We had the good fortune of connecting with KaJay Rooke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi KaJay, how do you think about risk?
Growing up playing sports for most of my life I think helped me learn how to calculate risk and as I grew up, I was able to actively/subconsciously apply that to all sorts of areas of my life. Risk from sports were obvious like what if I go off this jump (is the snow fast enough/too soft?), what if I try hurdles for the first time (will I trip and face plant on the track?), or what if I jump up for this header (will I head-but another player or hit the soccer ball?). There were many times that I’ve miscalculated those simple risks and did get hurt or embarrassed but I always learned something from it and started getting it right the more I did it.

I think these early low-consequence risks lead me to be hungry for more healthy forms of adrenaline; This I think helped start my on my journey to own/start my own business. Through college I started taking on freelance projects and teaching myself how to run a side hustle and, at the time, any projects I took on were all relatively low-risk opportunities, like I wasn’t going to starve or be out of a home if I didn’t have enough client work. But those low-risk clients only quenched my thirst so much, and as I started to gain more experience I needed a new challenge for myself. After college, I moved back in with my family for a bit then down to Boston where I worked for almost 3 years but was sort-of stuck after my second year down there. I wanted the freedoms of freelance life but it felt too risky. I was too intimidated by all the talent out there and was so comfortable with steady income (I mean it is nice haha) that I couldn’t rip off the band-aid and go on my own.
When COVID shut the world down, I was laid off and faced with a pretty major turning point for me: The hard part was done, I didn’t have the steady 9-5 anymore… now do I 200% commit to freelancing and working for myself OR do I look for work at some other company and just keep side hustling? As I type this, I am going on 3 years as an independent creative entity and my drive to keep going on this path is red hot. I travel and make my own schedule, moved to the Sea Coast of NH and loving my decision. Part of that drive I think comes from 2 places: proving to myself that I can accomplish a very difficult thing and the higher consequence situation. Now, I NEED to make enough money to pay rent, afford my insurances, put gas in my car, buy food etc. but I love that fuel to drive me to be better and land bigger clients.
So for me, risk comes in many forms. Some very low-consequence to get used to making calculated risks and some major or extremely risky decisions that could open doors for bigger opportunities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Learning all of the things! Owning your own business is very exciting, but I can see where people get turned off. In a lot of cases, if you’re not outsourcing these yet, you have to be your own bookkeeper, manage your time between projects and various deadlines, communicate with clients, go seek new work, taxes, buy supplies…I mean the list keeps going. For me, I’m the type of person who LOVES to learn new things, so to jump into growing my business into a sustainable company for years to come is a huge goal but I like the process.
I’ve worked in several areas of design which I think has shaped me into a bit of a creative Swiss Army tool. From the start of my career, I’ve enjoyed cutting my teeth on areas of design that are interesting to me (which might sounds obvious) or totally new fields that were a great opportunity to take and just learn from. This has led me to the world of Experiential Design (which I never knew existed until my college internship), large format printing, pre-press design, printer maintenance, mechanical production design, creating social media designs, website & landing pages, package design, product design, apparel design… I mean the list is seriously a long one that is still growing.
My day-to-day is a melting pot of so many client projects that I’m always practicing new programs or ways to collaborate or learning a new skill or pushing my all-women’s mountain bike event (Thunderstruck), or finding new snacks…I mean clients 😉

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Most people at this point know I’m boarder-line obsessed with finding to-die-for ramen joints, cool hole-in-the-wall spots for art/food and travel.

With that said – I’m going to give you a few stellar places to check out no matter where you’re reading this from!

As far as food goes, there’s a ramen spot in Medford MA called Pikaichi Ramen that’s some of the best in the Northeast (in my opinion), a sandwich place called Culture in Milford NH that has an all-star menu, Squared Root in Brevard NC, Millworks in PA in housed in an old mill building that also has a series of artists galleries you can visit while you wait or Podunk BBQ which is a food truck next to a gas station off the 81 in Belleville Kansas

Random cool places? How about The Berkshires in Western MA (check out Thunder Mountain Bike Park if you’re mountain biker), Rek-lis Brewery in Bethlehem NH (also a mecca for mountain bikers), SoWa Art+Design district in Boston MA is all extremely cool to see (they also have summer/winter markets that host over 100 local vendors), Adams Beach just outside Tallahassee FL,

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh jeez, there is a list of people I could thank for helping me get here, honestly!

I’ll start with the ones that have been there (literally) from day 1: my parent/family. With open arms my parents have welcomed my back into their house while I get my sh*t together and figure out my career direction or next move. Like without question they have been there to help with my creative projects, renovation ideas and heaps of projects. For that I am thankful beyond words – I can honestly say I’m not sure I would be where I am now without their help along the way.

I’d also like to thank my friends who are also personal focus groups/therapists/adventure buddies/comedy show crowd; thank y’all for being there for me and my relentless questions about “what font looks batter – A or B or C or D…or…” “this or that” instagram quizes or “think people would like ____” – I appreciate your patience lol

And last but not least, thank you to everyone who has ever passed along my name as a suggestion, or if you were in the pool of people who helped me bring my brainchild “Thunderstruck” to life – Much love to you all!

Website: https://www.kajaydesigns.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kajayy_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kajay-rooke/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaJayDesigns/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOmRfzz8bvg

Other: https://www.kajaydesigns.com/thunderstruck-event-info/

Image Credits
Portrait image – @_katielo (Katie Lozancich) Bike image – @oldjamesy (James Willett)

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