Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Hammond.
Hi Kayla, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Wow, where do I even begin? There’s so much I’m tapped into these days. Gaming/streaming and cosplay are the top of the list now, but my plants, the gym, music, and photography still have my heart. My cousins got me into the gaming world with titles like Sonic, ToeJam & Earl, Runescape and Kirby. Being able to escape to a new world by pressing a few buttons was just the coolest thing ever when i was little. It was always a passive interest because I didn’t have consoles of my own, but as I grew up, I explored RPGs and Action-Adventures and landed on Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed. I fell in love! I began searching for new games to dive into. Doing side missions, DLC, mini games, and even reading more of the lore online. The story telling in these games were just as interesting as opening up a book! I understood the characters. I felt their emotions… I BECAME them. My love for the games kind of added fuel to my fire of wanting to get into cosplay as well! I was never allowed to celebrate Halloween, so I always felt like I missed out. I only wanted to dress up with my friends, but I was raised in a Christian household. So no trick-or-treating– Only harvest fest. It was definitely fun, live music, games, candy, but I still was missing the dressing up. The first real Halloween party I went to as an adult, I was so stressed trying to figure out what to wear because Halloween is just one day. How can I choose one thing to make up for a lifetime?? And that’s how I ended up getting into cosplay. One weekend simply wasn’t enough time to get out all my ideas. So now I can be whatever, whenever!
I was able to make so many new friends and connections within the cosplay/anime/gaming communities through social media and my AniMonday question series. I’ve discovered I really enjoy creating videos and striking up conversations to get into people’s minds! At DreamHack, I did my first interview and it turned out I’m actually pretty good at it. I met so many interesting creators through me deciding to pick up my camera and make something. I’ve always been into film and photography a little bit. You know, making home videos with my cousins and siblings, getting together on holidays and looking back over old photos and getting to hear the stories of all these people I’m connected to. I always wanted to be able to do that myself. I’m far from a perfect photographer, but I’m so passionate about being able to make something to be able to share. I get to tell a story. Learning how to convey all these life experiences into a quick snapshot has been so great.
Having opportunities to tell people stories of my own is always going to be a top tier thing for me because I’m quite a talker. And in addition to talking, I SING! I think I’ve been immersed in music my whole life. I guess I took after my mom since she was also in a school choir. Mom, my great grandmother, and her children sang in the church. I remember going to studio sessions with my mom or long car rides and we’d freestyle the whole trip. I started writing when I was young (thanks to mom again) because she wouldn’t allow me to listen to secular music in the house. so what did I do? I wrote Christian remixes to ever song that was on the radio. Never really created my own things until my cousins showed me FL studio when I was in 5th grade. That was a game changer. I was making beats, creating my own music. I was making things! Even taught myself how to play the kalimba and ukulele. Fast forward, I put out one song that really solidified that I’m meant to share myself with the world. That song made a few spotify playlists and was even in one of the films for the Sundance film festival. My words, my stories, my life- ME.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, everything in every avenue has been a fairly calm journey. The only real obstacles I’ve struggled with is finding entirely safe spaces for women. I really hate that everywhere there’s always just one person you have to keep an eye out for. My biggest concern in all these communities is why those folks that make people uncomfortable are allowed to still be welcomed. I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, but when I feel unsafe, I’m going to make myself scarce. Who knows how many other people I could’ve met, what opportunities I could’ve had, or how far I would’ve progressed if people were just more mindful of the company they kept. Another issue I used to have a hard time with was anxiety. It used to rule my entire day. Can’t record in the studio if there’s too many people. Won’t do an open mic or karaoke because people can see me. Not streaming with camera because then I’d have to be on display and have to talk. New location? Can’t go because there’s too many unknowns. It was really a huge hurdle. After several months of getting adjusted and really leaning into my friends for support, I was able to rise above it. I literally walk up and ask people if I can pick them up! (crazy, yea i know) I still get scared, worried, and anxious about new things going on, but I just do it scared. You literally don’t know what you’re capable of until you try.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What do I do? Literally everything. I’m actually taking pictures of my dog and my plants right now!! I do photography, but I’m known for being in front of the camera. Though I love snapping a picture and editing it until it looks like what my brains sees, I can’t stay away from the lens. My self portraits are one of my favorite ways to express myself. Handling lighting, my hair and makeup, setting up the shot, editing it. It’s kind of like putting together a puzzle without the box showing me how. Same with music. I do music engineering, but everyone knows me for singing. When I’m in really feeling the music, I hear a whole symphony in my head. Harmonies stacked as high as I can sing. Just decorating the loops with every breath. The thing I’m most proud of within those domains is how far I’ve come. From making a littles demos and short hooks typed in my notes app to 90k streams on one song? Went from only on soundcloud to being on peoples playlists? A whole movie? My song is in a MOVIE! It doesn’t feel real when I say it out loud, but I’m still so thankful everything fell into place for that to happen. And with my camera? I used to be scared to even talk in public. I would’ve never believed you if you told teen-me that I’d have my camera out in public wearing all types of costumes talking to strangers, taking pictures and videos with them. I’m even crying on twitch because my games scared me! I’m living this life so freely! Nothing is holding me back anymore.
It’s truly a blessing to have made these waves in such a short time. I just feel like things are different with me because I have a whole lifetime of people to support me being myself– completely. who have loved and nurtured me through whatever craft I’m learning. Having a support system is really slept on. People want to be independent so badly but its totally okay to get help, lean on your people, and reach out when you need it.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
It’s so hard to choose just one. It’s got to be a tie between playing Super Mario Sunshine for the first time or when I caught those snakes in camp and snuck one back home at the end of the summer. I think that was the first game I ever played all the way through without handing the controller off to someone else because I got stuck. And as for my snake? I don’t think my mom knew. I hid it in my shirt the whole way home! Named it Chauncey and kept it in my phone box because she was so tiny! (RIP. I had no clue how to raise a garden snake)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/straddleyomind/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohhialyx
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bigbbykilo
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Straddleyomind
- soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/straddleyomind
- Other: https://www.twitch.tv/straddleyomind
Image Credits
Kayla Hammond, Cameron Williams, Trenton Steele
