Meet DontTellSummer ambassador Karly Kenyon…
Where are you in the world?
I’m a proud Solana Beach native, which is a cute little town in North County San Diego
How do you follow your bliss all year round?
I’m always looking for new places and connections. I think our world is amazing but we often forget to venture outside of our usual bubble and routine. I am blessed to have the freedom to work from home most of the time, so I decided to change the location of my “office” as much as possible. To me, this is how I follow my bliss all year round. I go on a mini adventure every day and meet new people that always surprise me with fascinating stories and perspectives. Even on a busy work day I can still say that I am blissful.
What are you currently up to?
Work and school take up most of my time. I like to stay busy so I have 3 jobs. I work at a boxing gym and at a clothing store. I also have recently started my own business doing marketing, design, and social media for companies and I am loving it. I study business because it is practical but I specialized in marketing because I can be artistic with it, which is what I enjoy most. My business is my happy medium between a practical, secure job and living free doing what I love.
Other than work and school, I try to get outside as much as possible. Most of the time that means surfing, but can also be anything from hiking nearby trails to roller skating on the beach boardwalk. I generally just love to be active so if I’m not adventuring outdoors, I work out a lot and have been really enjoying boxing.
If fear ever shows up in your life, how do you move passed it?
I like to go to my favorite spot. It’s a spot that overlooks the beach where I grew up surfing. It is a place where I can just admire the elements of the beach and remind myself that the world is bigger than just the current problem that I am having. You just have to breathe and keep moving forward. Things will work out as long as your heart is in the right place.
Why do you love what you do?
I love doing marketing because I get to collaborate with all kinds of people. I enjoy helping companies complete their brand and then send their message out to the world to expand their audience. It’s fun to see the improvements I make to a company’s design elements and it feels good to know that I am helping others succeed at following their dreams for their businesses. I also love being able to work from home most of the time so I don’t have to sacrifice everyday adventures.
What’s one of the biggest risks you’ve taken, and how did it feel to go for it?
The biggest risk I ever took was leaving my university to return home and connect to my roots. It was scary to leave everything and everyone at school but I just wasn’t happy there anymore and knew that only home could fix it. I since transferred and will finish school in San Diego a much happier and more ambitious individual. It feels good to take risks because that means that you aren’t choosing to do what is easy, you’re choosing to do what makes you truly happy.
Tell us a time when something totally synchronistic happened?
I feel like life in general is synchronistic. I’m a strong believer of “everything happens for a reason” so I think that all aspects of life – the good and the bad – synchronize in one way or another. I’m always finding ways in which this happens to me.
What advice could you give to someone who knows what they love to do, but haven’t gone for it?
It’s easier said than done but just do it! I guess the key would be to move forward no matter what. Don’t be discouraged by the giant overall task, just focus on what you can do now. Even if you only make tiny steps toward your dream, at least you’re closer to achieving it than before. Eventually those tiny steps will add up and before you knowing you’re doing what you love.
