A graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture, Carolyn started in New York as an architectural designer and launched from there into NYU film school and set design for both theater and film.

Desiring both more wilderness in her life and a richer content in her work, she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to complete a Master’s in ‘The Great Books Program’ at St. John’s College, reenter the world of furniture and lighting design, and go on to be published in Metropolitan Home for the renovation of her own residence.

Upon returning to her roots in Northern California, she launched Shih & company – a luxury fashion accessories line sold in upmarket boutiques and department stores across the US and Canada.

Today, Carolyn considers herself an imaginal storyteller - harvesting the rich diversity of her past lives to fuel a blend of her first loves - image and storytelling.  Sketching, model making, somatic psychology, archetype, myth, and an obsessive attention to detail are all elements of her current visual work.