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At 7 feet, 4 inches on stilts, Natasha Erickson strikes a pose beside one of the nearly 16-foot-tall Musician sculptures that make up Perry Harvey Sr. Park\u2019s Gateway Sculptures by James Simon.<\/p>\n
Her first role during the seasonal event was as a bungee performer, where she would leap out to scare unsuspecting guests. Across from her was a stilt walker, a specialty that instantly caught her attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was just the way I saw how elegant it looked and how different it was,\u201d Eriksen says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t something that was your everyday job or everyday thing you see on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though her position was temporary, many of her fellow performers were daytime entertainers who encouraged her to apply for future events. After booking a summer gig, Eriksen decided she wanted to learn to walk on stilts before her official training began. She found another performer who was happy to help, and the journey was, well, clumsy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell as soon as I started walking for the first time,\u201d she says. \u201cYou\u2019re up and then you\u2019re on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n
But her instructor helped her get back up \u2014 and kept encouraging her to try again. That became part of what Eriksen loved about stilt walking: the people around her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe passion, the elegance, just how much fun they were having made it motivating when they made it look easy \u2014 and it\u2019s not easy. It definitely had its challenges. Bungee, stilts, everything has its own life and what have you, but there is nothing that\u2019s impossible with that. I think there are challenges you have to go through; that\u2019s part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within that process, Eriksen gained a whole new level of confidence and a renewed passion for the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell in love as soon as I started rehearsing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Even the rehearsals felt like play. Line dancing, floor exercises and other seemingly silly activities helped her get comfortable in a world that initially felt completely foreign.<\/p>\n
When she first started, Eriksen had to adopt a wide, almost cowboy-like stance to keep the stilts from hitting one another. She learned to look ahead rather than down at her feet, since watching each step could throw off her equilibrium. Falling was inevitable, so she also learned how to fall safely, protecting her head and minimizing the impact on her joints.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_5709.jpg\")
Pretty in pink, Natasha Erickson reaches new heights beside Phoebe the flamingo at Tampa International Airport as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and TPA celebrate National Flamingo Day. (Photography Courtesy of Howard Lin @Howardblanklin)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like teaching a baby how to walk,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Eventually, her stride became more natural. Once she got the hang of it, she says there was something almost otherworldly about being above the crowd. At 7 feet 4 inches, she suddenly had a presence she had never experienced before.<\/p>\n
Today, stilt walking has become something of a freelance career for Eriksen. She auditions for opportunities with theme parks and entertainment companies, and each event brings something new.<\/p>\n
She doesn\u2019t have a favorite costume or event. Instead, she loves the novelty of each one.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy inner child is like, \u2018This is amazing,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m just playing dress-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her favorite memories have come during the holiday season, when families gather for Christmas events and children get the chance to see something magical.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see the sparkle in a little kid\u2019s eye when they see some magical being in front of them, oh my gosh, it is so healing,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is so amazing to be part of the magic and inspiring future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Eriksen, that magic extends beyond costumes and performances. She has met children who tell her they aren\u2019t confident or don\u2019t believe in themselves, and she uses those moments to encourage them to believe in themselves and not let anything stand in their way.<\/p>\n
And perhaps that\u2019s what stilt walking has given Eriksen, too: confidence, community and permission to be a little silly.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are so focused on being the best in the room or having the best promotion or having the best title of something, and everything is so serious,\u201d she says. \u201cSo to find a community of people that are like, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re going to be goofy and we\u2019re going to be doing it together,\u2019 it helps your confidence so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Patrick-Harsch-08232026_2240-scaled.jpg\")
Patrick Harsch carves a sand sculpture inside the Tampa Convention Center for Visit St. Pete\/Clearwater.
