Hey there,
I’m Kaye, it’s nice to have you here.
why “Quietly Kaye”?
I’ve always been naturally quiet. I’m super introspective, sensitive, and observant. I prefer to express my feelings in writing, which can be proved by journals I’ve kept since elementary school until now in my thirties.
While I love handwriting, I’ve also adapted quickly to digital. I blogged on MySpace, Facebook Notes (remember those?!), Tumblr, Multiply, and even my first website with Squarespace.
Writing is a quiet person’s best friend.
An older cousin apparently gave me the nickname Kaye when I was a baby. My whole family has always called me that, but I hated this nickname growing up. I made sure no one knew about it.
I only introduced myself as Katherine, and somewhere along the way, I’ve been given different nicknames by others in my early 20s, like Kat.
As you will probably learn in my blog posts, I struggled a lot with knowing who I was, and now I believe, it was, in part, because I didn’t even know which name I went by. I let others define who I should be.
Needless to say, when my family and my husband’s family met, it was confusing for everyone! The in-laws didn’t realize my immediate family called me one thing, and they another. It was like I had two different identities.
But what’s interesting was that, once I started feeling comfortable with being called Kaye by everyone, I started to feel more and more like myself. It was as if the shield I hadn’t realized I’d been holding up for more than two decades was dropping.
It just felt right in the moment to have this as my blog site name, because here I am fully myself. No more shields.
more about me
I am a wife, a mom of two toddlers, a professional artist, entrepreneur, and an Airman.
Reading, photography, sewing, gardening, and painting are among a few of the many hobbies I have.
I started this blog as a way to get all my thoughts organized in one place. I’m not sure which direction this will go yet, but for now, this space is to share and document bits and pieces of my life, and hopefully bring some inspiration to you along the way.
Thanks for stopping by!
a bit of my story
I was born and raised in the Philippines, and migrated to the US in 2007 with my mom and sisters. The cultural and geographical transition were both exciting and challenging, especially for a 15-year old.
After I graduated high school in 2010 in Washington State, I went to Eastern Washington University for Visual Communication Design.
Two years in, I realized how much I preferred traditional art over graphic design, but believing then that there was “no money” in traditional art, I dropped out all together.
I then hopped around jobs, from hosting at Olive Garden, to doing secretarial/administrative work at a wholesale company, banquet serving at a fancy hotel to banking.
Frustrated with the paycheck-to-paycheck living and feeling unfulfilled, I felt the call to do something greater. I joined the US Air Force at the age of 26.
I served on active duty for 6 years, during which I met my now-husband, had two kids, and started two small businesses.
I transferred to the Air Force reserves and now do creative things full-time, including running this personal blog.
I really appreciate you reading my story and I hope you can be inspired in some way while visiting my page.
~ Kaye
