We recently connected with Keila Dumas and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Keila thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I wrote this poem called “If My Hair Could Talk” while in college at FAMU. I was living this Clark Kent life of being a traveling hair model with L’Oreal/Matrix and coming back and being a regular student. During that time I also co-founded and stayed a member of the campus’ premiere poetry & spoken word group “VOICES” and ended up performing that poem in so many places. At one point, people just called me “the hair poem girl” — like, what? Writing about my personal and spiritual experience with my hair really created so many opportunities for me. It’s really surreal sometimes.
So fast forward to 2020. I stopped performing, I’m working this wack 9-5 and I’m bartending at night and I’m creatively withdrawn. I’m also about to turn 30 at the top of 2021. I start thinking about the typical things people do for their 30th and I don’t want to do that. I run through so many ideas but my main thing is that I want everybody to come. Everybody. I have always mixed my friend groups and it’s been successful every time.
I come up with what I think at the time is super easy to put together. An art show based off of my poem. Easy right? Wrong. I had no idea what I was doing nor what I was getting myself into, lol.
However, my first show was a success! I had major liquor sponsors, hair brand sponsors, and artists from all over come and support me and celebrate my 30th. (I think people also came because there was an open bar, but I’ll take it!)
This past January, I decided to give it another run and doubled not only the sponsors, but the attendance too. Now, here I am planning my third show for January 2023, and I’m really feeling like I’m on the right path. Showcasing hair and art in a gallery style setting with people I know and new people that I will come to know.
“If My Hair Could Talk” has been the most meaningful project because I am living within it’s evolution. It started I my mind, and has gone from paper, to stage, to show. I am excited to see how far this goes.
Keila, 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’m a multi-hyphenate creative from Detroit and living in Atlanta. Any industry I’ve tapped into was introduced to me during my time at FAMU and I’m forever grateful.
I co-host two podcasts (Crown Conversations/Two Moms & a Bottle), own a body butter line, and curate an art show called “If My Hair Could Talk.” I’m looking to collaborate and expand while building my brands and being based in Atlanta has been perfect for that.
My current goal is to take “If My Hair Could Talk” to other cities and turn more millennials into art buyers and collectors. With my body butter line, I’d love to develop the perfect subscription box, and for the podcasts, I’d love to get a steady recording flow and get picked up. I’m thankful enough to co-host with people who share a vision for our future.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I lost my younger sister to a single car wreck when planning my second show; we were less than 90 days away. She was not only one of my business partners but my confidant. Any thought, insecurity, or wild idea I had about the show I ran by her first. When I got that call, it was like everything froze. I stopped planning and answering calls and emails…I handled everything so unprofessionally. I finally decided like 4 weeks before the show, that I would still make it happen. If my friends and family didn’t come through for me I probably would have blackballed myself out of the art community. That situation really put me in front of myself. What a test. Even now, I go through days of grief where I’m like “I can’t believe I’m doing this and she’s not here.” It doesn’t seem real on some days but I know that whatever I succeed at now is bigger than me so I have to keep going.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Sleep is not for the weak! When planning my 2nd art show this past January, I went 4 days without adequate sleep. On the day of the show, I had horrible bags under my eyes and forgot so many essential things. Brain fox and memory loss from exhaustion are real. Rest is so important.
This also ties into setting boundaries. Let people know when you don’t have the capacity to be present and take time to get yourself together. You might not have to take a nap to reset, but you can lie down or be in silence, distraction-free. Prioritze resting in order to be your best creative self.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.itspronouncedkayla.com
- Instagram: @itspronouncedkayla & @ifmyhaircouldtalk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kndumas
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keilandumas/
- Twitter: @PronouncedKayla
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KeilaDascope/
Image Credits
@emackeycreates @kingcapt