We were lucky to catch up with Kirsten Castaneda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kirsten thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
There’s a lot of talented miniaturists out there who are absolutely incredible when it comes to design for laser cut or 3D printed projects. However, the amount of handmade miniatures I have come across in past years is very few and far in between. I have made it a point in my journey to learn how to make everything by hand and doing it myself, including carving, drawing, sculpting, faux painting, photography, marketing, etc. I know it helps with time and cost and there are so many artists out there that use technology for their creations and I find myself in awe of their work as well. I know it may take me longer to complete projects, but the lessons learned along the way allow for flexibility in my creativity as well as a sense of pride that what started in my imagination is able to be held tangible by things I created using my own hands.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a self taught miniaturist who specialises in witch and macabre themed dioramas, sets, and miniature accessories. My family immigrated from Mexico City; I am first generation born in the US. Growing up in San Antonio, TX, I created sets for my barbies and dolls. I imagined they were in a theatre production, mostly dramatic tragedies. I’d hand sew their costumes from fabric I cut from discarded t-shirts and would spend hours researching architecture of whatever time period I was pretending to be in at the time and recreate my own version. In 2006 I was accepted into Oklahoma University’s prestigious Theatre program as a Scenic Designer but dropped out after freshman year. I spent almost a decade in New Orleans, traveling the world in between bartending jobs. It wasn’t until October of 2018 that I started making dioramas and themed coffins for sale.
One thing I’m most proud of is the evolution of my craft. I started out purchasing store bought miniatures from hobby stores and simply designing altars or refurbished coffins. Through many hours of research, library books and YouTube, I learned how to make 95% of accessories myself, excluding glass bottles and ethically sourced animal bones from owl pellets. The materials I use for my crafts are balsa wood, polymer clay, paper, watercolour and acrylic paint, and foam board.
What sets me apart from other artists is I learned early on to set a clear intention of what I would be creating and on what terms. I knew I needed full creative control to truly put my heart into my art, as I truly believe that is an integral part of the process. I spend many hours when building and designing a piece, sometimes up to several months at a time; in a way, they become my friends, my confidants, a snapshot in time. I learned not to compromise my vision for what others believed I should be creating and have stayed confident in my belief that what I create, people will love since its authentic, handmade, and never replicated.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Back in 2020, I was accepted to showcase at the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in New Orleans before COVID hit. Once lockdown happened, they finally opened it back up this year and allowed people who had first been accepted choose their city. I chose Las Vegas for September 17, 2022. In order to finance my work, I took on an 8am-5pm work from home full time job. I was working my normal hours and then spent my free time working until 4am for several months preparing for this expo. My display had been built up over the years from my personal decor of my travels and the work I was showcasing featured some pieces that were from my personal collection and not for sale. I invested all of my money into the road trip (as I could not fly with all the fragile art pieces) and was expecting to sell out due to the overwhelming response and support from people all over social media who had followed my journey. I checked into the hotel and parked on the 8th floor of the parking lot, to which you needed the key to get in and out. I walked out to my car at 7:30 am to a broken back passenger window and all of my packaging, decor and NFS personal pieces stolen along with left behind broken inventory. The only things salvageable were 6 Lanterns from my Lantern Series and Madame Macabre’s Potion Shop. I could have broken down and quit right there, and believe me, I really wanted to. But I pulled myself together with the help of my best friend (who was with me at the time) put together what I had left and still showed up to the expo. I was not able to sell anything and the theft set me back about $6,000 plus 3 years of built up sketches, accessories and inventory but just showing up, getting through the day and putting my name out there made me realise that no matter what is thrown my way, I’m determined to keep going and keep putting my work and name out there.
Have you ever had to pivot?
As a matter of fact, I quit my job today after 3 years of being in Customer Support and 12+ years of service industry. I’m making the leap and betting on myself and my craft and now dedicating my focus and energy into Brujerias Shop full-time. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous but I’m also incredibly excited to see where this chapter leads me and teaches me about myself.
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