We recently connected with Katie Walsh and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had started sooner?

I never knew exactly what I WANTED to do growing up. While I’ve always been creative, I definitely leaned into the idea of being an academic. It was easy since it seemed to be what my parents wanted for me too. However, that’s not exactly how it panned out, hah. It’s always easier said than done or experienced – but everything always works out for a reason. You’re meant to learn things how and when you need to.

When I graduated high school, I was on track to major in Mathematics and Chemistry at Colorado School of Mines. I was very “studious.” However, once I got to college, it immediately felt like the wrong place. While I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, I belonged somewhere else and in a creative realm. After transferring to CU Denver, I majored in film and finally felt a sense of belonging. Through my first couple years, I found myself fitting into the art department role. Opportunities to design sets, productions, costumes, props, and more began to arise and I found myself loving the process of creation. I wanted to learn more.

From my time at Mines, my prerequisite credits were fulfilled and I was left with credits to fill. Because I wanted to learn more about making my own props for film school, I declared a Studio Art minor. I explored wood shop, metal & glass casting, and eventually even life casting – wherein you use body safe silicone to make a copy of someone’s body. At shop one day, an instructor from Advanced Reynolds Materials and Molds came in and demonstrated all different kinds of materials. Not just the materials, but how to mold them, cast them, and finish them. It was so cool! And at the same time….chemistry?! To me, chemistry (and working in that field) was boring, mundane, and people stuck in lab coats all day. Chemists were saving the world and doing “important work.” It was memorizing charts and reactions – things that overwhelmed me. I couldn’t see a practical purpose beyond academic.

But here I was, learning about and measuring out silicone, polyurethane foam, resin, and more, putting the action into chemistry and math – but in an art studio! When I graduated, I finally knew that I wanted to explore working in a fabrication setting where I could interact with a multitude of materials and processes. Flash forward a few years later, and here I am with some amazing experiences under my belt all because art and chemistry meshed together! I’ve been given the opportunity to work on both sets and in fabrication studios, making amazing pieces for film and television, the haunt industry, and photography shoots. At the end of the day, even though I didn’t major in Math or Chemistry at Mines, I ended up working in a field that still applies the same knowledge and practices. It’s funny, isn’t it?

At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I never knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I had an inkling. And sometimes that’s all you need. To trust your intuition that you will eventually end up where you want and need to be. I’ve followed that feeling even when I’m not 100% on the outcome and so far, it hasn’t failed me yet. I can’t wait to see where life takes me now that I know what I actually want to do.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After graduating from Colorado University in Denver with a major in Film & Televion and a minor in Studio Art, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in props and fabrication. I put my foot to the pavement and ended up working at Dapper Cadaver – a prop shop specializing in horror props. Over the three years I was there, I was able to learn more about different materials, molds, casting processes, prosthetics, makeup, and more. I also took set jobs to expand my resume and experience different environments. After COVID, like many, life took a halt, and I ended up moving back home to Colorado. Just last July, I was able to make it back. I eventually found myself working on the mask team for Magee FX at Universal Halloween Horror Nights and now I am grateful to be working in a fabrication studio once again.

While I am all about fabrication, a fun fact about me is that I am also a professional sign spinner. I compete every year in Las Vegas and am currently 27th in the world. And technically the best female sign spinner. ;)

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After three years amazing years at Dapper Cadaver, I had put in my notice and was ready to explore new opportunities. However, that notice was for March 13th 2020 and little did I know that the world was going to halt – literally. I ended up having to move back home to Colorado and was devastated. Soon after returning, I developed a debilitating auto immune reaction and was practically immobilized. I had test after test ran, PT sessions, and even self-injectable steroids. Nothing was working and I felt farther away from myself and my dreams than ever before. I knew that even if I was in LA, I couldn’t function like this. In an effort to save myself, I knew what I had to do. After a couple years of self-care – therapy, sobriety, and creative exploration – I began to heal. Once I felt good again, I finally made my move back to LA in July of 2023. Amid the strike, I was hesitant that things would work out. However, I was blessed to have the opportunity to work on the mask team for Magee FX at Universal Halloween Horror Nights 2023. I couldn’t believe it! So while I had a major setback during COVID and the following years, I was able to step up to the challenge! Things in life never happen when we want them to, but we can always work through them if we are willing to do the work.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

For me, as I’ve grown older, this one becomes simpler. To process what I feel inside and make it tangible.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://katiewalsh.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: ..https://www.instagram.com/katie7aw/

Image Credits

Kelly Page Photography