Keyla & kolibríes: Trust yourself & Trust your talent
Keyla's take on qualities of being Honduran: Hospitality. Hard working. Entrepreneurial.
When asked about what an ideal Honduras needs, Keyla looks straight at Camila, her 13 year old daughter who quietly sits by her side. I'm sitting on the opposite side of her and even though I can't see their eyes I know Keyla's silent stare means 'pay attention, this is for you.' Keyla then turns to me and in her gentle, melodic voice says, "we need to teach our youth that their dreams are achievable. Why do something to make money that won't make you happy?"
Keyla was talking about a lesson she learnt through her own life. In her youth, she studied Fine Arts at Bellas Artes, the state-run school of the arts. Upon graduation, need and a lack of confidence in her own skills and dreams drove her to secretarial and administrative jobs, likely the furthest she could get from her passion for painting. Over eighteen years, a broken marriage, and two daughters later, Keyla found herself in need again, almost desperate for money. She had no job, no capital to invest, and lingering doubts about her skills. On a sleepless April night in 2018, a soft voice, as if sent from the divine, reminded her "what are you doubting? You can paint."
She painted her first shirt that night, a yellow and blue guacamaya on a white t-shirt. The next day she shared a photo of it with her sister, who immediately bought it, wore it, posted it on social media, and unknowingly started the snowball effect that gave birth to Kolibries, Keyla's brand of hand-painted clothing.
Keyla sews and paints every shirt herself. While she is known for motifs depicting Honduran flora and fauna, she delights in opportunities when customers give her artistic freedom. Painting has been more than a source of income for her; It is her passion and continues to be her best type of therapy.
Since that night, Keyla has not stopped painting and it is almost in disbelief that she narrates once having only four painted shirts when she was invited to showcase her work at an artesanal fair in Cedros, a small town two hours from Tegucigalpa, where she lives. The four shirts had been commissioned so she initially declined her attendance at the event because she had no other garments to sell. The lady inviting her insisted that it might be a good opportunity to get additional exposure. One of her neighbors and friend lent her a table and offered to join her. Her sister, who also went with her, lent her a Lenca tablecloth. And just like that, on somewhat of a whim, Keyla drove the four shirts she had already sold to the fair. She got in the best type of trouble possible when a woman who was visiting from abroad asked to buy the four shirts. She sold them and went back home to figure out how to quickly paint four more shirts.
Her business has grown organically: first demand, then a facebook page, then customer loyalty, and now a catalog. She has struggled with the formal business registry, which has kept the business from scaling.
She would also like additional exposure and wishes for improved support for the arts. However, her greatest challenge was overcoming the deep-seated fear of criticism. It took her a while to share her Facebook page with fellow artists or people closest to her. Much like the way her business has grown, though, overcoming fear has also been organic, encouraged by her customers who continue to nudge her by purchasing her clothing.
Keyla loves living in Honduras. Customers and relatives who have encouraged her to move abroad have received the same response "My life is here…. Honduras has such beauty. There is abundance everywhere." She dreams of opening a workshop space where people can gather, coffee in hand, to do art. A place where she can help others cultivate trusting themselves, their dreams and their artistic endeavours.
Asked if she ever dreamt of the success she has had, Keyla smiles, the way children joyfully do when they've done something mischievous. She says she dreamt of creating a clothing line that would cross frontiers. That's why she learned to sew and took all the courses when she was a stay-at-home mom. She also remembers jokingly telling friends "don't come asking for a hand-painted blouse when I'm famous."
……
“My advise, for women in particular: never take anything for granted. Even if you are at home taking care of your children, figure out how to continue to improve yourself. Be prepared to deal with adversity. Women, we have capacities, we are tenacious. ” — Keyla Suazo
Keyla Suyapa Suazo Zepeda was born in Esquías, Comayagua and moved to Tegucigalpa at age 14 to attend Bellas Artes. Keyla has taken courses in interior, graphic and fashion design and also on online marketing.
You can find her on Facebook, Instagram or on Kolibríes website.
Keyla's drawing of her first blouse