We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly O’Connell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

As the CEO of my own creative agency, The Kind & Funny Brand Shop, I am so happy that I think I am probably ruined for having a “regular job” for the rest of my life.

Being able to follow my passion, to work within my zone of genius, and to partner with clients who inspire me on a regular basis.

While I loved working at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, I was surrounded by so much creativity and art that I began to wonder what I could create for myself. The first incarnation of Kind & Funny was selling compliment ribbons to bring some light to the world during the pandemic, and from there I was off and running to creating full brand identities for women-owned businesses seeking to stand out.

The reason I’m drawn to this as a business instead of a job is because it feels like the possibilities are more expansive. Endless, really. All I need is my own creativity in service of an expert who wants to show up a certain way but doesn’t know how to achieve it. I find that is my happy place, and I’m so proud that I created it (and brought my husband in as a partner too!).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I think this is the best way to see the answer to that question: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJFcJ7Jyb5n/

The Kind & Funny Brand Shop is where I can use my creativity to convey real emotions to websites, social media, and other marketing opportunities in service of women-owned businesses.

Lots of people are experts in what they do, and they know how they want their customers or people to feel, but they don’t know how to create that feeling. That’s my superpower, and it helps that my husband and partner Jed has his own marketing superpowers in copywriting and strategy.

All of our projects are unique and personalized, and they start with an in-depth Soul Search interview that uncovers a ton of info and possibilities.

I get to do photoshoots with some of my favorite people and past coworkers. I get to be inspired by (and become friends with) the people I work with. I get to bring more success to people who deserve it.

And I get to make big, bold, creative designs that make me happy as well!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

For me, social media, specifically Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bekindandfunny) is a place I use to honestly record and process my life. As a person who recently learned she had ADHD, my relationship to time can sometimes be a little funky. I find that by being my most real, authentic self on social media—showing what I do, how I work, when I cry, what I’m proud of, things that I’m processing—I actually get in touch more with my core audience.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean my “customers,” but it means the people who get me, which means they are more likely to be connected to my “customers.” The people I work with, I’m pretty selective about it, because I really see things in terms of a partnership where our collective goal is to show the best version of them. It’s comes naturally for me to see the best version of other people, but it’s always easier to do that when someone is sharing their full self.

So, that’s what I try and do on social media for my business—share the real me. And the cool thing is that when I do that, I see the best response and audience growth, so it all feels right.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

EVERYONE IS A CREATIVE! If I could shout that from the rooftops I would (in fact, I probably will shout this from a rooftop somewhere soon).

I’m fortunate because creativity comes more naturally to me, but I truly, deeply believe that anybody can be creative, and that you can be creative in anything you want.

For me, one main aspect is being creative in the way I dress, and I learned that I know how to teach people through the Personal Style Soul Searches we started at Kind & Funny (https://www.kindandfunny.com/personal-styling).

Now, on my journey I’ve also struggled with this idea. When I first claimed that I was an artist and said on social, “I am an artist now,” a lot of friends told me something like “Kelly, you’ve been an artist since I’ve known you.”

But we learn a lot of rules about what creativity means, and who is and isn’t creative. Jed, my husband and partner in Kind & Funny, is one of the most creative people I know, but his boss at work used to say he wasn’t creative because he didn’t pitch projects, he just made projects better.

You know where that creative skill works? As a brand strategist for Kind & Funny. Now, so many more businesses get to benefit from his creativity instead of it being stifled.

My advice, that I also give to myself, is to never let someone, especially myself, tell me I’m not creative.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kindandfunny.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekindandfunny/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-o-connell-212a0b14
• Other: https://www.kindandfunny.com/blog/

Image Credits

Kelly O’Connell, Rachel Grammes