Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayy Finn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kayy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In a pre COVID-19 world I was a tenured New York City special education teacher, followed by tenured School Counselor, who had just completed her Educational Leadership degree from Fordham University working towards writing School Counseling curriculums. I was on a strategic pathway towards becoming an educational administrator and had big dreams of working at the Superintendent level implementing social, emotional learning supports in school districts. I was ten years into my career when the global pandemic hit. While working for a caseload of around five hundred students and families from Elmhurst, Queens (NYC’s epicenter of COVID-19) for a middle school of approximately two thousand, and working remotely living alone with my dog, I was drowning in the needs of others. Dark and difficult times led me to digging through my old photographs of beautiful moments past, and monthly print collections started to be formed. Prints titles with meaningful words of inspiration and framed by Framebridge kicked off on strawberryzskies.com on October 22, 2020. In January of 2021 I began to receive termination notices from the New York City Department of Education that at the commencement of the school year I was going to be terminated for insufficient certification requirements. The state simultaneously began sending paperwork that I had completed zero work days- after ten years of various roles from the Bronx to Queens and Long Island. I was having certification issues that needed immediate assistance- and because of the remote circumstances the city and the state could not (or would not) communicate on my behalf about my successfully completed career commitments to the state. After months of attempting to resolve the wrongful termination threats, and continuing to put my best foot forward in helping others to the best of my abilities, I decided it was time to take a risk. I put in my resignation at the end of the school year and took the entrepreneur leap of faith in following strawberryzskies full time. What started as monthly print collections had developed into wearable art silk scarves, and my one of a kind creations were catching attention from New York City to LA and Miami. Kicking of 2024, strawberryzskies LLC has developed into a multifaceted brand with a strong mission of helping people to remember that “Day in and day out, infinite amounts, the sun makes way for the moon time and time again. The sun will always set and the moon will bring about a new tomorrow.”
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Since launching as limited edition monthly print collections in 2020, strawberryzskies has slowly developed into a carefully curated product line of wearable art silk scarves, silk dresses, wooden puzzles, wooden postcards, knit blankets, sweatshirts and as of 2024-velvet and satin bomber jackets. Artist, photographer, and designer Kayy also works with small caseloads of children and families for Independent Educational Counseling and Consulting services, helping bridge the gap between home and school-specifically with children’s behavioral, social or emotional needs. A portion of proceeds from strawberryzskies product sales is donated monthly to various organizations supporting mental health awareness and supports. In 2023, strawberryzskies helped to raise $30,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. strawberryszskies cultivates a community of connection and I hope that individuals continue to come together during difficult times through shared beautiful moments and remember that they are never alone in their individual struggles. I have faced the devastating grief of souls departing this earth too soon because they succombed to their demons and darkest days. Sometimes help one of the most powerful words one can use when waiting for lifes rollercoaster ride of ups and downs to go back up.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Having taken a jump from a structured career track to the full creative lifestyle, I have gotten plenty of questions over the years of how I could leave behind the consistent salary and pension promises. In the beginning, I thought it was my obligation to convince people that what I was doing the right thing for me. I would spend so much of my time and energy explaining that while my career in the field of education offered financial security, it was draining me of my joy and burn out had totally dampened any intrinsic motivation I once had in working with children. Often after I would completely overshare my emotional struggles in attempts to bring family and friends on board to my new artistic entrepreneur endeavors, I was still met with responses of “maybe you’ll land back in a school next year”. Probably about two years into being a business owner I realized it was absolutely none of my business what other’s thought of my career choices. People don’t have to like me, love me, like my ideas, or even believe in them. But when I wake up and put my feet on the ground, walk to the mirror and look in it, I want to like what I see. I want to love me. And if I could give advice to anyone starting out in the creative business world, I’d say to learn early on to keep your head down and not get too distracted by the opinions of others. The biggest dishes of doubt are usually served in a pretty box with tags of love and bows of well intention. Hold yourself accountable for constantly striving to do better today then you did yesterday, measuring only upon yourself and not against anyone else. Continue to always learn and grow- and if and when you fail give yourself the grace to brush it off and get back up again tomorrow. Determination, grit and resilience will carry you through. You got this.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I’ve worked with a lot of children and families through extremely difficult times. I’ve also had a hand full of my own traumatic experiences in terms of losing students and also losing my own (young, too soon) family members. I’ve counseled myself and many others through cycles of death, dying, and grief. It sounds depressing to mention such dark things, but I would not be where I am today if life had not dragged me through the mud in the worst of ways. I wouldn’t have been pushed to start strawberryzskies to serve as a beacon of hope to others. My greatest hope is that we lean on each other during the darkest times; I hope that we continue to let the sun and the moon and the stars remind us that we are a part of something so much bigger then we can ever fully understand or explain; I hope that you always know how important you are and how greatly you are loved. A portion or proceeds is given back monthly to mental health awareness and supports to help fight the stigma of getting help and leaning on others. We make an impact-together.
Contact Info:
- Website: strawberryzskies.com
- Instagram: @strawberryzskies
Image Credits
Branding photography by Dana Epstein from Two Dream Photography Instagram @brandedbydanatheresa