About Karen

Karen Strum is a henna tattoo artist and dealer of banned books. She earned a BA in philosophy and political science from Indiana University. The Dali Lama’s oldest brother taught Tibetan studies and sparked her interest in Eastern philosophy. While at Indiana University, she earned a brown belt from the Hapkido Federation of the United States of America.

Strum spent two decades in advertising and won two national ADDYs and an AIGA. During that time, she partnered with Jennifer Helms, a MBA graduate from Northwestern and former acting COO of Yosemite Institute, and brought a profitable, first-ever Telluride Mountainfilm Festival to the Indianapolis Art Center. Strum continued to promote fitness by serving as secretary for ten years on the board of directors for Sailability of Greater Tampa Bay, a non profit that teaches sailing to individuals with cognitive and physical challenges. Strum offers event marketing services for food brands, fine wines & spirits, authors and artists.