How It All Started
Curly Kay Photo & Design all started with a very curious 10-year old girl and the very low-quality camera of an iPhone 4S. However, I wasn't always Curly Kay. At first, this business wasn't anything and I had always told myself that taking pictures wouldn't be anything other than a small hobby to keep me happy.
It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I really got into photography big time (almost a decade later). I was filling out scholarship applications that would ask me what my major was going to be, so I told myself to just give photography a try. I knew in my heart that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing a job that didn't involve creativity and art in some way. I asked local photographers about their experiences, what got them to where they are today and things that happened along the way. One in particular responded, Libby Gargano of The Grey Collective, and told me all about the photography program at Iowa Central and how amazing the head instructor, Rochelle Green was. So, with that, I applied and it's been amazing ever since. Rochelle has taught me so many amazing life lessons that have helped me grow as not only a photographer, but an individual as well. I can confidently and whole-heartedly say that I would not be the person and artist I am today without her. I owe it all to her.
Who's All Here?
For now, just me and of course you amazing people! It would be so amazing to have a bigger team one day, but that's something for the distant future (for now anyway...)
Choosing a Name
While growing my business through the amazing classes at Iowa Central, I had started with the name "Maddy Kay Photography". It was simple, effective, and really connected with who I was as an individual. My nickname has always been Maddy Kay, so it was perfect.
It wasn't much longer after that my indecisive brain came in and started telling me that my name wasn't good enough. I had the urge to make a change, but I wanted it to be something extra special. My late grandma Janis Kay Dreyer, though I haven't met her, is a very important person in my life and we happen to share a middle name. I wanted the work that I create to mean something, so I decided to dedicate my business to my grandma Jan by naming it "Kay Photography". It was a way for me to show my own personality, but also give my name and business a real meaning.
But, of course, it wasn't enough. Halfway through my first semester of sophomore year in college I decided AGAIN that my name wasn't the best it could be. Every photographer around me had unique and exciting names. I wanted something that turned heads and made people ask questions. My curly hair has always been the biggest part of who I am because, well, it's big. I thought it would be fun to incorporate that in some way, but I obviously had to find a way to maintain the tie to my grandma Jan. And here we are, months later and we have officially settled on Curly Kay Photo & Design (adding the design aspect soon). I'm thinking we'll keep it that way for a while. I feel like it just sings if that makes any sense at all.
Where We Goin'?
This business has been so fun to get started! It's so amazing to see the large support system that I have behind me and I'm so grateful for each and every one of you. Looking ahead, I'll be continuing my education at Iowa Central by majoring in accounting to help my business even more.
I plan to keep my business booming and would love to continue growing into an even bigger photo family. I'm not really sure what all that will entail right now, but only the future knows what's ahead, so I'm excited to see what happens and I hope to see you there with me!
