Kailee Nauman’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

Kailee Nauman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Kailee, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
In 2023, I moved to Orlando, FL – something I really didn’t anticipate happening until I “retired” at an older age. But instead, we hit full send in my late 20s. Florida was a place we visited every year for vacation, so moving here felt strange at first. But it’s been the most amazing transition and opportunity for my life! Not only am I meant to be a sun baby soaking up the humidity, but I also live in an adorable town filled with coffee shops, boutiques, and small businesses, not to mention an entire land of theme parks practically down the road.

Being in Florida has brought out the inner child in me that I think, as adults, we often take for granted. It’s almost like the idea of being able to “play” in life slips through our fingers. Since moving here, I’ve fully embraced the balance of work, rest, and play. It’s brought me nothing but joy and gratitude!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Kailee! Founder and Creative Lead of Eclectic Designs .CO, a creative studio where intentional design meets empowering strategy. I’m a brand and website designer with over seven years of experience helping small business owners elevate their brands through aligned, strategic design that not only drives results but also looks stunning to their ideal buyers.

Our approach goes beyond visuals, we design for where you’re headed, not just where you are. Every project is built around collaboration, alignment, and intentional growth. My clients often say they feel truly seen and supported throughout the process, which is one of the things I’m most proud of.

At Eclectic Designs .CO, we offer brand identity design, Wix website design, strategy sessions, and ongoing design support. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to scale, our studio is here to help you build a brand that reflects your value and supports your long-term goals. This gives our clients clarity, confidence, and a brand that does a lot of the initial sales attraction for them.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Perfectionism. Oh, what a fine line I walk with perfectionism. It’s interesting because, as an artist at heart, perfectionism doesn’t really exist. It’s more about the flow, the energy, the in-the-moment feelings, or simply creating to create.

Entering the world of graphic design triggered my deep-rooted perfectionism and exploded it! I would obsess over everything—the tiny spaces between elements, the way a pattern looked up close, or how a slight change in color could make or break a design.

But over the years (especially in the last four, at least), I’ve been working on letting the idea of perfectionism go. Because at the end of the day, while graphic design is intentional, it’s still a form of art. It has a specific goal in mind, but there will always be a large playing field of interpretation. Something I may think looks fantastic, others may not, and that’s the true art of it all.

I’ve also learned when it comes to time management as a designer, done is always better than perfect. Otherwise, no one would ever get anything moving.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
Hmmm. Wow, heavy. Well, at 30 now, I have a few under my belt. When I was 10, my parents divorced, which had been on its way for probably three years prior. As a child, I was very attuned to what was happening at home.

Following the divorce, it got very messy. As much as my family didn’t want us kids caught in the cliche “we don’t want you stuck in the middle,” I was essentially always in the middle. I grew up fast. I’m the oldest of three siblings, and I stepped into that role with a lot of responsibilities, holding it until my early 20s. It took a lot to relearn how to just take care of myself.

I started going to college somewhat far from home, but I hated every second of it (besides a small few friends who made it bearable). I was essentially a suburban city girl in a country-themed state. It was like oil and water. Coming from a strict home, I went a little wild in college. Life threw me some hard punches during that time, and it felt like on a bi-weekly basis the universe was screaming at me to turn around or pick another path.

After only the first semester, the final blow came when my immune system crashed. I had a severe autoimmune reaction that lasted months. My health declined rapidly, and at one point I couldn’t walk and was hospitalized for a week.

As terrifying as that time was, it became a pivotal moment in my life. I had to take a year to recover, which brought me back to art and set me on the course I’m on today.

The biggest impact, though, and a huge reason I decided to go all in on my business, was losing my dad in 2018. In truth, he was an alcoholic, and it destroyed him. Our relationship since the divorce had been rocky; we didn’t really know each other, but had been trying to mend the relationship. I only had about two years with him before he passed. His health declined quickly, and I was one of the few to witness it. My dad was also an artist, but he never got to fully pursue everything he wanted with it. Sometimes I wonder if that was a big reason he was so frustrated with life.

Some of my last memories with him are from an art gallery. I had a few paintings I made over the years, and he had some art too. They all hung together in a section of the gallery, and it was one of his proudest moments. I miss him, but I also know the path he was on was self-destructive for years and that’s no way to live.

Everything about my relationship with him changed me. But not in a negative way. It pushed me further to live my life to the fullest. He was only 54, and I couldn’t imagine only having 24 years left to live from today.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
That you have to be the best in order to be the best.

But lets reframe that.

You DO NOT have to be the best in order to be the best.

Growing up, I was in a lot of sports and always pushed to do better, no matter the subject. But with art, there was no “best”—at least, not in my eyes. That’s why I think art history is so interesting… Who decides which artists are better than others? It’s all subjective to the person experiencing it. Your best is the best, and that can be applied to anything.

When I first brought the idea of being the best into my field of graphic design, it made me competitive, envious, and even rude at times. I’ll never forget losing a design competition in class—I was so angry and rude to the winner, even though she was incredibly kind and talented. Looking back now, she fully deserved to win, her design was perfect!

You have to let go of the idea that it’s you against others in your industry. Open up to collaboration, it will change everything.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
Self-love, resilience, empathy, and consistency are a beautiful recipe for life.

If you pause and step back to view life from afar (at least from my experience living in the U.S.), you start to realize how much we are taught not to love ourselves. Since we were young, we’ve been convinced we aren’t enough—never pretty enough, talented enough, strong enough, or capable enough.

Entering the world of graphic design, I also had to learn about marketing—and wow, it can be vicious. “Not good enough” sells. But once you start taking back your power and recognizing that you are enough, even in small increments, it changes everything.

Resilience matters. Life is full of change, and nothing is consistent. Resilience gives you a foundation to feel stable when life gets wobbly.

Empathy is essential. Plain and simple.

Consistency is key. Whatever you’re working towards doesn’t need to happen overnight, and it doesn’t need to be monumental every day. Take small steps, slow down, give yourself breathing room, and you’ll accomplish a lot. Everyone’s pace is different, find what works for you.

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