08/08/2025
Growing up, I wasn’t focused on being ‘pretty’ or ‘sexy.’ It was always about the vibe—I would ask myself, Do I look cool?
I’d rather stand out for what I was wearing than fit into someone else’s ‘normal box.’ It wasn’t always easy though. People giggled, made comments, and I often got detention at school for what I wore—not because it was inappropriate, but because it was ‘weird.’ They didn’t get it, but I did! And honestly, I kind of enjoyed it.
I remember one time there was this local beauty pageant, Miss Forestry Crawford County. I placed second runner-up. For casual wear, I wore a black men’s suit, white collared dress shirt, suspenders, a beret, and bright red lipstick. For our dance, we got to decorate a baseball hat. No joke, I put an entire flower pot and fake flower on top of my head so that my hat stood out! I even had to pin it to my hair so that it didn’t fall off because it was so heavy, lol! (OK, so that was kind of weird) but for the evening gown portion of it, I feel like I killed it! Thanks to Carla Spillers, who let me borrow a beautiful blue and silver sequined gown!
The next day, we had a feedback session with the judges. One judge, a crotchety & snooty lady, crossed her legs and looked at me, and said, ‘It’s not a fashion show, honey.’ I thought to myself, ‘Yes! It is! And in that moment, I didn’t want the win because I knew I would never win around people like that. People who didn’t appreciate creativity & originality.
It’s moments like those that made me realize: I’m not here to chase trends. I’m here to create my own lane, one that feels more me. More Kelly. And I knew that at such a young age.
But the older I got, the more I abandoned myself. The less I felt inspired.
And so with that, it’s time for me to get creative again. I was so dormant for so many years.
Until now. I feel alive, I feel connected, I feel so incredibly lucky, I feel inspired. I feel peaceful. I feel like me again. And I wouldn’t have come back to this place without my amazing husband—who reminds me every day that it’s okay to be me…
Also, BTW, I felt really cool in this green suit. It gave me all the vibes.