Kristen grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a family who encouraged the performing arts. She earned a BFA in Stage Design from the University of Cincinnati’s: College - Conservatory of Music. Kristen has worked as an art department assistant on the feature film Goat, worked as a prop fabricator for the Broadway musical “Waitress” and a props assistant at The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. She has also worked as freelance scenic painter for the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the Cincinnati Opera. Kristen moved to Los Angeles where she received her M.F.A. in Production Design from the American Film Institute Conservatory. In 2018, she was also chosen into the Art Director's Guild Production Initiative Program.