In a story that is Positively Central Coast, a Santa Maria artist is making her gameshow debut Thursday night on KSBY. Kara Walker is competing on the NBC show “Making It”. KSBY’s Neil Hebert got the chance to chat with Walker on her experience on the show and what we can expect to see Thursday night.
“This is my chaos. I know where everything is,” Kara Walker said of her small shop in the backyard of her Santa Maria home where all the magic happens.
Making art is what pushed her to audition for the show “Making It”.
“I never got a call back from that, and I was so devastated because I thought, ‘Oh, this is what I’m made for! My art is going to speak for itself.’ I was really upset,” said Walker about interviewing for season 2 and not making the cut.
But the gritty artist auditioned for season 3 and was cast on the reality craft making show hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.
“During one of the interviews, he asked me this deep, family question, and I just lost it. I cried, ugly cried, and they loved it,” said Walker. “They said it made me a real person, not just another artist who just said, ‘I like art.’”
That’s far from the main reason Walker was chosen to be in season 3; she’s an uber-talented artist, now in the midst of switching career paths.
“Once I started doing more Halloween props, I feel like I became a better artist because it pushed me to learn new things that wasn’t called for in a home décor decorating job,” said Walker. “I have grown in the last three years 10 times more than what I learned in the last 20. It’s really been good for me.”
Walker says the time spent filming was the longest duration spent away from her family, but the support felt back home allowed her to completely immerse herself into the show.
“This was my life. I knew my kids were taken care of. My husband’s a better mom than I am,” said Walker with a smirk. “That was not a worry. I just focused on what I was there to do; just in the zone.”
Her son, Jett, got the creative gene and loves to pitch in when he can.
“I build with clay, annoy my mom, give her ideas,” said Jett with a smile.
Walker is excited to see her art get national exposure.
“I just thought that if I could get the chance to get in front of important people, maybe it will happen for me,” said Walker. “I got in front of them. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I make something out of it.”
To follow Walker’s journey, watch “Making It” Thursday at 8pm on KSBY.
