Building Kahli Behind the Scenes May 2026

There’s a strange feeling that comes with building a brand from the ground up. Some days feel exciting and full of momentum, while other days feel heavy with stress, uncertainty, and pressure. Right now, Kahli is still in its early stages, and behind the scenes there’s a lot more happening than most people probably realize.

At the moment, I’m still working on setting up and shaping the brand properly. I’ve been spending a lot of time searching for curated goods that fit the identity and atmosphere I want Kahli to have, while also collaborating closely with artists to create original designs for future prints, stickers, stationery, and collectibles. There’s still so much I want to add before I feel truly ready.

Alongside product development, I’ve also been organizing future convention and vendor events I want Kahli to booth at. That means planning signage, figuring out display layouts, documenting workflows, and slowly building processes so things can run smoother in the future. I’ve also been brainstorming small giveaway events and community contests to help grow our social media presence while we continue getting established.

I think the biggest thing holding me back right now is simply needing more products and designs before fully stepping back into events. I don’t want to show up at a table with barely anything on it. I’ve also been unsure whether curated third-party goods will always be allowed at certain events, which pushes me even harder toward developing more original Kahli-branded products instead.

To be honest, starting a brand is stressful in ways that are difficult to explain unless you’ve gone through it yourself. A lot of people only see the finished table setup, the products, or the social media posts. They don’t see the risk behind everything.

I think sometimes people assume being a creative director means sitting back while artists handle all the work, but in reality I’m constantly balancing planning, finances, logistics, production, event preparation, marketing, and problem solving all at once. My goal has always been to support the artists I work with so they can focus more on creating and enjoying their passion while I handle as much of the risk and structure as possible.

That risk can become very real very quickly.

Paying artists hundreds of dollars for projects, spending hundreds more on booth fees, and investing even more into products only for items not to sell is honestly one of the most stressful feelings imaginable. I’ve dealt with dead stock before, and it can make you question everything. But even with those setbacks, I still want to keep moving forward and building something meaningful.

I know I probably need to move faster in some areas, but funding has honestly been one of the biggest limitations. I’m currently searching for both full-time and part-time work to help support myself while continuing to fund the brand, future products, and artist collaborations. Every new sticker set, print collection, or collectible takes time and money to produce properly.

Even so, I keep reminding myself that perfection isn’t realistic. At some point, you have to trust the process, continue improving, and keep creating.

Right now, I’m hoping to expand our lineup with more prints, more sticker sets, more stationery items, and eventually more collectibles that truly feel like Kahli. I want people who support us to feel excited whenever we announce something new.

At the same time, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.

Returning to events again feels both exciting and intimidating. There’s still a lot to prepare, and a lot I want to improve before then, but I’m genuinely looking forward to reconnecting with people, sharing our work, and slowly growing the community around the brand.

Thank you for being patient with us during this stage of growth. Kahli is still evolving, and I hope people will continue supporting the journey as we figure things out one step at a time.