Born in the Northwoods of Minnesota, California Thorson is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin (spring 2023) completing her MFA in costume technology. She began teaching herself to sew at the age of ten and by high school was volunteering to make costumes for both local and school productions. She later received her BA from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, where she studied English literature, history and philosophy. During this time she also backpacked parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. After graduating with her BA, she got a position at Kings Dominion amusement park where she worked as a costume technician for a variety of venues, creating pieces for outdoor theatre, haunted houses, walk-around characters, and traditionally staged shows. Her recent work (in-between her MFA coursework) includes working wardrobe for commercials and undertaking various commissions.