We were lucky to catch up with Chrissy Kay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Chrissy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

How did you learn to do what you do? My graphic design education started in high school where my amazing art teacher taught me advanced art skills (drawing, painting, photography) and the basics of good design.

I then proceeded to follow my passion by attending a 3-year program at a well-known art school. Through this program, I learned about graphic design, illustration, and the practical skills I’d need to pursue a career in the industry.

Upon graduation from art school, I found employment quickly in the design department of a local non-profit. It was a dream job, and I stayed there for almost seven years. Through the job, I continued to learn and hone my design skills.

The next evolution of my creative skills came when I decided to become a blogger. About a year before I launched my blog, I taught myself web design and how to be a better writer. It was a steep learning curve, but I eventually became competent enough to launch my blog in 2019.

I’m still happily writing and publishing new blog posts and continue to improve my writing and web design skills.

Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process?
To be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing! I feel the pace of my learning was appropriate.

What skills do you think were most essential?
Learning the basic principles of good design, illustration, and writing was essential. It’s possible to become good at all those skills without knowing the basics. But for most people, that’s not the case. If you don’t learn the ‘whys’ behind why something looks beautiful or reads nicely, you may never reach a strong level of competency or mastery.

What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
For me, it’s always been the lack of time! Family, friends, and self-care are all top priorities for me. After that, there are all the must-dos in life (cooking, cleaning, household management, etc.) Only when all those important things are taken care of am I able to be in the right headspace to learn more.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I live in beautiful Vancouver, BC with my husband, our two teenagers, and our Shiba Inu, Mika. I’m a stay-at-home mom who ‘retired’ twice. The first time was when I became a stay-at-home mom upon the birth of our first child. The second time was in November 2021, when my husband and I reached FIRE (financial independence, retire early) at the ages of 45 and 43.

My graphic design career started when one of my art school teachers hired me to work for her. I left that job in 2005 to become a stay-at-home mom, then started blogging in 2019. I was inspired by other FIRE and personal finance bloggers and wanted to share my story with others.

The knowledge I gained from the FIRE community changed my life by allowing my husband and me to retire early. Therefore, my blog is my way to “pay it forward” by helping others to discover FIRE and realize the many benefits it can bring. I also genuinely believe that FIRE can not only improve people’s lives but help save our planet as well.

FIRE helps to achieve these lofty ideals by minimizing waste financial and material. and knowing when you have enough. By following these principles, FIRE seekers can reach financial independence early in life and decrease our impact on the Earth. It’s a virtuous cycle that literally changes lives.

I don’t directly sell anything on my blog, but I do review and recommend services and products I use or have vetted. I believe these services and products will be of value to my readers, so I share them to help them save money, earn money, or make their lives easier or better. When readers use my referral links, I’ll sometimes earn a small commission.

What sets me apart from other FIRE bloggers is me and my identity—I’m a Canadian BIPOC woman who’s the daughter of immigrants. This allows me to write from a unique point of view that’s under-represented. But at the same time, my family is very typically middle class. This makes our story, experiences, and successes relatable and attainable.

When it comes to blogging, I’m most proud of my longevity as a blogger. Four years may not seem like a long time, but the vast majority of bloggers don’t make it past the first year! I’ve wanted to give up on blogging many times, but have pushed through every challenging period and am happy that I have.

The main thing I want readers to know is that, for most middle-class people, FIRE is very much achievable. It does require learning, planning, and mindfulness, but does NOT require deprivation, sacrifice, or misery. (Some FIRE naysayers will tell you otherwise, but don’t believe them.)

I hope that you’ll take some time to explore my blog and learn about the many big and small ways you can start your journey toward FIRE. Simply embracing FIRE principles will improve your life—long before you reach FIRE.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is my ability to use my skills to help others. For me, it’s much more satisfying when my creativity has a bigger purpose (rather than me just being creative for creativity’s sake).

I feel that the graphic design and writing skills I’ve learned allow me to deliver my message more effectively and powerfully. It feels good to be able to funnel my skills in a purposeful, meaningful way!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Many of my art school classmates are no longer graphic designers or illustrators. For most of us, it was a hard lesson, learning how to accommodate the requests, needs,  and demands of others. It was especially difficult when the demands went against our creative visions.

This was stifling, lead to extreme frustration, and ultimately for some, disillusionment. For these very understandable reasons, many of my classmates opted to change career paths—often to non-artistic professions. This allowed them to maintain their artistic integrity and reserve their creativity for personal projects.

I initially experienced the same frustrations, but I found ways to “fit into the system” while still finding joy in my work. I did this by seeing external demands not as roadblocks, but as opportunities to challenge myself and learn. As a result, I grew as a graphic designer and a creative person.

When it comes to my resilience in blogging, my blog is just a hobby, so my focus is more on enjoyment and less on meeting the demands of others. So, what helps me the most to remain resilient as a blogger is knowing and following my values.

For me, time with family and friends is a core value, so my blog has to fit around that. That means whenever there’s a conflict, my blog goes on the backburner. I used to find this frustrating, but have learned to make peace with NOT being a perfect, always-on blogger.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eatsleepbreathefi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatsleepbreathefi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eatsleepbreathefi/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/esb_fi

Image Credits
All images were taken or created by me or a family member, so no credit required.