - in March I'm curating my first all-women's show with 13 artists and 33 pieces.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say when I decided to take that leap of faith without looking. Because if I had looked, I wouldn't have leaped. I was let go from Hallmark in 2013, just graduated, and I could not get a job until 2017. Nobody would hire me, even with my degree in business and science. It was hard to get unemployment, hard to get food stamps, and I'm like, I've put money into the system for 24 years. So I went on a sabbatical from 2013 to 2017 with no job. By the grace of God, I don't know how I paid my mortgage. Then from September 2020 to December 2021, another sabbatical. I hustled - I had a production every week, a show every week. I just went out and called people, schools, saying this is what I have. And then another sabbatical from 2023 to May 2025. I'm just now getting back in the workforce. But through all of that, I kept going, kept creating, and that leap of faith is what got me here.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came as a spiritual message when my mom was transitioning. I was in my studio, ready to give up, and I felt like something hit me in the gut of my stomach. After I got done crying, I opened my eyes and saw a message on a coffee bag on my floor that said 'For future preparation only.' Out of that message, I took everything that I'm creating today - it's for the future, not for today. I was also inspired by Nina Simone and Etta James. I would listen to Nina Simone talk about art and artist responsibility, and I had to break down what ART means: An Artist's Responsibility to create the time. That's what I carry with me, along with being able to water, read, and feed other artists too, because I mentor other artists as well. I had to educate myself that I am not a starting artist - I'm a hungry artist, because I'm hungry for the next project.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I would give to a young, inspiring, engaging, and excited female artist is you never let anyone tell you what you cannot do. And here's the other one - always remember the word impossible. Because if you think about it, everybody always tells you that's impossible. But if you really break down the word impossible, and that's the word that inspired me, because everybody always kept telling me that's impossible, you can't do that. And I had to break it down and say, you know something? You're right. I am possible, and I can do that, and I will do that. Because impossible is a negative word, but if you break it down and separate the M from the P, I am possible. So I would flip it every single time someone told me that. I said, you know something? You're right. I am possible, and I will succeed at that.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Me not doubting myself. Not doubting myself. My daughter's like, Mom, so you're doubting yourself? You don't have confidence in yourself? She said, Mom, you've done it. You've done it, you can do it. I've always curated my own shows and productions and hosted them, so I've always managed, hosted, and produced it. Anytime I do an art exhibit, I always put a production with it, I always put a workshop with it. I make it a tier, so people come see the show, they can see me perform, they'll see the show, or they'll see me perform, or there's a workshop.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values are most important - number one is God first. Because within my skill, I can lose an eye, I can lose a finger, I can get sick, I can get hurt, and it's gone. So I always honor and value God first, but I value myself and my space. I respect my space, and I always pray before I go into my space. That is my number one value - honoring those who had laid down the path for me to build a foundation on. And that goes back to my great-great-grandmother, who was born in 1862. She was born into slavery. There's things that she could have not done. And even having a conversation with Dr. Maya Angelou, I value the words that she placed on me. I value her quotes. And one of her quotes that I always take with me is, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. Because what I'm doing, this is somebody else's dream, this was their hope. I'm not supposed to be here. But because somebody else finished that fight is the reason why I'm standing. The value is always, one, respect the gift that I've been given, because it can be taken away from me. Value those that are around me. Value those that appreciate what I do.
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