Meet Kerry Harris: Blogger/Content Creator

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

Hi Kerry, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
My work life balance has been a work in progress, but my family always comes first. It was hard finding a balance when my Instagram business page started to grow. I would spend hours on the app trying to post consistently, interact with my audience, and answer as many messages as possible. Now, I think I’ve been doing a great job balancing my full-time corporate job, my almost full-time content creator/blogging job, and my personal life. However, there’s always room for improvement. Nothing brings me more joy than spending quality time with my family, so whenever I have to take away time from them to complete a collaboration or respond to emails etc, I feel so guilty. My son is growing up so fast and I want to be present at all times for him. I can remember one time when I was so focused on meeting a deadline and he asked me a question, but I didn’t hear and asked him to repeat the question. He looked at me and said “because you’re always on your phone, mommy.” That crushed my heart to pieces! Therefore, it is very very important, for me, to always find a balance where I’m not cheating my family of any quality time. I set a schedule for when I am at home and that helps a lot.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m most proud of how I’ve turned my hobby into a business and I’m excited about what’s to come. I moved from Jamaica when I was 20yrs old (seems like forever, lol), had to adapt to the American food, culture, weather, etc. I also had to pretty much start college all over again, since I wasn’t able to transfer most of my college credits from Jamaica. However, I didn’t let that deter me from finishing. I say this to say, I do not let anything stop me from reaching a goal. I’ve been working in healthcare for almost 15 years and I started at entry level and worked my way up. I received 4 promotions within a 3 year span at my current job, and I’ve worked very hard to get there. Same with my business. It’s a lot of work. It’s more than taking a picture and posting it on Instagram. I have to clean, decorate, stage, edit the picture, write a caption, etc. Nothing in life is easy. You have to work hard to get where you want to be. To overcome challenges, I try to educate myself by either reading books, asking questions, or just use google to research. I’ve learned to never give-up on my dream/goals, never doubt myself, treat people the way I would want them to treat me, and just stay positive. I want the world to know that I’m just a simple and shy Jamaican girl living in Houston, with a heart as big as her goals, a proud mom, an amazing wife, a dedicated employee, and a passionate home decor content creator. I love to help others, especially kids in need. If I can work full-time and also have a full-time business, so can you!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To eat, I’d take them to Bloom & Bee or Brenner’s on the Bayou for brunch and Mastros or B & B Butchers for dinner. For drinks, I’d take them to Moxie’s or H Bar. To shop or hangout, I would definitely take them to The Galleria Mall and Top Golf. Some of the most fun things to check out are; the Museums, NASA, Houston Zoo, and Space Center

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my very supportive husband. He’s the one who keeps pushing and encouraging me. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have opened my Home Decor account on Instagram, so he deserves all the credit for that. He handles a lot of stuff around the house, so I get more time to decorate, stage, take pictures, etc. I get to do what I love because I have a husband that supports me 1000%. Also, my best friends and my aunts. They are my biggest cheerleaders, they always keep it real, and they always have my back! I’ve also met some of the sweetest and kindest people on Instagram. Some have shared a few valuable tips with me and have continued to support me over the years. I will be forever thankful for them.