\nPlaying in the Sand<\/p>\n
Originally from Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula, Patrick Harsch moved to Florida in sixth grade. While visiting Treasure Island, he saw sand sculpting for the first time and was intrigued, though he didn\u2019t yet understand it as an art form \u2014 much less a career.<\/p>\n
After college, Harsch moved to the Tampa Bay area, where a neighbor who worked in sand sculpting part time introduced him to the idea of turning the craft into a business. Harsch already had experience working with other mediums, including ceramics, foam and fiberglass, but sand presented a different kind of challenge: He had to create his own medium.<\/p>\n
The process starts with finding the right sand. It can\u2019t be too coarse or too fine, Harsch says. The right combination of grains, along with the proper amount of water and careful compaction in layers, creates a surface strong enough to carve. From there, a block of sand can become nearly anything.<\/p>\n
His first major audition, so to speak, was for a job with Disney<\/a>. He eventually spent time working in the entertainment industry, carving foam and fiberglass for projects that could take up to a year to complete. But he missed the travel and camaraderie that came with sand sculpting and eventually returned to the craft full time.<\/p>\n Now, nearly three decades into his career, Harsch has traveled the world with his work, from China and Malaysia to Europe, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. He estimates he creates five or six sculptures a month, with the size of each piece determining how long it takes to complete. A 22-ton load of sand, for example, can produce a 360-degree sculpture that take two sculptors about two days to carve.<\/p>\n Though the process may seem simple from the outside, there is plenty of skill involved. Harsch typically begins with an idea for what he wants to create, but he has learned to adjust his designs based on the sand itself. Before committing to the details, he builds the blocks and gets a feel for the material.<\/p>\n Harsch has also learned that no two locations are necessarily the same. While almost any sand can be sculpted to some degree, the quality of the sand can affect the height and level of detail possible. He particularly enjoys working with the sand on Clearwater Beach.<\/p>\n One of his favorite projects is actually an event he has been involved with for more than a decade: the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival<\/a> in Clearwater Beach, where he serves as sculpting director. The annual event brings sculptors from around the world to create large-scale works based on a new theme each year, along with a pro-amateur competition and educational workshops.<\/p>\n Even after nearly 30 years, he says there is always something new to learn. And because sand sculptures are temporary by nature, the work comes with its own built-in job security \u2014 eventually, every sculpture disappears.<\/p>\n Rain, however, can make that short shelf life even shorter. Outdoor sculptures are particularly vulnerable to the elements, and protecting them can become a project of its own.<\/p>\n \u201cAny time you are outside carving and there is a threat of rain, there really is no way to make this stuff indestructible,\u201d Harsch says.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2023, Harsch founded Tampa Bay Sandsculpting Co.<\/a>, allowing him to focus more of his work close to home after decades of traveling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe hear the comment that we are a bunch of kids playing in the sand. To a point, that\u2019s true,\u201d he says. \u201cI found a way to never grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Iona Paris wasn\u2019t always the Seashell Queen<\/a>. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Atlanta, the Air Force<\/a> veteran chose to move to Tampa \u2014 almost at random \u2014 based on a passing mention of the area and a desire to be near the water.<\/p>\n \u201cSomehow, Tampa ended up being exactly the place where everything in my life opened up \u2014 my creativity, my healing, my mermaid life and my seashell journey,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n Growing up, Paris viewed art as her sister\u2019s interest, while she thought she\u2019d find a career as a scientist or inventor.<\/p>\n \u201cI was always making something, experimenting, mixing things, building little ideas, but I didn\u2019t recognize any of that as \u2018art\u2019 I just thought I was being curious,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n After her first deployment in the military, Paris needed to find an outlet to heal, so she returned to her childhood creativity and found art as an escape. While scrolling through Pinterest, she came across a jeweled seashell crown.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was magical, unlike anything I\u2019d ever encountered,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted one immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n The $500 price tag, however, led her to experiment with making her own. Now a Florida resident, she had access to plenty of beaches, and she turned her so-called laboratory into a seashell room, where she began designing more and more crowns.