We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Grace & Carrie Key a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Grace & Carrie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

We are a mother (Carrie) daughter (Grace) duo. We started candidly kind 3/21/2018 to spread light love and acceptance after Grace was excluded and bullied in high school. Grace has Down syndrome. As heartbreaking as that experience was, we have taken it, turned it into a positive and used it as our way to change perspectives about people with disabilities. Grace was also turned down for a job at that time. We want to show the world people with Down syndrome are smart, capable and worthy of the same opportunities in life as anyone else. It’s been a journey that has already surpassed anything we imagined at the beginning. Candidly kind has given Grace her voice and purpose along with giving her a meaningful income. Giving back is a big part of our mission. We give part of every sale to help people with disabilities.

Grace & Carrie , 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?

candidly kind is a retail t-shirt brand featuring Grace’s original inspiring artwork and phrases.Grace always had a talent for art and instinctively says the best phrases ever. She incorporates those messages into her art for the unique designs.

The idea to share her inspiring designs on shirts came to us out of the adversity she went through in high school. Our mission from day one has been to spread light love and acceptance and give back along the way. We have donated over $80,000 and hundreds of items in kind along with partnering with non profits to raise hundreds of thousands more. We advocate fiercely for people with Down syndrome. In addition to running candidly kind, we share our voice and motivational story across the United States speaking to schools, businesses and organizations.

How did you build your audience on social media?

candidly kind has primarily grown as a result of our social media presence which has grown consistently since we began. Our advice to those starting out on social media is simple. Be authentic. People in our world are starving for true authentic people and stories. Share that story. That is what we have always done. I will add that most of our social media is sharing Grace’s personality and life. So, in some ways, ours is not the traditional business social media model. We do not constantly post products. We share Grace and occasionally share about her business. It has worked for us and helps us fulfill our mission to spread light love and acceptance.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Our candidly kind mission will never change. The passion we have to spread light love and acceptance is 100% what drives us. The passion to change perspectives about people with Down syndrome is first and foremost in our minds at all times. It is not about making a gazillion sales. It’s about fulfilling that purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: candidlykind.com
• Instagram: @candidlykind
• Facebook: @candidlykind
• Twitter: @candidlykind
• Other: TikTok – @candidlykind Email – [email protected] [email protected]

Image Credits
We own all rights to photos