We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kyla Simone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kyla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents are both creatives and musically inclined. Because of this, they always encouraged me in my creative pursuits. There has never been a time where they stifled my creativity. They only steered and guided me with wise counsel when needed, but gave me the space to make my own decisions and learn my own lessons. So, I grew up very independent and able to experiement creatively in a lot of different areas of interest (music, art, fashion, etc).

Kyla, 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?

My name is Kyla Simone. I am originally from Silver Spring, Maryland. About 3 years ago I said goodbye to the comforts and familiarity of home and relocated to pursue my music and entrepreneurial goals in Atlanta, which was the best decision ever. There is something exciting and stretching about transplanting yourself to a new environment, and I jumped in head first.

One of the greatest reasons I moved south was to continue to build upon an organization I developed to provide budding women guitarists with a platform to perform, learn, and grow in community. Girls and Guitars was born in 2016, kicking things off with a live concert that featured 6 dynamic female singer-songwriter/guitarist. Our first showcase and so many to follow were filled with rich inspiration, good vibes, and so much creative energy. I remember a little girl, who was so inspired, going around to all of the artists and asking them to sign her acoustic guitar which she had brought to the show. That memory has always been a reminder of the importance of continuing forward with the vision.

Girls and Guitars has hosted over 15 events and had more than 70 artists grace our stages. In addition to our showcases, we’ve held guitar clinics, a songwriting workshop, and a monthly meet up over Zoom during the pandemic called Circle of Fifths to help build community and accountability. Sometimes as an entrepreneur you can get so caught up in everything that you have to do to get your business to where you want it to be that you forget to pause and celebrate all of the wonderful progress you’ve made along the way, even if incremental. Girls and Guitars is an evolving work in progress, and it brings me to tears of gratitude for every milestone we’ve made, and every individual (artist, volunteer, event goer, and supporter) who has been a part of helping G&G reach its mission in any way.

Now as we have entered a new year, G&G is shifting gears a bit to focus on building up music education programs for young girls who have an interest in learning the guitar (and other stringed instruments) from the ground up, or developing their current guitar skills. We are especially passionate about providing opportunities for girls who come from lower income environments where they may not otherwise be able to afford lessons. We will also bring women musicians in as instructors and mentors to help set these girls up for success.

This vision ties directly back to the work I did at home for over 10 years working with young girls through a mentoring program called Virtuous Girls, as well as a creative arts conference me and 3 of my girlfriends collaborated on several times a year called LifeArts Girls Dayshop. Producing creative opportunities for girls and women has always been a part of my purpose, and so bringing these two groups together with G&G just makes sense and feels right!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Something I have learned and am still learning is the importance of not being so attached to the outcome that you’re unable to simply enjoy the process.

When I first started hosting events and would meet obstacles in the planning process or on the day of the event, I would become flustered and overwhelmed. It had the power to suck some of the fun out of things. As I continued forward, and gained a variety of experiences under my belt, I learned to pivot more easily and was not as easily shaken, especially by the things that were out of my control.

There was one showcase we did where upon arrival we realized no one at the venue had a handle on how to run their new sound equipment and just could not get things up and running. In that moment I could have fallen apart as good sound is pivotal for our events. The blessing in it all was that out of an abundance of caution I always bring my small sound system with me. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done. So I quickly ran to my car and switched to my sound equipment. We sound checked the girls and within the hour we were set up and ready to rock. The show was perfect, we packed the house, and everyone (guests and artists alike) enjoyed themselves.

I share this to say, it is to be expected that with anything in life we will be challenged with obstacles both in and out of our control. There is something beautiful when we find peace with this and learn to shift gears when necessary without losing hope. The process is made to shape us and see what we are made of. There are lessons in the process that will help us make better decisions in the future. The process helps us learn more about ourselves and others and has an ability to propel us towards great success if we allow it to. So roll with the punches, develop your ability to shift and think fast on your feet, and let go of the unnecessary expectations and stresses you’re carrying on your shoulders. My favorite phrase is “it is what it is.” Simply put, keep it movin’.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Fairly recently I experienced my Facebook and Instagram accounts getting hacked. The hackers not only attached 2 fake accounts to my Instagram account, but they also ran up $500 worth of Facebook ads using my account. My bank did reimburse me, but unfortunately, Facebook suspended my personal account and I lost access to all of my professional pages managed by that account as well as many photos and memories that I unfortunately don’t have backed up anywhere (a huge lesson). I additionally lost access to my Tiktok account which my login was tied to Facebook. As a result,

I’m still in the process of rebuilding my content and following outside of Instagram which I did not lose access to. A part of me wanted to just kiss social media goodbye because I felt violated and frustrated with the loss (mainly of losing so many memories). But as I preach the importance of pivoting when we meet obstacles, I knew I had to push past what I was feeling and continue to put my art and creativity out into the world. It’s a part of who I am.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kylasimone.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylasimonemusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylasimonedesigner
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@KylaSimoneMusic