Full Circle: Mama, I made it!
Wooow! I really did it, y’all! I can finally share that I am the very first winner of “A Very Haunted Renovation” on HGTV! Not only did I live in the haunted Bihl Manor for 31 days, I left there a survivor of the house, it’s spooky charm and all the drama! I am forever changed!
Logan Wright smiles on as SK Stokes Kennedy is named the winner of "A Very Haunted Renovation" on HGTV.
My heart was racing as I sat there with my family and friends on finale night, just as it did in that room before the judges. This haunted house that I've come to love, these spirits that I call on by name, truly were my home for 31 days as I attempted some of the hardest interior and internal work of my life. Then, to stand in front of theeee Hannah Beachler and Michel Smith Boyd, hear them critique and understand my work, be moved by my storytelling and have them name me the winner of this competition — I am f l o a t i n g.
When I stood in that room waiting for the final judgment, I was hopeful. Now that I know this can be done, I hope for so much more.
The Inspiration
Even with a story to tell, I’d be lying if I said my inspiration was anything more than returning victorious to my heart beat at home. As much work as I put into each space, and the dream of being on HGTV, I needed to hold my head high when I saw my family again. I am deeply honored that the work I put out, the pounds I lost, the design I conceptualized, the details I crafted, the hours you cannot see, the context you won’t have, the scars that I will live with all lead me home. This kitchen will remain with me forever.
So, What is this thing? A Blog?
Well… yeah! FULL CIRCLE is me getting back to all the things I love: the storytelling. Whether that be of design, of the experiences that shape this creative or of the worlds that I choose to build within it. It's what slips into the gaps between work, aspirations, family, and self. It's the story of an ambitious intern, a semester under her belt, entering the industry and getting promoted four weeks into the gig. It's the design firms I founded, helped build from the ground up, and then had to leave behind to save my peace of mind. It's becoming myself over and over again until I'm honest enough to let it stick. It's reopening on my own: the trusting, the betrayals, the near defeat. It's feeling like I'm at the very bottom and then taking a chance on a dream when a friend sends me a casting call. It's watching things shift right before my very eyes. It's winning a design competition show on HGTV like you always knew you would! It's every beautiful thing I’ve known, that is to come and everything in between.
Michel!
The Icon: Hannah Beachler
Why Now?
Why not? I have been approaching each facet of my life with such relentless authenticity lately, and look where it's gotten me! So now I'm demanding a life that doesn't force me into a box, one that says I can be as creative, broad, skilled, and eclectic as I want to be, and that when needed, I can create my own avenues to bring those choices to life. I want to show people it's not all picking paint colors and posting on Instagram. Sometimes it really is about making a choice and following through, even if the choice is simply to try.
Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself. Either way, I've grown into a version of me I don't mind staring at in the mirror, today especially, and I'd like to share as much of that as I can.
So I hope you'll stick around.
Subscribe with your email and expect to see me in your inbox next Tuesday! Most importantly, tell me what you want to see or learn. I've been around the sun a few times, even though I look young… and I'm eager right now to give; to share. Until next time.
XO
