We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenielle Jefferies a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kenielle, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
First I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share a little about myself! I am a natural giver as a result of learned behavior. Growing up I admired the generosity my mother gave to every person she met. Being generous makes me feel good knowing that I possibly made a difference in someone’s day. I am a firm believer that you get what you give. Since I would like to attract much good in life, I give generously from my heart in many random ways. I don’t expect anything from anyone in return because God is good enough to me!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Kenielle, pronounced Ken-yell. I was born and raised in Salisbury, NC. I became a Certified Natural Hair Specialist in April 2022. I started my own business, KD’s Artistry LLC, in August 2022. KD’s Artistry currently has a home-based salon located in Lexington, NC where we provide
a range of loc maintenance and repair services with artistic, creative and innovative styling options. We also offer several starter loc methods including extended twist extensions and instalocs. As we focus on expanding services we would like to start with loc products. As our clients are aware, we make homemade loc products for salon use which we hope to sell worldwide in the future. Beginning April 2024, KD’s Artistry will have branded loc covering caps, shampoo and hydration mist spray available for purchase in salon.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am going to pick three qualities that were most impactful during my transition to this career. Customer service, loc repair skills, and overall knowledge of locs. My clients often acknowledge and show appreciation for my customer service which has made me very grateful for all of my experience that helped me develop etiquette. Proper knowledge of crochet maintenance and repairs is also an important skill that I feel Stylists caring for locs should obtain. I have gained many clients because they could not find a Stylist in their area that could properly repair locs. I believe that you must be willing to acquire new skills and invest in yourself in order to elevate. 8 years ago I randomly purchased a crochet needle with hopes of learning how to repair locs. I practiced repairing my brother’s locs. Of course, I wasn’t successful at first, but I kept trying and watching tutorials until I got it right. Thanks to 12 years of hands on experience with locs I am aware of what’s effective and what’s not. Which has been helpful in many conversations where clients ask about misinformation found on the internet or provided by another Stylist. The knowledge I’ve gained allows me to create effective solutions and
properly execute while educating clients along the way.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The Inner Work by Mat & Ash has recently played a major role in the development of my daily attitude, mindset and work ethic. This book helped me to understand the depths of my consciousness. I realized that I wasn’t giving myself enough grace for only being in business almost 2 years and completing so much on my own already. I felt like I wasn’t completing enough after work. I would often stay up all night until I completed one task. After only sleeping a few hours, the next day would be mom and also work a 10hr shift. With the new mindset this booked provided, I realized there will always be a to-do list. Tasks are added just as tasks are completed. Since that list isn’t going anywhere I’ve learned to live in the moment, take one day at a time and no longer worry about things out of my control. I know that no matter what things happen as they are supposed to whether it’s failure or success. Failure increases aspiration which aid in success!
Contact Info:
- Website: kdsartistry.org
- Instagram: kds_artistry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/KDs-Artistry/100076282511393/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kdsartistry?si=xe5nKa13n0QwV4ld
