Kim Carr shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Kim, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I have found that kayaking is my go-to for recentering myself. Life gets busy and it is easy to get overwhelmed, so much that needs to get done between the farm, work, writing, and just everyday life. My friend and I have set a goal to take a day at least once a month and spend it kayaking. When kayaking, there really is no time to think of anything else but the moment at hand. I love practicing my navigation skills, exploring new places, seeing wildlife, changing of the seasons, the peacefulness, and the challenges. Sometimes we find ourselves in tricky situations, obstacles, fast or wild water, weather, these all cause you to focus on nothing but staying safe and alive. While I am not an adrenaline junkie, I must say that I have had some situations when kayaking that really get my heart pumping. it is a wonderful activity that not only helps reset my mind, but it is also great exercise which I see as a win/win.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello, my name is Kim Carr, and I am fortunate to live on a small farm in Missouri. For years I have made my living off the farm as a photographer. My focus has been black and white photography of Heritage Breed Farm Animals, many of which are endangered. Many folks do not realize that we have certain breeds of livestock and poultry that are in danger of extinction. My goal is to raise awareness through my photography. I have been working on this project for several years now and hope to publish a coffee table sized book next year of images and stories collected from Missouri farmers that have these rare breeds.
A few years ago, my mom passed away. She always took care of the farm when I did art shows to sell my photography. To be on the farm more, I have shifted to writing children’s books about the animals on my farm. My stories are non-fiction, designed to be funny, educational, and to give a true look at life on the farm. As a photographer who takes a ton of photos everyday as I go about my farm chores, I have found a way to digitize my photos, so they look like illustrations. This has given me the chance to combine both my love of writing and my passion for photography into books that I hope everyone can enjoy.
I self-published my first book in 2023 called, “Dandelion my house chicken” which is exactly what it sounds like. An entertaining, true-life story all about my pet chicken. Now I am working on my second book, “Lucy my rescue dog”, which is all about a dog that I rescued, who then gave birth to eleven puppies thirteen days after I brought her home. Again, this will be funny, educational, and has a message for readers, that is near and dear to my heart. It will be packed with my photo illustrations and sure to be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I say all ages because I set it up so it can be enjoyed by the youngest of readers with a little text on every image, but it is packed with a heartwarming story, terms and definitions, and plenty of pages to keep a reader coming back for more. I’ve had some delays, but it will become a part of my “Around the Farm” series Spring 2026. I have many more stories to follow.
If I had to pick a favorite animal, it would be mules and donkeys. I’ve had both here on the farm and I love them dearly. Mules are what they call a hybrid because they are a cross between a horse and a donkey. Therefore, when naming my farm, it became known as Hybrid Hollow. It is because of my love of mules, that my publishing company is called Hybrid Hollow Production, or you can find me under Kim Carr Photography.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Undoubtedly my mom. Growing up I always enjoyed writing stories and taking pictures. I got my first camera, a little Kodak 110 when I was about ten years old. My brother and I spent a few summers on our grandparent’s farm when we were younger because my mom was a single parent. My grandparents had a huge influence on me, and I decided out of stubbornness, to prove to my grandpa…that I would become a farmer. At the ripe old age of ten I set my mind; I would do what I need to do to learn how to farm. I did not let growing up in St. Louis alter my course. When I finally headed off to college, I majored in Animal Science with a minor in Sheep Husbandry. My mom wanted me to major in Art. She felt more confident in my future as an artist than a farmer, but she didn’t discourage me, not even once.
So, naturally here I am now, having had my little farm for thirty-six years now, but never having made a living from it. My farm is just a place of peace where I can relax and enjoy my critters, but it is a hobby farm and not how I make a living. Over the years I have done just about everything from Personal Secretary, Over the Road Truck Driver, Gas Station Manager, and Shelter Manager, but it is not until 2010 when I finally turned to doing art for a living, that I truly found happiness. I never would have thought this was the direction I needed to head, but my mom knew it all along. I just needed time to get where she knew I needed to be.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think like most artists, imposter syndrome is a real thing. It has taken me a long time to realize; I really do belong here. I’ve struggled with it for years now. I have no formal training, my education is not in photography, writing, or art in any way, shape or form. When asked what I do for a living, it has been a challenge to say that I am a photographer or a writer. Maybe because I work for myself now instead of a big company or organization. No 401K, no vacation time or health care, so I feel I have probably put the blockade up myself, feeling like perhaps being a photographer or writer was not a “real job”. However, I have come to grips, my job, my career choice may not fit a traditional mold, but then again, I have no desire to fit the standard expectations. My audience, my friends, family, patrons, these folks have helped me to let go of that fear. The encouragement, support has helped me retrain my brain…I am good enough and by golly I can proudly say, I am an artist, I am a writer, I am me.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Hands down, my heritage breed photo project. I have traveled around Missouri visiting small farmers that have heritage breed farm animals. These are old fashioned breeds of livestock and poultry that are no longer popular due to modern agricultural ways. People don’t think of farm animals as being in danger of extinction. They know about the exotic animals like elephants, whales and tigers, but they never think about certain breeds of cows, chickens, or pigs. My goal from the beginning of starting my photo project of rare breeds of livestock and poultry, has been to raise awareness through my photography and eventually a book. Thing is, I don’t ever see me ending my search to photograph more heritage breeds and more farmers that are working hard to preserve them for future generations. Getting the word out and sharing these amazing animals and people, it is in my DNA. My hope is that once my first heritage breed book is published, that I will continue photographing rare breeds of farm animals, interviewing the farmers and raising awareness so everyone knows the importance of protecting these rare breeds, not just the exotics.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What will you regret not doing?
Traveling more. However, I am working hard to rectify this. My friend and I have the goal to kayak at least once a month. We have expanded on this to at least once, hopefully twice a year to kayak in another state beyond Missouri. On top of that, we would also like to kayak every National Park. Up until 2017 I can count on my two hands the number of vacations I have had. I realize now that life can be very short, and you never know when it might come to an end. I’m going to explore as much as I can, while I can.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimcarrphotography.com
- Instagram: @kimcarr_hybridhollow
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-carr-013b3329
- Facebook: @kimcarrhybridhollowproduction
Image Credits
Kim Carr
