Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Gordon.
Hi Kayla, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I fell in love with this world + developed my passion for design visiting job sites with my dad, who has owned his construction company since I was little! I’ve been fascinated with the field as long as I can remember. Determined to major in Art and pursue a career in the design field, I accumulated a vast amount of knowledge + was challenged in different ways from many different perspectives after seven and a half years of Interior Design and Art courses, between three different schools. Ultimately, I graduated from San Diego State University with an Art + Interior Design degree, acquiring an Art History degree along the way as well. An internship course that required us to find a position to learn out in the field, led to my first junior design job before I had even officially graduated. After over two years with my first design firm, I worked as the in-house interior designer for a residential construction company.
I am incredibly grateful for all that I experienced + learned working in the field with other professionals, but I always knew I wanted to own my own business. I started pulling my business plan together during the very unlikely times of the pandemic. I was working at the construction company; which was suddenly deemed non-essential. I had already been beginning to itch for more independence + creative autonomy so I took it as a sign to take a leap of faith, go my own way – I never thought it would have happened the way it did.
With my extensive education in art and design, experience in the design-build process, marketing, project management + more, I started building a name for myself in the design world with my own company called Kayla Gordon Creative. I designed a logo, brand kit, custom websit,, set up my business license, invoicing systems, etc. to begin marketing within my network as well as on social media. Four years later, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to create my own path with kaygorcreative!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would actually describe it as the exact opposite! Although I knew that I wanted to pursue a career and eventually own my own business as an interior designer, I had no idea where I wanted to go to college or what that path looked like for me. I am not someone who excelled in a traditional classroom setting, so initially I landed on starting at my local community college with the plan to transfer to a four year university. This school happened to have a wonderful and accredited interior design program which allowed me to start my major courses immediately, which finally made me excited about school.
However, this would lead to more complications than I knew possible. Over the years, navigating between numerous art departments was far from easy with courses unique to each school with passionate teachers for their own programs. There were countless extra courses I had to take in order to fulfill that school or department head’s specific requirement; even if it wasn’t required for my ultimate goal. Through this I was also navigating mental health challenges, anxiety, depression, working to heal from toxic relationships, learning to grieve after unexpected losses of family members; but I had the dream of my end goal in sight + that always helped me stay on track.
Starting a business during a global pandemic, definitely didn’t set me up from a traditionally smooth road either. So many of my first “simple” projects took over a year to complete because we were waiting on back ordered items for a tremendously abnormal amount of time! I am also incredibly multi-passionate, putting myself in a box makes me go kind of wild, so working to narrow down my offerings was a challenge too. I honestly could go on about all the things that didn’t go “right” but I genuinely wouldn’t change any of it because I learned so much from every bit of it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an interior designer, artist, photographer, graphic designer + more; through these passions I created Kayla Gordon Creative, which we generally refer to as kaygorcreative or kgc. I think I am most proud of the way I have trusted myself + my vision for my life, through all of the obstacles. I designed + created kgc’s entire brand identity, website, marketing materials, the works. It’s crazy how much of that work has just recently begun to feel as if it’s “paying off”, it was all worth it.
Kayla Gordon Creative is an emerging full service interior design studio based in Encinitas, specializing in remodels + refreshes that bring joy to your everyday life! We are available locally in coastal, southern california + beyond. Offering a wide variety of services to fit our client’s specific needs.
For a space you spend so much time in to not be your happy place, you are missing out on so much more life! This is why we love to help make your home your happy place. What sets kaygorcreative apart from others is my diverse experience, my unique creative eye, as well as my ability to connect with + truly understand my clients.
Kaygorcreative’s design philosophy is defined as ‘mindful, minimal + modern’. Allowing our client’s lifestyle, needs + dreams, alongside our expertise, to guide the direction of each project.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The quality or characteristic I think is most important to my success is being unapologetically myself. There are tons of incredibly talented designers, artists + creatives out there, but at the end of the day I know that I am the only one that can offer what I have. Simply because I stay true to myself. I have invested in courses to dive deep into my human design chart in order to best run my business in alignment with how I am uniquely, naturally wired.
Staying true to yourself + not looking left or right, remembering that your path is your own is . If you keep your actions + thoughts aligned with your goals, you will get where you want to be!
Pricing:
- please inquire on our website for more pricing + process information!
Contact Info:
- Website: kaylagordoncreative.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kaygorcreative
- Other: pinterest.com/kaygorcreative
Image Credits
Kayla Gordon 🙂
