We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla Kelley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.

Kayla , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve always admired creatives and those with the entrepreneurial spirit for as long as I can remember. Since childhood I had always envisioned myself doing something unique, untraditional, and most importantly soul fulfilling. It was instilled in me from an early age to find something I was passionate about, and to believe that I could turn it into a career. The golden rule: do something you love and it will never feel like work. Looking back there was never a time I was intentionally pursing a career in social media, it just happened. I was in a pursuit of a creatively authentic path, changing schools, degrees, jobs, and taking on any opportunity I could to “find my niche”. In 2020 I was working a reception position at a car dealership when an aesthetic medicine injector under my moms company, GLO Facial Rejuvenation, inquired about somebody running her social media page for her business. Being a twenty year old girl at the time who grew up in the social media generation, I knew I had the artistic capability, marketing skills, and knowledge of aesthetic medicine field (thanks to my mom) to take on my first client. From there, I continued to offer my services to other nurses under my moms company, began to receive word of mouth referrals, and grew from there. In sum, I always knew I was destined to be a creative. I didn’t know how it would physically manifest in my life, but I’m extremely grateful it led me to become a Brand Strategist where I get to bring others creative visions to life daily. I look forward to creating more creative opportunity throughout my life.

Kayla , 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 created a thriving business and pursued the path of entrepreneurship at 21 years old by accident (and by fate). After trailing off of my mom’s network in the aesthetic field, changing schools and degrees, I attempted two different esthetic apprenticeships in hopes to become a service provider within the Aesthetic Medicine industry in which I developed a burning passion for. While those opportunities eventually dissolved, I resumed taking basic college credits in hopes to be led to a more authentic and fulfilling path.

Unsatisfied, I also worked a full time job as a receptionist when I was first approached about taking on a social media management role. Being a young, cultured girl growing up apart of a tech savvy generation, I was instantly interested.

This specific account was an Aesthetic Medicine Injector who at the time worked for my mom’s company, GLO Facial Rejuvenation, and soon after I began I gained a variety of additional injectors within the company as clients as well. Over time I continued to build my business by expanding my clientele and growing my skillset within the Aesthetic Medicine field by working with external, local practices within the St. Louis area.

At the time I saw all of this only as additional income, or a side hustle if you will. It wasn’t until I was first asked to break away from the aesthetics concept and dabble into property management / short term rentals for a local startup company, now known as Gould Holdings, when I first recognized my own potential as an entrepreneur.

Nearly a two years ago in September of 2020, I courageously broke away from my 9-5 as a receptionist, and decided to stop pursuing higher education as I was going to be busy becoming a full time entrepreneur expanding into an array of industries — I haven’t looked back since!

Creativity has and will continue to pave my way to success in life as I have found there are no limits, you can always turn a different corner, or try a new approach if something isn’t working. For my clients, this principle simply means that there is essentially no risk of failure — only a limitless supply of opportunities to keep shapeshifting and growing together. On an introspective level, my career in creativity allows for me to constantly evolve as an individual as I continue to conquer entrepreneurialism and create new opportunities for both myself and my clients.

I now reside in St. Augustine, Florida, where I am working to expand my clientele and plant new roots. My process operates on a personal level, which I think makes the experience and the result as authentic and successful as possible.

I have grasped and and continue to conquer state of the art brand developing techniques that allow for my clients, both new and established business owners to successfully obtain a specific brand identity while consistently generating and increasing business revenue.

I achieve the desired end result by naturally inhibiting a variety of key strengths similar to creatives such as wordsmiths, artists, editors, etc. My goal is to maintain an intuitive sense of how to catch the eye by incorporating keywords throughout each post and consistently generating eye appealing content that breaks barriers in consumer engagement and overall business opportunity.

I am considered an independent freelancer and my official title as an entrepreneur / creative is ‘Creative Director of Public and Media Operations’ with a known specialty in Aesthetic Medicine accounts. However, I operate more as a “brand manager” which means I often adapt to different roles and take on new titles within each account as needed.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect for me is helping other entrepreneurs and small business owners grow their businesses. Social media has such a huge influence on almost everything these days, and in business it can certainly be what sets you apart. It is so empowering to be able to use my own intuitive artistic ability to bring others branding, or marketing, visions to fruition. I can’t actually put into words how rewarding it feels to play a key role in the success of another business, passion, and essentially livelihood. I will always value working with small business owners, it really is like supporting their dream! I’m so grateful, and so blessed.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal with pursuing a career in social media is honestly to inspire others to chase whatever is fulfilling to them. You can change the plot, pivot, and go begin a different path whenever you want as you are the conductor of your own life. I hope my opportunities as a creative can inspire all individuals to do more of what they love, and know that it is ok to take risks and be different.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kaylaa_kelley
• Other: Email: [email protected] Phone: 314.452.6398

Image Credits
Harper and Brothers Images ( @harperandbrothersimages )