We were lucky to catch up with Kiasi Young recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kiasi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

By the grace of God, I have been able to maintain being a full-time entrepreneur for almost 6 years. At the age of 19 I took the leap of believing in myself and my artist abilities and started my art business. To give you a visual of where I was at the time; it’s 2017, I am a sophomore in college, it’s my first time ever living away from my small hometown, and I’m determined to prove to myself that I can be successful. So, I do just that. I began entering into art contests with my paintings. I was designing graduation caps for people at my colleges then colleges all over. I was creating custom items for fraternities and sororities. Anything creative I could think of to make money, I was doing. It became a way where I got to express myself, enjoy what I was doing, and be able to pay for pills with extra left over. In 2018, I then decided that I needed to give a name to everything that I was doing. This is when I started my business Kiasi’s Kreations. After creating my own logo for my business, I then began creating logos for other people’s businesses. This is how I got into Graphic Design. Graphic Design brought in an income that I never had before. It was the first time I really felt I was a successful artist. My Graphic design business developed continuously and added new services such as Website Design, and Brand Management services. Due to my business growing, in 2020 I felt it was time for a rebrand. My business then became known as its current name: KY Unlimited Inc. As KY Unlimited, I have been able to maintain a townhome in North Dallas as well as provide for myself and my mother. There have been hard times, but I never gave up and continue doing everything creative I can.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi Everyone! I am Kiasi Young, a 25 Year Old Art Boss who dabbles in all things creative. I am from East Texas; Longview to be exact, where I was raised by my single mother who also happens to be my best friend. My mom has always encouraged me to go after anything I wanted. She noticed my artistic abilities before anyone else after I was continuously drawing masterpieces on our walls. As a young kid, she had me attending art classes at our local community center and motivating me to join classes and organizations at my schools. My senior year of high school, I qualified to enter into a nationwide art competition. This competition was the first major time I experienced rejection. After my painting was not accepted, I put it in my head that painting was no longer for me. This was major for me since everything around me was about painting. I was in Art Club, National Art Honors Society, and had consistent art classes. But I had one class that I could use as an outlet, which was my Graphic Design class. This is when I first became introduced to digital design as an option for artists. So when entering college, I decided to major in Graphic Design. As a sophomore in college, I started my painting and design business and eventually transitioned fully into only being a Brand and Web Designer. With my business KY Unlimited, I have designed for over 300+ small businesses and have even begun working with larger brands. I create branding material such as logos, flyers, product designs, and more. I also specialize in e-commerce and services based website design on WIx and Shopify platforms where I am a verified partner with both. As of recently, I have also expanded my service options into social media management and creative directing. Even with everything on my plate, I still felt I was missing what I was really passionate about doing and that’s being able to freely express myself in all forms. After 5 years of being a full-time graphic designer, I felt I needed an outlet to relay the creative frustration I was experiencing. That is when I began my business K.Y. Craft Studios. KY Crafts is an online studio space that offers hand-crafted business essentials, decor, and more for melaninated women.Our journals are 100% hand-crafted with diligence and love. Our newest item to our shop is our card game SHADED which embodies love, laughter, and empowerment all inside of one game. It allows women to create a safe space to discuss their life with freedom of judgment. Shaded is a small sneak of what KY Crafts is as a whole; a safe space, a creative space, a melanated space.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have many things that motivate me to continue on in my business. The major motivation that I have is my mother. I want to not only be successful to prove to myself but also to be able to make my mom proud and show her that her hard work of being a single mom paid off. My mom has been battling with kidney failure since 2011 and often feels discouraged due to still not having received a kidney from the transplant list. Because of this, I try to find as many possible things for her to enjoy life and be happy. Another goal of mine is to open up my own Design Studio where other creatives can come out and use the different rooms for their needs such as for photo shoots, podcasts and more. At the studio, I would also host my own painting events where I led and instructed the class. I envision myself planning large annual events that allow everyone to experience creativity through various forms such as painting, music, and games. I would also use the space for inventory for my products for KY Craft Studios.my products on many outlets such as in retail stores, online, and in many other spaces. It will also allow me to host my own event where I can bring further awareness to my business as well as the importance of happiness and determination. I hope to be a motivation to other women just like myself who never really knew their direction, so they created their own.

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

I think the biggest thing people don’t understand as an entrepreneur/creative is that there is no such thing as clocking out. Especially when you are really passionate about what you do. For myself, I am constantly thinking of how to be better and things I can do to excel in my business. There are also days where I am working non-stop from morning to night to get projects completed. Doing this has also led me at times to feel overwhelmed. A skill that I have learned throughout the years is to stay organized. Clearly plan out your day and the things you need to do. Set yourself hours. Treat your creative business as if it is a corporate business. Create a strategy, write out a list, and be as organized as possible. This will allow for your business to run smoother and alleviate some of the stress.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kycraftsudios.com
• Instagram: @kycraftstudios
• Facebook: KY Craft Studios
• Youtube: KY Unlimited
• Other: Tiktok – kyunlimited

Image Credits
Images – Maiya Michelle / Angles by Mai