My name is Katka Hubacek and I am the artist behind Katkaland. I can't remember a time where creativity and imagination wasn't part of my life. I was always drawing, painting, crocheting, knitting, wood carving, model building...I was a hands on kid.

My family emigrated from the Czech Republic (though I was born in Switzerland) when I was 3. As a little girl I loved drawing princesses, creating my own coloring book and spending hours dressing my doll Blanka whose wardrobe was handmade by my Czech grandmother. My sister and I would spend summer days making mud patties and feeding imaginary animals. I remember falling asleep to beautiful Czech voices reading Fairy tales coming from the record player. Every few years my grandmother would could visit from the Old Country and read those stories to my sister and me.I loved when good won (as it always did). I still like clear good and evil stories today. They make me happy. They give me hope.

After a childhood of crafts and art I started out studying Costume and Set Design for Theater and Film. Upon graduating I figured my chances of being hired as an 18 year old were slim and I wanted something to fall back on so I did a Costume Studies program were I learned to make patterns and sew period costumes for Theater (Museums etc). I worked as a designer and occasional seamstress for over 10 years. The end of my design career was near when I designed a show (and then a few more) for a director that is now my husband. Working with him was AMAZING! It was a real collaboration like I had never experienced. He had inspiring ideas and I was thrilled to clarify them through the design process. Having worked with him I realized that only 1% of all jobs would be that fulfilling. I had to find more of that in my life. I had talent, ideas all I needed was confidence. It took some time but Katkaland was finally born. MY designs on MY terms made by MY own hands!