We recently connected with Kai Hill and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kai , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Risk feels like a natural doorway between phases. At a certain point when I was just starting out, the risk of staying stagnant, of not moving forward felt just as scary as taking the leap. Now at every new stage as I grow, the time to take a new risk arises regularly at the end of each plateau. You level up, you learn and grow into your new level, and then at a certain point, you run out of room to grow in that level and ‘Risk’ is the key to the next one. I live by the motto: “The worst thing that could happen is Nothing.” If you don’t act, nothing will happen, and if you do act and it doesn’t work then again, nothing happens, so you might as well act.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a queer goldsmith/art jeweler based in Durham, North Carolina specializing in commitment jewelry. Making Jewelry is my passion, and my way of processing the world. The way we adorn ourselves is and always has been a very detailed portrait of who we are as individuals and how we fit into the larger fabric of our society. My approach to Commitment /Ceremonial jewelry is fluid and open to interpretation. The intention is for commitment jewelry to help you embody the commitment of being true to yourself, commitment to love radically, to love deeply. Commitments mark transitions, they are an active decision to live more authentically whether that means marriage, separation, divorce, coming out, anniversaries of love, of sobriety, reaching personal milestones and much much more. Jewelry is the perfect physical reminder of promises we make to ourselves and those around us.
I feel passionate about my role in queering fine jewelry. I am committed to being a safe and accessible resource to help navigate the wedding industry. I am always on the quest to expand the breadth of my skills to better serve my clients, and elevate what I am able to offer my community.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
At every stage of my journey, listening has been my most useful skill. Listening has come in many different packages over the years. Listening when people have given me advice (whether unsolicited or otherwise), listening to clients, listening to my peers, to feedback, to criticism, etc… You can always choose what to keep and what to ignore, but information of any kind is a powerful tool. You can learn so much from unexpected conversations or interactions, and make life-changing connections by giving your clients your undivided attention, and that extra moment of your time.
The other two most valuable skills are two sides of the same coin. Knowing when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” At the beginning, saying “yes” all the time was the key to gaining momentum and acquiring knowledge and experience. At a certain point, the unbridled “yes” can lead to burnout, and take you off track and slow you down. Learning when (and how) to say “no” is and has been one of the most challenging and gratifying skills I have yet encountered. To anyone starting out, I recommend continuously checking in with your limits. Those limits can be ever changing, and “yes” and “no” are the sharpest tools in your toolbox.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
The main challenge at this point in my career is finding the balance between my need to grow my business, and my desire to be creative in new and unrelated directions. I am outgrowing my current level and am looking forward to taking my next big risk, but I want the next stage to include more room for play and exploration. I have been trying to make more space for creativity both literally and figuratively. I am clearing surfaces and compartmentalizing areas for new mediums, and, perhaps most importantly, trying to say “no” more often to clear space in my life for more growth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kaihillmetalsmithing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaihillmetalsmithing/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
