The part time designer grind

 

Model: Trish Knox // Photo: Scott Saad // Robe: Lunar Offerings

As many know, but I am sure plenty don't, I graduated from a fashion design program in 2011, and the same year I created my low key, independent brand, Lunar Offerings.  I say low key and independent because most fashion brands you hear of are well known and have a team of people that make it all happen. I am still just a baby in the fashion world 6 years later, as I am just a team of one. 1 person trouble shooting, 1 person doing the pattern drafting, sewing, branding, every last detail, did I mention trouble shooting? That's a huge part, trial and error, to get everything off the ground the way you want it! Add in a full time job, and down time to spend with my partner and friends, it makes for slow progress.

As a team of one, a person that didn't have ANY sewing machine experience before 8 years ago, its still an on going learning experience, and that makes it seem like so much time is passing in a blink of an eye with what can feel like nothing to show for myself, even though I have done quite a bit when I stop and look back over the past couple years. I have created mini lines of clothing every other year since graduation, just to take advantage of keeping my skills up and utilizing the school runway shows as my exposure.

Everything takes way more time to develop than I ever think it will, though. I create what I can when I can, learning new techniques as I go, and it's nice that I will successfully sell things I make, but every time I do it's pretty much back to the drawing board immediately after. Constantly editing, trying to make things better, brainstorming with myself. Finances and resources come into play as well, being able to only afford to make certain types of things with what I have to work with.

Now that I am 100% self employed and have more free time to dedicate to it, I am getting very serious about my brand for 2018. That means applying myself and working harder at it than ever in the past. It means working harder to get people to take me serious as a designer, and to take me developing a brand seriously. Instead of just making one off pieces for fun and skill development, I am trying to create staple pieces for my brand that I can offer in different colors and sizes.

 The fact that I am even trying to do any of this on top of an already full life seems crazy, but it is my art form, my passion, and hoping some day in the not so distant future, a well oiled, fully functioning independent brand.

Kayleigh

Life Development

Whoops, It has been since November 2015 since I have written anything.There was a time in my life I couldn't go a day without sharing my words, and now I just don't seem to care. I used to write in a time when everything wasn't just all about the aesthetic and formulated blog posts. Now when I think, I should write about that, the pressure for it to look good is on. I have to let go of the fear of what it looks like and just let it take its course, and maybe it will develop itself into something more appealing over time.

So, I can pick up right where I left off, really. My 2 year anniversary for being my own boss is in a couple weeks. I can't say I am not right where I want to be. My "plan" is working. What is that you ask? Well, I went back to school for aesthetics, because I was looking for a trade that could be my bread and butter, so I could find the time and money to invest in my first trade, which is fashion design.
Fashion design isn't something I could jump into full time like aesthetics. Fashion design as a team of one in a small town would be damn near impossible to do full time right away, relying on my creative brain 24/7 would be extremely difficult. So I decided I would do aesthetics as my full time job 4 days of the week, and I work on my designs at my own leisure with the 3 other days of the week, and NOT guilt myself with how much I relax within those 3 days, as that seems to be the key to filling the creative well.

I realized last year that I just can not do every little thing. So I started to take things off my plate.
First, I retired Kiwi the Faerie to just agreed upon family/friend events only, I love my faerie persona, but she is well built up, and I can easily keep it on the back burner and bring it out when needed. But this sort of work on top of everything else is just way too much of my energy I just don't have.

Next was the realization that the Fredericton Fashion Council just isn't something that is necessary at this time. I watch our members and other local designers thrive every day, networking and collaborating, creating events, etc, without the help of a middle man. FFC had wonderful events while it was alive, but it was a ton of energy on my behalf I just don't have to dedicate anymore after doing so for 3 years. Most exec members last year stepped down because of already having too much on their personal plate to be there for the council, and I really don't blame them and quite related. The FFC blog/social media will be renamed (hopefully I will get to this soon) to the Maritime Fashion Network and will be there for everyone to share all fashion content that is submitted! I think this will be the ultimate way to help local designers network without needing a membership.

So to finish this off, I am developing. I am fine tuning. I am narrowing down where I focus energy. I am on the path I want to be on, and though sometimes it feels a bit slow, I know its going at the pace it needs.
Right now I am working on getting really serious about my fashion brand Lunar Offerings. I am working on a staple collection with multiple size options, I am redesigning my logo, getting labels made, troubleshooting troubleshooting troubleshooting. etc. It is SO much work and I will elaborate on all that in my next blog post.

Kayleigh

Shaping space

I am not so sure how to follow up such a mouth full of a blog post, and I also can't believe its almost been a full month since I wrote it! I promised myself I would make an update once a week so I have some catching up to do.

I started to make a post on Halloween, but for some reason the draft wouldn't save and the pictures wouldn't work updating from my phone! So I sort of gave up and forgot to try again until now! Here are a few detail pics of my mermaid costume I made. Took 3 tries with the fin but I am glad I didn't give up and had extra fabrics! lol

My first month working for myself was excellent. I had more clients in the first month then I did the whole 4 months I was at my last place of employment, so I am definitely no longer fearful of my choice to move ahead and work for myself! I book at least 1 appointment ahead of time per day, and I think for being relatively new to the esthetics industry, I am doing very well! 

