Creativity, Controversy, and Cancer: A Candid Talk with Kim Mixon Hill

Kim, can you give us a little biographical information? Where are you from, where were you born?

I was born and raised in Florida. I have two degrees in criminology, and work as a marketing director part time. I also do freelance writing, photography, and similar type things. I am married, and my kids have feathers, fins, and fur.

What was the first thing you remember reading?

I grew up reading things like Pippi Longstocking, Little House in the Big Woods, and The Wizard of Oz. But I started reading horror pretty young. I was an incessant reader and during the summer I’d sometimes read two books a day. Every vacation we went on I was allowed to pick out a couple of books, and wasn’t allowed to read them till we left—which was very difficult.

Who inspired you to be an artist/writer?

 I’ve always written things, but I never thought I could do any kind of art. I’ve found there are multiple mediums I can at least get a few likes for, whether it’s perfect or not. I love abstract painting, photography, writing, and things like that.

Is it hard to get noticed these days?

I think that depends. It’s probably easier now with social media. Yet, there are so many competing for the same recognition it seems just as difficult as it was before a person could go viral for a short clip of a video.

What is your creative process with art and writing?

With both, I flesh out an idea I’ve been thinking of. I keep a list for the short stories, and some of the ideas are years old.

Have you had any problems with censorship of any kind? Editors changing things to suit cultural sensibilities?

No, but I now keep my more extreme stories to myself. I wrote a couple that are considered extreme, one was for a Richard Laymon tribute that was never written. I later sent it to another venue that used it. But now? I’d never write anything like I did just for that reason alone—cancel culture.

Is it easier for you to create if given an assignment or does it get in the way of your creativity?

I might get more on-track if I’m given an assignment, but I’d rather think of my own ideas.

Do you think your environment has an effect on the type of art you create? Or your writing?

Most definitely. I would love to see an anthology about the weather. Living in Florida, we have our share of tropical weather, including a category 5 storm in 2018. I published a second book on abandoned places, this time it was those lost to the storm. Write what you know, and all that.

Where do you think the culture will be like in ten years?

I hate to say I think it’ll get worse. I fear we’ll be living in The Handmaid’s Tale’s Giliead pretty soon. It certainly seems that way. I love watching old sitcoms—anything from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, and there is so much they say and do that no one could get away with now—yet, it’s funny.

What was the oddest thing you’ve ever been asked to do in your visual arts career? A specific commission for a client?

I’m not really sure. We’ve shot a lot of pinup model type photography and have done some “different” kinds of shoots, but nothing comes to mind that is that weird, at least in my mind. Maybe it’s just me.

What projects are you working on now?

I’ve had to take a break from many new projects because I was diagnosed with cancer last year. I’ve had four surgeries in the past six months or so, and start immunotherapy soon. I’ll still work in artistic ways, but I’m not pressing my publisher about the two contracts they sent me for new abandoned books.