We recently connected with Khyneesha Edwards and have shared our conversation below.

Khyneesha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on recently has been the rebrand for Troost Market Collective. Troost Market Collective is a Kansas City-based organization that creates equitable economic opportunities for creative entrepreneurs, inspiring future generations through innovative partnerships and programming. One of their most notable initiatives was KC Art on the Block, which resulted in 6 ‘Black Lives Matters’ street murals being painted across Kansas City.

I was approached by the organization’s founder, Crissy Dastrup, and asked to take on their rebranding project and my decision was a no-brainer. My history with Troost runs deep and I couldn’t pass this opportunity up. As a child, I attended Operation Breakthrough (formerly St. Vincent’s) and the surrounding neighborhood feels like a second home to me. Working on this project was such a full circle moment for me because not only does Troost house my old stomping grounds, but I currently call the Beacon Hill neighborhood home and I get to see and actively be a part of this area’s growth.

With the Troost Market Collective project, I designed a whole new branding system, which included a logo, color palette, fonts, brand icons, patterns, social media templates, and a brand style guide. Qualities that breathe life into the impact that Troost has on Kansas City are woven into each element of the brand.

Khyneesha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been a creative, and expressing myself creatively has always come natural for me. As a kid, I would ask for art kits for Christmas each year and spend my days crafting. In second grade, I was honored at my district’s Young Author’s conference for my short story, The Baby Duck. I had several jewelry kits and started selling bracelets in the fifth grade. In my room you could find sketchbooks that housed my fashion designs and by middle school, I just knew that I’d be among the likes of Kimora Lee Simmons and Betsey Johnson. In high school I took every single art class that I could and got to explore areas like pottery, painting, jewelry and graphic design.

During my sophomore year of high school, my counselor Mrs. White told me about Stephens College, a private women’s college in Columbia, Missouri. While visiting, I spoke to a current student and learned that they had a program that combined all my creative passions from over the years and introduced a few new areas too. I was sold, so I enrolled and was accepted. During my time at Stephens, I got to study graphic design, journalism, styling, marketing, PR, photography, and more. I graduated in 2016 with a BFA in Fashion Communication, emphasis in Graphic Design.

Fast-forward to 2022 and I’m a graphic designer for a Washington D.C.-based marketing agency, I offer freelance graphic design services on the side, and I own a resume design business that I started in college.

I think what sets me apart in this industry is existing as a Black woman. I don’t see many others that look like me, and that definitely comes with its challenges. It can get lonely and discouraging when existing and trying to thrive in a predominantly white industry. As an involved member of Kansas City’s AIGA chapter, one of my goals is to seek out, form relationships with, highlight and uplift other Black designers in our community. I want to change the narrative of what design looks like in Kansas City.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn was that embracing hustle culture was essential to my success. I’ve always been that ambitious, dedicated, high-achieving girl for as long as I can remember. Throughout grade school, I stayed on the honor roll and perfect attendance was non-negotiable. In college, I worked my ass off to learn as much as I could and be among the best in my class. I juggled class, work, on-campus organizations, a social life, and the list goes on. When I graduated, I bought into being a ‘Girl Boss’ and I filled my time with freelance projects to grow my brand. This started out with good intentions and rewards, but over time as our society embraced this concept, it became unhealthy and toxic. All of a sudden, it became a badge of honor to be busy and if you weren’t working, what were you doing? Grinding and working your ass off is cool, but if you’re losing hours of sleep, not prioritizing your health, missing out on time with friends and family and ultimately not being your best self, is it worth it? Over time, I learned that the answer is, “No.”

Successful time-management isn’t a one and done thing, but these days I’m putting myself first, not taking on more than I can handle and saying to hell with hustle culture.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that I get to live out 7-year old Neesha’s dreams every single day. I never knew exactly what it would look like, but I’m living a life that resembles my childhood dreams. I get to create and make a difference with my creations every single day. I couldn’t ask for more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.khyneeshaedwards.com
• Instagram: @justsayneesh
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/khyneeshaedwards