Today we’d like to introduce you to Kay Thomas.
Hi Kay , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi guys, I’m Kay; I’ll start here, in my “Biggie voice”, “It Was All A Dream!”. I use to dream of colors and shapes and use my imagination to create worlds of design in my head and I had no clue what that was all about but I guess it was me tapping into my purpose at a young age. I broke my wrist in Elementary school and I had to learn how to write and draw with my left hand and won my first Art Award in 2002; who knew that I could be a better artist by switching hands. The school kept my portrait in the hallway of their school over 15 years and I have it hanging in my home now. When starting out my love for design I wanted to be a fashion designer, I would draw these figures with gowns and streetwear during class and after school. I’m actually quite surprised that I didn’t become a fashion designer as much as I loved to draw clothing back then.
I then went on to creating fabric-painted t-shirts for classmates, my boyfriend at the time and teachers. I must say a sista hands use to be hurting like I had early arthritis. From there, I fell in love with creating PowerPoints and flyers in Microsoft Word in my computer classes. Then I was asked to start making flyers for parties and oh, thanks to my biggest side hustle, MySpace. Do you guys remember the backgrounds we used to have? I started learning code and was able to create my own and other’s backgrounds for a couple of dollars (web designer in the making); it was definitely a good time for me creatively. When high school came, I was accepted into AP Art for the remainder of my school years and was able to be in art shows, which was super fun. I took a good break from drawing for years and designing and invested my time into photography and now I’m back at creating designs for amazing entrepreneurs, churches, organizations and more and I notice that this is my passion, my gift, my purpose.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh! Darling no, it has not been a smooth road at all. I struggled plenty of times. Being a creative is hard! It can be frustrating having numerous ideas that you can’t follow through with. You also have times where you feel like you’re making everyone else’s dreams come true but yours. You get lost in the colors and the words and become overstimulated at times. I’d struggled with timing, following through, creative block, speaking up for myself or my business, and dealing with clients that may just don’t understand my process. It takes patience and confidence when being a business owner and everything isn’t going to be sunshine and rainbows but I’ve enjoyed and now embrace the hard times because it only makes me stronger. It’s a learning experience and as time goes by, I’ll continue to grow to be the businesswoman that I’ve always wanted to be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a full-time graphic, web & brand designer that creates fun, bold, chic designs for creatives and small businesses. I create designs such as flyers, business cards, E-Books, KDP Books, YouTube Thumbnails, Text Based Logos, Album Covers and so much more. I also do photography portraits as a side hustle.
I am most proud of working towards branching out to be a coach, which I’ve wanted to be for a good while now, for others that want to start a creative business. Also, I am beyond proud of how far I’ve come from two years ago. I didn’t think I would be where I am today and I am so grateful for it but there’s always room to grow.
What sets me apart? To be honest, I don’t want to be apart. I just want to be noticed and valued. I want to create an experience for others when working with me. I just want that “well done” feeling when I’ve completed my assignments for my clients.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Apps for work:
Photography (Lightroom, VSCO, Focos)
Video: InShot
Design: Canva
Communication: (Slack, Norby)
Project Management: ClickUP
Time Management: Google Calendar
Podcast:
Ellen Yin-Cubicle To CEO
With The Perrys
Blog:
Louise Henry
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kaythecreative.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/discovering_kay
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/iamkaythecreative
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ5925usBe7OiQkLbcjb-Ag