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always inspired by the culture around me \u2014 I love pretty things, sparkle, rhinestones and all things luxurious and feminine. Making seashells look opulent and girly just felt natural, like jewelry and ocean magic were meant to meet,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Each crown starts with an idea or theme, with each project taking on its own personality and drawing inspiration from the world and pop culture. Once the concept is forged, it\u2019s time to hunt for the perfect shells to turn the vision into reality.<\/p>\n Over time, her experiment became so much more. Her seashell art has been featured in documentaries, shown on Netflix<\/a>, displayed in galleries and museums, and even worn at New York Fashion Week<\/a> and Miami Swim Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery opportunity still feels a bit surreal. It\u2019s amazing to see how far something I started out of curiosity has carried me, and I still feel that same spark every time I sit down to create,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n While making crowns launched her persona as the Seashell Queen, the endeavor led to something far beyond what she had imagined. Through a partnership with a peer support leader with the Wounded Warrior Project<\/a>, Paris was asked in September 2023 to host a mermaid swim class for veterans. She viewed the opportunity as the perfect way to share something that had helped her mentally.<\/p>\n \u201cI created Military Mermaids<\/a> for other veterans who need anxiety relief, camaraderie and a gentle, fun way to reconnect with themselves. Only military veterans participate as mermaids during official events, but we welcome spouses, dependents and those connected to veterans during family-day swims,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Today, Military Mermaids is supported by Paint 22<\/a>, a veteran arts organization that sponsors the program and donates mermaid tails so the organization can continue growing and supporting future mermaids. Through the program, veterans can participate in mermaid swim classes, seashell art sessions, jewelry-making workshops and seashell crown-making experiences, creating opportunities for connection and creative expression through art.<\/p>\n Through the annual event, Paris is able to connect with other veterans and hear their stories, whether it\u2019s learning about a veteran who got a job as a mermaid after taking one of her classes or another who turned their mermaid persona into a catering business. Most meaningful of all is hearing from disabled veterans who say their injuries felt better after the class.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to see how something so whimsical can spark healing, empowerment and joy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n For Paris, whose collection of mermaid outfits and tails numbers more than 20, becoming a mermaid is empowering. She is constantly evolving her vision, changing her looks and adding new details, and she attributes that freedom to stepping into a character who represents strength, beauty and transformation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also freeing. It lets me play, let go, and reconnect with joy. It\u2019s a reminder that healing doesn\u2019t always have to be heavy.\u201d<\/p>\n For those looking to support Military Mermaids and its efforts, donations through Paint 22 go toward providing mermaid tails, art supplies and safe spaces for veterans to heal and create.<\/p>\n \u201cEven simple encouragement, like telling a veteran about our program or cheering on our events, makes a difference. Support doesn\u2019t have to be big to be powerful,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n Since her very first crown, Paris has reiterated that everything she creates comes from a place of healing.<\/p>\n \u201cMy art is how I turn pain into beauty, and it\u2019s how I remind myself and others that transformation is possible,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She also wants people to understand that mermaiding can be incredibly therapeutic and help with anxiety, depression, confidence, body awareness, gentle physical fitness and even emotional release.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives adults permission to play again \u2014 and that alone can be healing. If someone sees my work or hears about Military Mermaids and feels inspired to start their own healing journey, then I\u2019ve done exactly what I\u2019m meant to do.\u201d<\/p>\n From galas to volunteer work, there\u2019s something for everyone. Check out our Charity Register \u2013 Sponsored by Maney | Gordon Trial Lawyers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n ![\"Harsch\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image0-scaled.jpg\")
Harsch\u2019s sand sculpture of horses, created for Tampa Bay Downs. (Photography Courtesy of Patrick Harsch)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9965_2026-07-14_12_55_57.538762-scaled.jpg\")
Iona Paris, the Seashell Queen
\nMermaid Magic<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9958_2026-07-14_12_56_52.926421-scaled.webp\")
\u201cOne of our biggest and most meaningful traditions is the annual Military Mermaid Swim Class with the Wounded Warrior Project. It\u2019s such a special event that brings everyone together in a joyful, healing way. We also partner with schools and local art events throughout the year, sharing creativity and community wherever we can.\u201d<\/p>\n