Meet Kathryn Kim-Zahedi: Custom Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kathryn Kim-Zahedi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
While working a corporate position in product line management, the things that made me want to start my own business were gaining more independence, making my own schedule, having more creative control, and more control of overall branding aspects. When shutdown due to Covid started, it allowed me to focus on building something from scratch since it put the fast pace of the outside world on pause. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel like I had a million errands to run every day and so many external factors distracting me from putting a plan to work.

I can’t really pinpoint the exact moment I decided I wanted to start doing custom paintings but I just read every article and blog and watched youtube tutorials about the process, thinking that it would just be a fun personal project to keep me busy. What started out as personal painting projects turned to friends and family requesting work done and that made me realize I had a skill that could not only generate income but bring value to people’s lives. I love working with clients to create something that evokes genuine emotions and helps to forge a deeper relationship with their personal belongings.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The name “House of KKZ” encapsulates exactly what I want my brand to be– I strive to provide a boutique level of service to work with clients in customizing their beloved personal possessions. I work out of my home studio so every piece that a client sends in for customization feels like a friend is entrusting me with something special to them.

My work is the marriage of my purse addiction and my love of bringing surreal images to life. I usually lose focus when drawing or painting on a plain canvas just for art’s sake but I love the fact that a painting on a well-loved and well-used object has a designated use and isn’t purely ornamental.

While I’m currently based in Los Angeles, I was raised in the East Coast and I am influenced by the dominating aesthetics of both coasts—the bright, easygoing and sometimes saccharine aura of Los Angeles and the moody, assured and sometimes cold nature of New York City.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My awesome and loving husband, Vincent, and all my family and friends who encourage me to keep painting!

Website: houseofkkz.bigcartel.com

Instagram: @houseofkkz