Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyla Jackson.
Hi Kyla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was in my freshman year of high school, I found a college. I found SCAD. The Savannah College of Art and Design, it had every art-related major that I could think of. But in freshman year, my grades were shit. I´m talking low 70s, maybe an 80 if I was lucky. So, I pushed the idea of going there away and continued on. I had a lot to recover from in my freshman year, I was coming back to school for the first time after covid shut down the rest of my middle school experience. That alone caused a lot of issues. My anxiety was at an all-time high, and I ended up finishing the school year fully online because I couldn’t handle being in person. When it came time for sophomore year, I didn’t have a choice but to go back to being in person. I did my best, but it wasn’t great. That December, I dislocated my knee and almost lost what was left of my motivation. Luckily, I had this amazing friend named Elijah, and one of the things he would say was ¨ are you going to let such a minor thing, in the grand scheme of things, get in the way of your whole life¨. It took me a while to come around to it, but he was right all along. And while he and I eventually drifted apart, those words stuck with me. All throughout my junior year I repeated that sentence a lot. I earned myself honor roll status every quarter. I got accepted into the SCAD Rising Star program. Then we get to the part where I leave for school. “One week, one week”. I repeat it to myself again and again; tears fall from my eyes and crowd my vision. They heat up my face and taste salty on my lips. Muffling my sobs into the sleeve of my sweater. I stare at my ceiling, filled with fake vines, floral tapestries, a rainbow flag, and tapestry with dean and Sam Winchester on it. I stare at the disco ball in the middle of my ceiling. I had spent the past 8 months reminding myself of the reason I was working so hard. I was going to SCAD, my dream school. I was leaving New York for a month. I would be living in the town I’ve wanted to live in for years. Though currently and lately, it seemed like everything in the world was trying to diminish my excitement. Fights with my parents were multiplied; even the littlest thing would set them off. But now I only have one week to deal with it. I was gonna cry it out and then get over it, the same thing as always.
When I had cried so much, I was numb I continued packing. I packed my clothes, my framed photo of me and my best friend, and I packed a few books. I packed my makeup, chargers, and toiletries. I continued reorganizing, folding, closing, and opening my suitcase for hours. I let my TV play superstore for so long it eventually turned off on its own. Reaching midnight by the time I went to bed, I tucked myself in – continuing the stream of tears from before.
Throughout all of my preparations, my family always said, “You’re going to miss it here, you know”. But the truth was I knew I wouldn’t. I’d been dreaming about getting out of New York my entire life; even when I was little, I never wanted to stay. Only back then, it was California that I wanted to go to. I didn’t know if it made me a bad person or not, but not only was I not going to miss New York, I wasn’t going to miss my family either. As sad as it is, there’s this huge part of me that wants to leave, to get away from them.
Two days after my final junior year exam, it was time to leave. I packed the last of my things, toothbrush, hairbrush. I took a shower, and I changed into new clothes. I made my bed and waited. My Aunt pulled into the drive, and me inside. We load the bags into the car. My mom and I got ourselves situated between the front and the back seat. We made sure the snack/drink bag was accessible, and we left. The 17-hour drive to Savannah from buffalo would be the worst part of all the waiting.
And then we get to being there.
Living in Savannah for that month, taking my classes. I had never been happier. I found new coffee places constantly, little restaurants, and stores. The architecture around the city that constantly took my breath away. I felt so free; my friends were true friends. They cared about me and me about them. I explored, I loved, and I laughed. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It proved to me that I really do want to be an interior designer. It proved to me that I was on the exact path I am supposed to be.
Now that I´m back in buffalo for a little bit, I´ve started posting my art more. I have been more focused on saving money; I bought a car, I started helping friends and family with their room interiors. I´ve really just overall become a better person, a stronger person. I am doing what I love, and I want to share those motivations with others. Which leads me back to the same quote from before (but with a little tweak), ̈ are you really gonna let every small thing in comparison to your whole life stop you from your full potential ̈? My answer is no.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been very hard. I spent all of my middle school years doubting myself, I let every little thing get in my head- I let the girls who had been rich their whole lives make sun of me. I let my friendships be the kind where they don’t really care about you. And even my freshman year was like that. Me and my best friend stopped being friends; a lot happened, a lot that I can’t even think about without being upset. But the important thing is that I’ve grown from it in so many ways.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would like to say that my specialty is interior design. I have loved decorating and rearranging my room for years. But I also love painting; I like sculpting. I think that what sets me apart as an artist is that I don’t has one set style, I don´t have one set medium I just go with whatever feels right. I´m not better at one thing than the other. I am, however, most proud of my tangled-inspired bedroom; I did for an interior design project. I have also now started taking clients for interior design, though it is only work that I can do remotely. Things like helping a client come up with a mood board, a floor plan based on pre-taken measurements, and renderings that can be made and emailed to the client as a final.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
As an artist starting out, I wish I would have known that it’s not as easy as it seems. I wish I had known that there was always gonna be someone out there who someone thinks is the best or who I will think is better. But the most important thing is that you like your art. I tried so many times to change my art to be something that I thought people would like, but in the end, I didn´t like it, and it made me sad. Art as a general whole isn´t about pleasing others; it’s about pleasing yourself, expressing your emotions and feelings in such a beautiful form that it all blends together seamlessly, or seem-ful, whatever you believe suits you best.
Pricing:
- $150 holding pay- this is just to ensure that as I am just starting out if I begin to do any work and then the client cancels the services I am still getting paid something for my time. (Interior Design)
- $20.50 per hour – this will be kept track of for each client project; it will be written down and logged throughout the whole project. (Interior Design)
- $45- Toned paper and pastels artwork w/ frame. Without the frame – $40
- $45 embroidered tote bag
- $ 45 Watercolor home w/frame – without frame $40
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylarain.e/ ( personal) – https://www.instagram.com/apiaryre/ (art account) – https://www.instagram.com/raineinteriordesign/ (interior design)
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thekylaraine/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCdcIOK9POG_Nk8eeh9d-Y5w/videos
- Other: (pintrest) – https://www.pinterest.com/kylarainej/ (twitch) – https://m.twitch.tv/losercatky (tiktok) – https://www.tiktok.com/@kylarain.e : personal (tiktok) – https://www.tiktok.com/@thekylaraine : buisness (tiktok) https://www.tiktok.com/@krinthecar : car related
Image Credits
Renee Jackson
