Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerry Harris.
Kerry, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My love and passion for interior decorating started when I moved into my first apartment in NYC, many years ago. I remember having so much fun furniture shopping and designing each space in that tiny apartment. My co-workers and friends used to give me so much compliment and ask if I can help them decorate their homes. I was very humbled by their sweet compliments, to say the least.
Fast forward to December 2017, my sweet husband and a girlfriend of mine encouraged me to open up a home decor page on Instagram, to share our home. We had just moved into our newly built home with only our mattress because I wanted to decorate our home from scratch. I was nervous and excited about the Instagram adventure I was about to embark on, but I made sure to have fun and stay true to myself. The name Pops Of Color Home came from my love for decorating with colors. Growing up in Jamaica, everything was so beautiful and colorful, so having colors in my home is a very big part of my designs.
I started off by sharing a few rooms that were fully or partially decorated. I still remember my blurry pictures, horrible captions and less than 10 Insta-friends. I was so nervous that I didn’t tell my closest friends or family about this new journey until months after. This was simply because I was afraid of failure. I mean, who isn’t? Gradually, with consistency and a better camera, my following started to grow and during that process, I gained more confidence to share my journey with family and friends. After almost two years and a lot of hard work, ‘Pops Of Color Home’ is now a registered business and my baby. I launched my blogging website late July 2019, and I have so much growing to do, but right now I’m just so grateful for each opportunity. I am also grateful for all 132K of my Insta-friends, the personal friendships, and relationships I’ve made with brands.
While interior design is not my primary job, it brings me joy to be able to inspire others day by day. Every time someone tells me how much I inspire them, or when they send me a picture of items they bought because of me, or when they share my post, or when they simply like or comment on my post, I just want to give them a big hug. Gosh, I love my little community so much! They keep me going, and I wouldn’t be doing this interview if it wasn’t for them and my super supportive husband. By the way, my pictures and captions are way better now, lol.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Hell no! Can I say that? The road is never smooth, especially when you are putting yourself in the lion’s den, which is social media. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve come across some of the sweetest and kindest people on social media! However, there are some people who are just sitting behind their computers or with their phones in hand ready to unleash that mean comment under one or your photos, or in your DM. Those mean comments can really break a person who isn’t built for this type of negativity. I have a thick skin and I utilized my “block” button very often. Even though I rarely get mean comments, I don’t let them get the best of me or waste my time and energy responding. Sometimes, the best response is no response.
Another struggle is being consistent in creating great content. This was/is hard for me since I only share my home. Imagine sharing the same rooms over and over! This requires a lot of creativity to keep things interesting for your followers. When I first started, 99% of my captions was about the weather, hahaha! I’m into analytics, so I spend time analyzing what is it that makes my audience mostly engage, what angles of my home they love the most, which rooms, etc. By getting to know my audience, I got better at talking about more than just the weather. I also change up my decor a lot to provide fresh inspiration.
My advice for other women who are just starting their journey is just be yourself. Don’t try to fit into a certain group, be the one to stand out from the others and have lots of fun during the process. Don’t compare yourself to others (we’ve all been there), just stay in your lane and push through. Block out all negativity and put in hard work to get the results that you desire. Nothing happens overnight, trust the process!
Please tell us about Pops Of Color Home.
My primary job/career has been in healthcare for the past 13 years. However, my second job as an influencer/blogger is shaping up to be another full-time job. My designs are very simple, elegant, classic, modern with a touch of glam. I’m known for the girl with pops of color throughout her house. I don’t follow trends and rules when it comes to decorating my home. I buy things I love and things that me and my family will enjoy for a very long time.
Though I’m not available to take on clients for in-person interior design, I am planning to offer e-design services in the near future. I get so many emails and DMs with people literally begging me to decorate their homes and I feel so bad that I’m not able to help. I have a 4-year-old and I don’t want to miss out on his activities or spending quality time with him and my family, plus I have a full-time job.
I am most proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and putting myself and my home out there for all to see and judge. I am proud of all the wonderful collaborations I’ve done with brands, all of which have been a dream come true. I hired a web designer to create my blogging website and this has been one of the biggest and best investments, so I’m proud of that too. My goal is to step up my blogging game and become more consistent in writing blog posts and continue to inspire and motivate my audience to slay their home decor stylings.
There aren’t a lot of Caribbean home decor influencers/bloggers out there, so I’m proud to be a part of the small community, representing for all the islands!
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
When I first started my Instagram page, I did have one person who gave me a few tips like how to use hashtags, how many times per day I should post, and what time of day I should post, etc. However, no matter the amount of advice you get in this business, in the end, your success is 100% in your hands. You are the one designing and staging a room, you’re the one taking pictures and editing them, you’re the one coming up with captions, etc. You can have all the hashtags in the world, but if that picture you post is blurry, dark, or just a bad angle, you will not get the engagement you had hoped to get. My advice is to practice, practice, practice! Also, invest in your passion/business! Save for that camera that will make your pictures more pleasing to the eyes. Always think quality over quantity. It’s totally fine to get advice, but just know that you’re in the driver’s seat. I have given countless amount of people free advice and I’ve even written a blog post on “How to grow your Instagram account organically”. I’m working on part 2 of this blog post.
Being my authentic self, coupled with Google and YouTube worked best for me. I read a lot of articles about Instagram/influencers/bloggers and watched YouTube videos on how to edit my photos. I try to figure things out on my own before I ask for help. Also, engagement is key! I engage a lot with people in my niche and in return, most will engage with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.popsofcolorhome.
com - Email: popsofcolorhome@gmail.
com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
popsofcolorhome/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/popsofcolorhome/
Image Credit:
Kerry Harris
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