Becky Kilimnik - Digital Media Creator

Becky Kilimnik

Becky Kilimnik is a Digital Media Creator and the Producer, Editor and Co-Host behind Homespun Haints, a storytelling and interview-style podcast.

Becky grew up with the ghost stories and folklore of her Appalachian home in northeast Tennessee; she now resides north of Atlanta, Georgie, but somehow always finds herself living in a haunted home.

Homespun Haints is a podcast that celebrates the oral tradition of storytelling as an art form - with ghosts. Every episode features a different guest who has had a personal paranormal experience that they want to share with the world. Allowing guests to tell their stories directly into the microphone creates episodes full of visceral emotion and connection.

Composed as half storytelling, half interview, each episode gives these haunted individuals a platform to share their experiences in their own voice and style. Now in its third season, the podcast has amassed a large collection of stories that reflect a wide range of experiences, interpretations, cultures, and traditions. The result is a series of unique and entertaining stories from around the world that are funny, thought-provoking, and horrifying.

Becky has a BA in Anthropology from Northwestern and received an MFA in Visual Communications from SAIC and an MBA from Georgia Tech. When not listening to ghostly tales, Becky can be found doodling pictures of ghoul and wrangling a pair of overweight cats.

I’m excited for you to connect with Becky, check out her work and her podcast, and follow along as she continues to validate people's personal experiences and give space for the power that is oral stories.

I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.

My name is Becky Kilimnik, and I am a digital media creator. My current project is an exercise in preserving the age-old artform of oral storytelling: I host a ghost story podcast called Homespun Haints with my friend Diana Doty. We interview real people from around the world who have had personal experiences with what they believe to be ghosts or other supernatural entities. Because these experiences are so personal and enigmatic, we are able to explore some of the fundamental beliefs that make us human and connect us to one another, all while being terrifyingly entertained.

How did you get started?

The idea for the podcast had been gnawing at me for decades. I had always wanted to explore ghost stories in a way that connects them to culture and the human experience, but until podcasts were a thing, I didn’t know of a way to do that authentically. I’ve also been a visual designer since 2000, so it took a real mindset shift for me to start thinking about how I could construct a project that would be consumed through the ears instead of through the eyes. Once I began thinking about what it was that I loved about ghost stories—specifically the interaction between the storyteller and their audience, the modulations of voice, the linear nature of the story itself—I was able to envision creating in an audio interview format. I pulled in my friend Diana to go on this journey with me, and we officially launched our first episode on July 1, 2019.

What Inspired the work you’re doing?

I grew up deep in the southern Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee, in a small, rural valley between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountains. In these hills, storytelling is an elevated art form. Our summers are filled with storytelling festivals and fiddling competitions (in which I participated); our autumns contain similar festivals, but with ghost stories thrown in. Once I left this region of the U.S., I was surprised that other areas of the country didn’t place the same emphasis on the art of storytelling, nor did ghost stories occur at every social gathering. I kept thinking I wanted to find a way to bring these two art forms together and share them others, but I got caught up in my life first as a corporate graphic designer, then as a freelancer, and then later as a professor. Finally, after leaving my last academic job, I began working for myself again and realized the design work I was doing was no longer very fulfilling. I turned back to my roots to discover what could fill the creative void, and I realized I could actually find a way to create something based on these Appalachian traditions and share it with the world.

What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?

My biggest passion is connecting with other people in a way that transcends words and the banality we usually feel with everyday experiences. I love exploring deep connections that are hard to describe and building a community of people that also want to explore what it means to be human and to share stories of human experience; especially when it’s stories that make you shiver when you hear them. Until I started this podcast, I sought out these experiences with friends and family, but it was an occasional thing. Now, however, the podcast has allowed me and Diana to connect with individuals all over the world who share this same passion. Every career step I’ve had up until this moment has been fun, but now I really feel like I’m living my purpose.

What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?

I feel joy when I do something that fuels my passions or engages my senses. Anything from what I do with the podcast to watching cardinals play in my backyard brings me joy. I look for the wonder contained within everyday activities and make time to enjoy that wonder.

How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?

For the past several years I have tried to focus on what is happening at present, and not obsess over the future or the past. In the work I do, this means enjoying the process of creation as well as the end result, without dwelling on the shoulda/coulda/wouldas. Again, this has been a mindset shift for me, and it has helped me lead a much more enjoyable, less stressful life. I meditate regularly; doing so helps me stay focused and grounded, both in my creation process and in everyday experiences. I also try very hard not to multitask and to set aside designated times of the day to focus on work vs. Mom duties. This pandemic has definitely thrown a wrench into my carefully-balanced schedule, and I’ll admit I still have a lot to learn and to work on, but I am doing so much better at making time for myself, my family, and my creations than I was five years ago. Like everything else, it’s a learning process I am reminding myself to enjoy.

What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?

My younger self would be absolutely thrilled, and a little relieved, to see me now. As a child, I wanted so badly to be an artist when I grew up, but was told repeatedly that I couldn’t. I actually did fulfill that goal right after college, in a sense, by becoming a designer, and I did go on to get an MFA, but it wasn’t until I started this podcast that I felt like a real artist. Both my child self and my early-twenties self would be happy to see me creating something I am passionate about instead of doing the things everyone told me to do. I think my early-twenties self would also be relieved my art degree was worth it! Oh, and my teenage self would be stunned because I went to undergrad with the intention of becoming an archaeologist.

Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?

Shoulds are stupid. Real art asks more questions than it answers.

What is your biggest dream?

I am already living a dream bigger than anything I could have imagined ten years ago. So it’s hard for me to say what my next biggest dream would be. However, right now I am focused on growing this podcast to the point that it will replace my current income and in finding ways to help my children live in such a way that they, too, can dream big and achieve those dreams, without being bogged down by what society tells them they should be doing.

To learn more and connect with Becky visit her website https://homespunhaints.com on Instagram @homespunhaints Pinterest @homespunhaints Facebook here and Twitter @homespunhaints and on YouTube where you can see fun animations and information at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt7xAQRtcwNNkmvKk2tgUeQ

Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here