In the 1980s, she, her then-husband Pat MacDonald, and a drum machine formed the recording act Timbuk 3 whose 1986 signature song was "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades".
[5] After divorcing MacDonald in 1995, Kooyman remained in Austin, raising the couple's son, taking the name Barbara K, and pursuing a solo career.
She and co-founders Wolfgang Pracht and Ben Bright conceived and created Artists For Media Diversity, or A4MD.
[citation needed] Kooyman's work, both musical and organizational, is rooted in social activism and responsibility.
[citation needed] After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Barbara K and Wolfgang Pracht wrote a reflection on the ominous environmental implications of such a disaster: "Swimming In Blackwater."