Meet Kira Geddes | Owner, Designer at Casa Kira

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

Hi Kira, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I saw a meme once on Instagram that said “Do what you love and you’ll always love what you do” Except that “you will always love what you do” was crossed out and replaced with “you’ll kind of work all the time.” This spoke to me… When I became extremely motivated to pursue my art business full-time, I was just starting to accept the idea that I could pursue my passion in the long term, and not keep that part of my life as something on the side, or separate. Also, my kids were young, and I wanted a job with lots of flexibility in the hours and days that I worked. Now I know that this is mostly a blessing, but also can be a curse. When you have your own business and are self-employed, there is no such thing as ‘being done’.
There is an endless list of things that need to be done, ways that the business can grow, ideas that you want to pursue etc. I almost never come home at 5 o’clock, put my feet up, and say to myself ‘well another day down and I have nothing to think or worry about until tomorrow.’ It’s more like that’s when I pull out my laptop, and start updating the website, or balancing books, organizing events, doing taxes, or sending out emails etc
My work often has me working on weekends, but since my family works and schools Monday through Friday, I really have to force myself to take a weekday off after working six in a row.
I’ve gotten much better about taking down time and drawing a line between work and home life, my business has grown and so I have my kids so that helps a lot. But I have a feeling as long as Casa Kira continues to thrive and grow, it will be something that I will always have to work on.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Casa Kira jewelry is made with fair trade and ethically sourced materials from around the world. Every Casa Kira design is a limited edition or original work. The business places a strong emphasis on “Localness” and Supporting the Local Arizona economy. Casa Kira is a proud member of Local First Arizona.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well of course depending on the weather, this is Arizona after all, we would do a lot of walking, hiking and seeing the outdoor beauty. Sabino Canyon is a must, I could go there day after day and have a different experience each time. We would probably go to some of my favorite taco and Sonoran hotdog trucks. That is something very specifically Sonoran Desert you really cannot get anywhere else. Coincidentally, or maybe not so much of a coincidence, many of my favorite places in Tucson are also places that have awesome gift shops that carry my work! I would love to take my best friend visiting from out of town to the Tucson Museum of Art, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Antigone books store on fourth Avenue. Loews Ventana Canyon resort has an awesome gift shop and restaurant. One of my favorite things to do is hike the Ventana Canyon Trail located along side the resort property, then hit up the hotel for some brunch and Mimosas

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There were several store buyers in my early days of selling my jewelry to gift shops, who took the time to recommend other stores they thought my product would do well in, or give me advice about process and how to approach buyers. People like John McNulty at the Tucson Museum of Art, and Elise Gaynor at UMC GIFT shop.

Website: www.casakira.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casakiratucson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasaKira