Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla King. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Kayla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
The risk I took was to continue college or take a leap of faith to chase my dreams. When I did go to college, I was very indecisive, well, more so uncertain. Going to college, I could’ve been whatever I put my mind to, whether a scientist, music teacher, special education teacher, business, art teacher, or even a mathematician. I’ve always been a bookworm & focus on my studies to achieve excellent grades. I felt like I was in college and didn’t know what to do and be financially stable with whatever degree I chose. Wasting money in college was something I didn’t look forward to based on my uncertainty. After I graduated and had at least two years left, I decided I wasn’t finishing college right now, especially after significant setbacks with my health. My health also made me reconsider the degree I was pursuing. After my health was back to normal & I concluded that I was okay with failing if my dreams didn’t go as planned. I started getting back into modeling & dance without being hesitant.
Kayla, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hey! My name is Kayla! I am also known as Kay Kay! I am a humble, multitalented & well-driven entrepreneur! I’ve participated in many different talents & opportunities. I am passionate about singing, whether it’s RNB, Gospel, Contemporary, Pop, or even Jazz music! I love the storyline behind creating music & what lead to the song. My first public performance was at my middle school talent show. I went on stage and felt like I belonged there with no nervousness. June 10th, if I’m not mistaken, there was a big festival with over 1,000 people there. The host asked for singers from the crowd & I immediately ran up on stage. I was going to sing, but as soon as I was going to start, I had to leave, but I was thrilled, and I was ten years old. In Elementary I played the bass clarinet. In Middle School, high school, & college, I ventured into the choir. I’ve always been involved with music, whether playing an instrument or singing! Dancing is one of my other talents. I always had a passion for it but wasn’t fully trained. In dancing, I usually overthink or compare my dance level to others with higher dance credentials. I used to feel so out of place because I was overlooked or thought I didn’t belong. The drive that made me become humble & keep pushing was that I put myself in a mindset of don’t worry about others & do what I can do by giving my all. In dance classes, I started to do videos & sharing my journey of me dancing. I began to get inspirational messages on how I influenced people to start dancing, uplifting their day, & so much more support. Art was a self-taught talent I’ve had since I could write. I’ve drawn & created for Big Freedia, Terrell Grice, Vincent from The Four, Iggy Azalea, Moana, Powerpuff Girls, Lilo & Stitch. and much more. My first painting I won first place in an Alabama Theater Art Contest with a Tweety Bird Painting. Lawson State Community College Christmas program was the first live painting I’ve ever done. I was nervous due to the time frame because I was live painting while someone sang, but I finished with no problem. I’ve got into modeling through my mentor. She told me to come to a model call. I was so nervous, young, & self-conscious about myself due to my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I would get picked because I wasn’t confident in myself until I grew older with more confidence. I continue to practice, love myself, & work on my poses. I started to partake in model calls & started to get booked for shows or events like Ferrill African Wear, iPush magazine, Natural Hair Expo, & Relation Wear Clothing, & more, to name a few. Baking was something I enjoyed doing & learning through trial & error. Creating homemade cinnamon rolls, gourmet apples, gourmet brownies, cupcakes, cakes, & much more helps me learn new things. My talents and experiences showed me that I could do whatever I could! I used my skills and turned them into my business called Kayz Collectionzz! I was self-conscious about starting a business, but the pandemic happened & that’s what gave me a push to motivate me to start a business. Kayz Collectionzz incorporates my artwork, essentials, & baking. I hope one day I can travel the world through my business & talents! I’m proud of myself for never giving up, staying motivated and humble, & kept pushing to become who I can be greatness!
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
In my perspective, society can do much better regarding support. I believe humanity is brainwashed based on society’s expectations, trends, & how society views them. Society support and look up to celebrities like Gods & Goddesses. These people can be strangers doing the same thing an average person could be doing in the same hometown as them. They support what’s popular & trending. For example, I could be doing affordable at-home paintings, but a celebrity does the same thing as me and gets more exposure. Guess who gets more support, and they barely even know them? The celebrity. The way society goes all out for stars. They must do the same as upcoming creatives, artists, or whoever. It takes no more than 10 seconds to share someone’s content. Those exact celebrities came from the same way as upcoming people just starting. They had to start somewhere to get where they are from support & exposure.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kayzcollectionzz.com
- Instagram: @kaykaytharealchic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kayla.king.90663
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/user/KaylaKingOfficail
- Other: TikTok: @kaylakingofficial
Image Credits
Media By David Taylor Tony Haute