Today we’d like to introduce you to Kay Harms.
Hi Kay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I have a degree in public relations, so being a blogger and YouTube creator is really right up that alley. But in 1990 I left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom. I always felt like if I stayed current on media trends and used my writing skills in other areas of life, such as a church and for non-profits I was involved with, I would eventually be able to return to work in my field. I didn’t want to miss out on the years my kids were at home and I loved being available to them. But as they got into middle school and high school, I started freelancing for magazines and I started an inspirational blog. Eventually, I even wrote a few books and started doing a good bit of public speaking at women’s church events and retreats. I liked that I was still able to be at home but also make an impact outside of my home. I’m a big believer in life has seasons, and I never regretted using that season of my life mainly to be a mom.
When my two kids had grown and flown from the nest, I decided it was time to jump into something bigger than freelance work. I’d been following a few fashion bloggers and felt like I could do what I saw them doing, even though they were considerably younger than me. I knew it would be hard work and that it would take at least two years to begin to turn a profit, but I was up for the challenge. At the time we were living in Arizona.
My husband had just purchased a camera – to take landscape photos – so I asked if he would be willing to learn a little about fashion and portrait photography so he could take my pictures of outfits. He was more than willing, and we’ve been doing this together now for over four years. We have both put a lot of research into this venture, learning how best to do what we do. He continues to be my photographer and videographer and my biggest supporter.
We moved to Cincinnati from Arizona in the spring of 2019. I immediately fell in love with the city. A big part of my job as a fashion blogger is taking lifestyle photos of me in outfits that I’m sharing. So, we absolutely love taking photos in Cincinnati and the surrounding villages. We take a lot of pictures in Montgomery, Blue Ash, Milford, Mariemont, and even downtown Cincinnati. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with a few local businesses, including Rookwood Commons and Pavilion. (One of my photos is from a Christmas shopping collab I did with Rookwood.)
While I did set out to start a profitable business in 2018, I also wanted to encourage other women who, like me, are in their 50s and beyond. I saw so many of my friends and acquaintances going through somewhat of a crisis of identity as our nests emptied, our careers peeked or ended and our bodies changed. It’s easy to begin feeling a little invisible, somewhat “done” and quite out of touch as you reach these years of great change. And especially in a culture where technology plays such a big part in our everyday lives, it’s tempting to stop moving forward. But I encourage women to get dressed for their day so they can continue to show up in a big way. I feel like we still have so much to offer and we need to get dressed beautifully and appropriately for the day so that we will be taken seriously.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s not been a smooth road, but it’s not been a struggle either. It’s just been a lot of hard work. Growing a platform and a community as a blogger, YouTube creator, and social media influencer takes a lot of time, consistency, savvy and quality work. And we’ve made quite the financial investment in this business, too. We had to plow on through those first two years even when we weren’t making much of a profit, trusting that we would eventually turn the corner. And we did. That felt very rewarding.
I love what I do. I feel like this business is both the work I’ve been given to do for this season in life as well as a reward of sorts for the work I did as a mother in the previous season. It’s been a natural outflow of one season to the next. And it feels really good.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a fashion blogger and YouTube creator. Some would call me an influencer. I blog at DressedforMyDay.com and my YouTube channel is also Dressed for My Day with Kay Harms. On both platforms, as well as on Instagram and Facebook, I encourage women 50 and above to get dressed beautifully and stylishly for their unique days so they can show up and engage authentically with the people around them. At a time when so many women start feeling a little invisible and unnecessary, I want women to know that they still have so much to offer to their families, churches, communities, and each other.
I’m known for using my platforms to share styling and beauty tips that are unique to the aging woman, but also sharing from my heart and my faith. I’m a Christian, and I share that naturally and authentically with my Dressed for My Day community. Many of them share my faith, but others do not.
I’m also a little unique in that my husband is my partner in this business. I know many fashion influencers whose husbands occasionally take their photos, but mine takes all my photos, edits them, and videos my YouTube videos. He’s even set me up a beautiful studio in our home for videography and photography. We’re very much partners.
And because my husband and I are in the empty nest age group, a lot of my readers and viewers identify with our life stage. They enjoy exploring Cincinnati and the surrounding tri-state area with us through my blog and social media channels. We’ve taken them to Finlay Park, Washington Square, Mount Adams, the Cincinnati Nature Center, and many of the downtown hamlets in greater Cincinnati.
I do sponsor blog posts and videos for retailers that are well represented in Cincinnati, such as Chico’s, Talbots, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, and Kohl’s.
I’m very pleased with the number of women who make up the Dressed for My Day community. I have a mailing list of over 14,000 and my YouTube channel has over 110,000 subscribers. Even more wonderful are the emails I receive from women every single day telling me the difference my blog posts and YouTube videos have made in their lives. Women are getting dressed and heading out the door to contribute to their world because I’ve encouraged them and given them some style tips. It’s really pretty amazing. And I’m quite humbled by it all.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
My husband and I just moved to Cincinnati a little over three years ago, and we absolutely love it. I’m from Georgia, and we’d been away from the south for most of our married lives, having lived in Texas and Arizona. So, when we came here, it felt like the perfect blend of Southern charm mixed with a true midwestern vibe and four perfect seasons thrown in for good measure. We love the seasons, the architecture, and the beauty of the city and the surrounding townships. We have made a point of getting out to explore Ohio every second Friday of the month, and we’ve spent more than half of those monthly outings right here in greater Cincinnati, exploring places like Finlay Market, the Cincinnati Nature Center (where we’re now members), Washington Square Park, Union Terminal and Mount Adams. We love it all!
We also love the food scene in Cincinnati, especially Sotto, Eli’s BBQ, and Jeff Ruby’s Carlo and Johnny.
I guess the thing we like least about Cincinnati would be how long it stays cold into the spring. But we’re actually adjusting to that just fine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dressedformyday.com/
- Instagram: @dressed_4_my_day
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaysstyleblog
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DressedforMyDaywithKayHarms
Image Credits
James Harms
