DJ Hyde Matheny studied psychology and studio art at University of Wisconsin. Though she had wanted to be a fine art painter, her parents discouraged her from pursuing this path, for practical reasons. She studied Graphic Design at Pratt Institute in New York, and worked at House Beautiful Magazine after two semesters of school. Subsequently, with a desire for more education in design, she earned a BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. After working at design firms in LA and San Francisco, DJ moved back to the Midwest, where she found work at various design firms in Chicago before becoming a designer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. Immersed in the creative community of artists at Hallmark, she experienced a rekindling of her first love—painting. From 2003-2013, she renewed her artistic pursuits by studying with Philomene Bennett and participating in several local art shows and Open Studio events. During the Great Recession, when she lost her career as a designer, she earned an MSW degree at KU, to become a hospice social worker. After working in hospice for over 5 years, she decided retire to devote more of her energies to painting.