Karin is a multi-dimensional creative whose path flows between design, art, technology, and introspection. From working at iconic institutions like IDEO, Google Creative Lab, and Netflix to founding her own studio, Sovereign Objects, Karin’s journey is marked by her pursuit of creative freedom and emotional truth.

In this conversation, Karin and Danaé explore what happens when intuition meets technology, when art becomes a way to reconnect with one’s inner child, and when power is reclaimed by redefining it entirely. Through the lens of AI, dream logic, and visual storytelling, Karin shares her process of slowly unlearning professional conditioning and moving toward a freer, more personal form of creative expression.

Whether she’s training an AI model on images of her six-year-old self, crafting nighttime rituals that mimic the feeling of a cave, or seeking ways to portray women roaring instead of shrinking, Karin’s work blurs the line between self-excavation and world-building.

Key Takeaways

• Letting go becomes a form of clarity. Karin’s practice of visual meditation with AI—working without a prompt, goal, or audience—opens the door to unexpected inner discoveries.

• Creating space for the unconscious is central to her process. By surrendering and rejecting images that don’t resonate, she allows instinct and emotional truth to shape the outcome.

• Naming yourself is a creative act. After decades of working in top-tier institutions under the label of designer or strategist, Karin is now giving herself permission to say she’s an artist.

• Technology can hold memory. In a deeply personal project, Karin trained an AI on childhood photos to imagine herself as the inventor of a dream recorder. It became both an artwork and a re-parenting ritual.

• Language shapes power. While using AI to depict powerful women, she noticed that prompts like ”shout” or ”scream” returned fearful images. Replacing them with ”roar” shifted the visual narrative.

• Rituals create emotional freedom. Karin’s nighttime creative process—incense, firelight, silence—removes pressure and welcomes mystery. It’s a space where the work can emerge on its own terms.

• Power can be redefined through presence, not control. Through retreats, collaboration, and image-making, Karin explores power not as domination but as resonance, influence, and grounded leadership.

• Leadership begins with inner alignment. Rather than emulate traditional forms of authority, Karin seeks to lead by staying close to her creative flame and inspiring others through clarity and depth.