My To Do List is getting checked off at a nice, steady pace! I am quite nice and settled at Avenue Eighty-Five now, but I have also gotten more stuff organized at home and in my design space as well! Actually I don't think I have every seen that room so organized! I want to live in there now. Here is a little tour!

I have decided against doing Red dress again until next year, but have made the decision to show a small line of clothing this Spring at the NBCCD annual fashion show. Not sure exactly what yet, I have a rough idea, so I can't wait to get designing for it! :)

As for news of Fredericton Fashion Council, I am still currently looking for help, and I am finally getting around to building the blog and hope to get some extra hands to help run that! I think it could turn into something really cool!
As I mentioned before, we are turning the front porch into a boutique area for local designers to sell their wares. We should be able to have a soft launch early January, to celebrate the official home of the FFC!
We just need to winterize it (new door, fireplace, plastic on windows, curtains) but the space in general is coming along nicely! We have also talked to a few artists/photographers about filling our wall space with their art for sale!

So besides getting boring personal stuff out of the way, getting settled at work and pondering ideas for FFC and my designs, thats about it for news for now. I helped with make up/styling a friends shoot a few weeks ago, and I hope to share a few of those photos soon because they are super cute!

I will try harder to steadily update here! 

Butterfly kisses,

Kayleigh

First post! Time to warm up the blogging fingers

 It is my 29th birthday today. The last 10 years have gone by in the blink of an eye, but I feel like I have accomplished and experienced so much! I have been part of so many teams and projects and I cherish how much life experience I have before even turning 30. I have the heart of a dabbling artist and I put creativity in everything that I do and no matter what my future holds, I will continue to do the same.

I can't have the title of one thing when I want to do everything. This can confuse some people, as most people have one job, one narrowed down path picked out for their life. I have accepted that I have many different paths to walk before my time is up and that my title by the end of it will be 17 words long.
 I have been starting to narrow it down a bit, but it has been a challenge, I feel like I am almost there though, I am just fine tuning now. I am officially into my 3rd week of working for myself. It has been scary being my own boss because I need to crack the whip down on myself more and schedule my time more wisely. I have to try not to sell myself short and optimize my money making.

So, I told myself for my very first blog entry, I would write a list of all of the things I have done, and all of the jobs I have had since my late teens. I hardly even know how to start it so I'll just dive in!

- Hobbies, school, volunteer work - 

~I started getting into alternative modeling when I was 17 and that has phased in and out of my life since.
I have been part of hundreds of photo shoots, whether modeling, styling, directing, doing make up, designing, etc working with local photographers to help create art has always been one of my favorite hobbies.
 ~I have modeled down a runway at least 6 times
 ~I graduated from the craft college with a diploma in fashion design, and have sent designs down a runway 5 different times!
~I participated as a designer in the Heart and Stroke red dress event 2 years ago.
~I have helped with costume management for 5 short films through the NBFC, and even acted in one of those films! Some of these films even went as far as Cannes film festival and aired on CBC.
 ~I have volunteered for charity Cabarets.

Past jobs worth mentioning include:

~I worked at a bar between the ages 18-20, I MCed exotic dancers, waitressed, and did weekend bartending.
~I worked at the Fredericton Anti Poverty for 2 years (19-21)
~I worked at Island Ink Jet for 2 years. (21-23) It was my boss here that got me helping out with the NB film Co-op!
~I worked at the best vintage consignment boutique in the whole world for 4 great years, Lovely Betty (age 24-28)

Currently

~I created my Kiwi, the Faerie business in 2012, and have been doing random children's parties ever since!
I take part in parades and community events, and even have my face appear in magazines and local newspapers.

~I became president of the Fredericton Fashion Council a year ago, and have helped come up with a few events through that over the year, though after our last summer event, we lost some executive members so it is on a bit of a hiatus for the moment, but not for long!

~Last year I went to school for aesthetics and graduated in June. I got a job right away at a little salon called Wave-Lengths, but when the opportunity arouse last month to move to Avenue Eighty-Five to rent a space along side of my best friend, I knew it was time to make my ultimate move and officially start working for myself as a full time esthetician and part time stylist, also creating an official home for the Fredericton Fashion Council.

I got married to my man of 12 years, 2 years ago, and he has been supportive at my side through all of the above, I don't even know what I could ever do without him! 

I am probably missing a whole bunch of notable moments over the years, but that just goes to show that there are just too many things to mention for one blog post, and this crazy wall of text doesn't even cover it.
I hope with my future posts to share all that I am made of, and the turns with a twist that makes up my life, especially now with this new adventurous path I have turned down. 
 I am happy and proud that I have accomplished so much, even though the majority of it is fairly unconventional.

So, long story short, I have happily turned Forever 29 today, and wouldn't change a second leading up to this moment.