KMM Studio

KMM Studio I’m Krystal Mercer McLellan, a mixed media painter from Texas, aspiring novelist, and book enthusiast currently working in Bern, Switzerland.

Some divisive content from my writergram/ bookstagram.
24/01/2026

Some divisive content from my writergram/ bookstagram.

24/01/2026

It’s too soon to make vicious snap judgments. Without context, if you haven’t actually seen the film, you can’t justly criticize creative decisions. Watch the film first and then throw all the tomatoes you want. 💁‍♀️🍅

Here is a better idea: revisit the classic gothic revenge novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It’s worth the re-read.

🏷️For the SEO demon: Emerald Fennell Wuthering Heights film adaptation, surreal gothic cinema, feral fever dream romance, public domain literature, artistic creative license, gothic horror aesthetic, erotic obsession, dark romantic drama, literary film discourse, Emily Brontë adaptation, cult director vision, provocative period film, avant garde costume design, body horror symbolism, gothic fantasy movie, viral film debate, racism in cinema, whitewashing in film, race and casting debates, sexism in Hollywood, feminist film theory, intersectionality in media, colorblind casting discourse, representation in period dramas, colonialism in classic literature, racial politics in adaptations, cultural appropriation in film, diversity in gothic cinema, social justice in film criticism, surrealism, Hollywood s**t, hot take

Another Brontë-inspired shadowbox work in progress. This is one of Emily’s poems, and while some die hard Brontë fanatic...
17/01/2026

Another Brontë-inspired shadowbox work in progress. This is one of Emily’s poems, and while some die hard Brontë fanatics would flay me alive for associating any of her poems with the upcoming film inspired by Wuthering Heights (directed by Emerald Fennel), the surreal promotional still I’ve included in this carousel kind of vibes with the gothic tone of my artwork. The poem is powerful, and I don’t want to cheapen it with kitschy collage features. I might keep it minimal with sealing wax and natural earthy elements so that it remains a piece to be held up close and studied, evoking the Brontë’s tiny books.

I dunno. It’s art. I might just set it on fire and glue rhinestones all over it per my usual style…

These were my most fun gothic/thriller/horror reads of 2025, all published within the past 5 years. Have you read any? W...
04/01/2026

These were my most fun gothic/thriller/horror reads of 2025, all published within the past 5 years. Have you read any? What did you think?

If you’d like to see more of my bookish/ less artsy content you can find me on the ‘gram and Threads as

Went to the Brontë Parsonage hoping for misty gothic vibes, but it was packed with humans and school groups. Was ready t...
06/08/2025

Went to the Brontë Parsonage hoping for misty gothic vibes, but it was packed with humans and school groups. Was ready to call it a wash until I nearly cried in front of Charlotte’s glasses (??) and then saw a pale, frantic figure sweep past me in the exhibit room. I turned… 👀…nobody was there. I’m calling the apparition Jeremy, as I’m pretty sure it’s the ghost of a deranged postgrad who’s been working on the same thesis since 1997 and will fight you in the afterlife over Heathcliff discourse.

Meanwhile, my high energy children were… calm.

Haworth voodoo took hold, and they spent over an hour playing dress up in Victorian clothes, coloring color sheets of the parsonage with unnerving focus, and arranging toy soldiers in a dollhouse replica of the Brontës’ home. I don’t know what spell has been cast in that children’s play area, but it works.

Also learned I share some key traits with the siblings:

• Branwell’s proclivity for distraction
• Charlotte’s taste in steady, undramatic men (Reader, I married him)
• Emily’s aquiline profile
• Anne’s rock collection

100% I would go back. Loved every second of my time in Haworth.

These lil’ sketches are the funnest distractions. Quick shapes, little color tests, half thoughts, a face, a pattern… an...
28/07/2025

These lil’ sketches are the funnest distractions. Quick shapes, little color tests, half thoughts, a face, a pattern… and suddenly I’m an hour deep, totally lost in my tiny obsession. I know most won’t turn out to be anything, but I return to them. Amazing to see them finished. Here are some shots of them in progress.

C’mon. Roast my book covers. Made them myself. I’m not a graphic designer, so you can be brutal and it won’t destroy me ...
15/07/2025

C’mon. Roast my book covers.

Made them myself. I’m not a graphic designer, so you can be brutal and it won’t destroy me or anything. To make them, I used Canva and my iPhone editor on the 11-hour flight between Amsterdam and Houston flanked by two small children.

I’m over on Substack now as if you want to subscribe. It’s a metafictional account about the writing of : A Novel . I’ve made myself a part of the story of writing it in an alternate universe, so don’t trust *anything* you read there as truth.

What’s : A Novel about? As of right now:

After live streaming her murdered cousin’s body on the Streamy platform, fame-hungry social media influencer Lily Haviland becomes a pariah for exposing horrific truths about her hometown and her family’s legacy. Seduced into the orbit of a mysterious presence on the dark web, Lily begins to lose herself… at first, to the nefarious whims of this online entity; then to a real-world ghost that has haunted her bloodline for generations. Anchored to reality by what few fragile relationships remain, Lily must choose between chasing influence, accepting love, and confronting the darkness that binds her family to the past before she loses more than just her following.

🩸

I’m missing the days when best writing happened on paper in a notebook, in odd places like a McDonalds playground or the...
05/04/2025

I’m missing the days when best writing happened on paper in a notebook, in odd places like a McDonalds playground or the doctor’s office waiting room. At a highway rest stop. A public park before sunrise. Maybe the stall of a public toilet… nah, just joking I’ve never done that.

What was the weirdest place you’ve ever penned a fiction? And I don’t mean your iPhone notes app….

Address

Haworth

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when KMM Studio posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to KMM Studio:

Shortcuts

Share

Category