TheStudio

The Studio

Strange in Nature Studio began in September 2019, and it all started with a desire to find my space in the design world. After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017, I went on an active search to find a position in my career field, but along the way found my own voice getting lost in the lingo & work I had to adapt in order to fit into those roles.

I realized this inauthentic way of being was not sustainable, as it not only didn’t speak to me or for me, but it didn’t connect well with people who were not in that specific type of corporate industry. It was then I took the leap and began to rediscover the things that made my work my work, this then led to the founding of this studio. I feel so grateful for the ability to express myself in this way and connect with brands in a more meaningful & truthful way.

THE FOUNDER

My name is Krista O'Halpin. I am a Seattle, Washington-based artist, and designer behind Strange in Nature Studio.

I aim to create original art that is true to myself while practicing ethically and sustainably to help build a world where we can all 'feel good about being strange'.

Growing up in the bible belt left little room for interpretation beyond the surface-level looks of what I created. It was scary, it was chaotic, it was dark and it was not acceptable. Furthermore, my childhood as an undiagnosed autistic woman made it easy for me to be the odd one out, and eventually, start to feel it. One night, my husband was singing a cute little song about me and described me as 'strange'. I immediately felt a connection and knew it truly was the perfect encapsulation of myself, it was my word.

Nature has many meanings. It can simply be described as 'the distinguishing characteristic of a person or thing", or even "just the way something is". There is of course the environmental aspect of the world and the complexities, horrors, magical, uniqueness, unpredictableness, and of course, the beauty that comes from the floral and fauna that make up 'nature' as we know it. After I moved to the Pacific Northwest, these aspects of our physical world helped me grow to appreciate those aspects of myself.

Therefore, my art is strange in nature

but most importantly, I am strange in nature