Check Out Kimberly Giles’ Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Giles.

Hi Kimberly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As I think about my story, I have the Talking Heads song “Once in a Lifetime “ resonating in my head, Along with the key question of the song: “World, How did I get here?” ..

The other formative lifetime question came from my grandparents, whom I spent most of my years with traveling in an airstream trailer; camping and fishing within Oregon and Northern California asking me: “Are you a city girl or a country girl?”

I can resoundingly say that at 47, I am a country girl that loves and embraces Texas with the most joy that makes a little girl giddy for ice cream served up in a silver dish and music that floats her soul over the hail bails or peach orchards at sunset.

When asked how we got here, it implies that we had this strategy; a summation all neatly packed up like a professional resume that makes you look like your life is a perfect concerto.

My life has always been the odd peg that never neatly fit into its appropriate hole.

I am blessed to know this about myself and feel immense gratitude for God and my angels that guide me daily in this awareness about myself.

When I was growing up, my mother was the “city” girl.

Glamorous, beautiful and a single mother.

The isolation that filled my daydreams up were the most lovely and intoxicating magazines we had every week on our coffee table.

I would rip out pages from numerous fashion magazines, travel magazines, home and architectural magazines and literally cover my entire four walls of my bedroom with them every month.

I wanted to see exotic places, learn about fashion and interior designers, chefs, I wanted an escape.

And I loved the beauty that these pages surrounded me within my room daily.

It gave me hope that one day I would see.

Escape my awkward pre-teen years and learn more about our world.

I left the United States at very young age and soon found myself in magazines as a model.

I did this for ten years.

Starting as a teenager.

I lived mostly in Europe and the East coast till I was 24.

I had a resounding love for travel but hatred for my career and the falseness of what I was doing and the objectification I was exposed to.

What I loved and what filled my soul was my desire to learn more and be around real and authentic people.

People told me their stories wherever I lived and visited and I just recall through all my travels, journals, photos it was the people that mattered in every region that had a decent life. A mom n pop biz that shared their story gave me a slice of chocolate cake or an artisan that was creating something I had never seen or a chef that got his produce from a local grower.

I saw so much beauty in the simplicity.

Of regional life in many geographical regions of the world that truly formulated the way, I envisioned how magazines, how publishing should be.

Honest And Real

My first exploration into the back end of publishing came to me when I found myself as a single mom packing my life up with my two dogs moving from Arizona to New Mexico.

I had the moment that was a lightning bolt

I picked up a magazine in Santa Fe and realized, Wow, this is something; but I can make it way better!

I arranged a forcible meeting with the publisher and told her in a couple of hours how I could see this magazine improve and if she would just give me a shot, I would work for free and take commission of any sales I could sell to grow her vision.

I got that shot!

I also got to take my then three years old child till five all over the state of New Mexico learning about people.

And following my passion while being a full-time mom.

Ultimately; I sold out…

I left New Mexico and went to work for a designer and the pay was amazing.

I returned to Arizona.

And became the city girl that I never wanted to be.

It was a soul-sucking seven years in a mega strip mall, homogenous unnatural environment all for the almighty dollar.

Austin became one of my regions and I naturally began outskirting these fabulous small towns in our TX Hill country.

Stories and people began to open up to me again.

And the water gates flooded open with some of the most private “God” like language that comes in signs.

And vibrations

That words can never truly conjecture that full resonance of meaning.

I said God, this is it.

I will figure it out once I move myself and my daughter here.

I sold my house in three days.

I’ve been in Texas five years.

I found my magazine.

And much like the last one.

I begged.

Pleaded.

Often times work for free.

Because I am a “country” girl.

And I am blessed to share and shine the light on people in a magazine that truly matter.

And deserve to be in those pages.

World…. that’s how I got here.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I thrive on difficult situations because as I’ve grown my awareness to uncertainty allows me to perceive these challenges or obstacles as “opportunities”.

I meditate and pray daily.

I have learned after many years of struggle to appropriate balance back into my life.

Nature is my nurture.

My grandmother always told me to lay under a tree. On its roots, in the grass and look up. And let go.

Grounding is the most positive love that gives back to my soul.

And feeds my desire to do good.

I’m grateful for my publisher Ken Cooke for his support on my mental health and well-being.

Creative people operate on a different time clock;

Inspiration and best work modes for really talented people do not operate on an 8-5 clock.

For instance; I have to get in my car to think, drive and be out to do my job successfully

I have to hike

Walk

See

Breathe

Take care of myself.

And this is something most employers don’t recognize in their talent.

The best ideas come to me when I am free. And in flow. And in movement. I wake up with the sun.

I’m in tune with what nature is telling me in God’s speak, I’ve met my challenges. And obstacles because I’m embraced and empowered by my publisher. He allows me the freedom to meet the demands of my responsibilities on my time.

This is a gift. That makes me work harder. Because I treasure that trust. He places in me the flow is natural and we are able to print what I feel is perfection for the season.

For everyone to see.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I live in Fredericksburg Texas. I am a content creator, Co-creative editor For Rock & Vine Magazine. I wear many hats. As we are a tiny staff of 3-4 at most but I am responsible for planning, story content seasonally. As it pertains to the Texas Hill Country. I scout all the stories myself. Theme the issue out each season. Sometimes write. Sometimes take the photos. Coordinate freelance writers, Photographers. Sell the advertising to support the publication. Handle the social media. Arrange the events we co-host on with our partners. And work with people daily that I love and trust. Implicitly.

I work directly with art and production department to ensure that every story or ad alignment best represents our vision for our publication.

I also handle all the marketing for our publication.

This includes products, subscribers, and targeted partnerships with other entities that promote and support our publication and care about its circulation.

I research and learn daily on who is new and what they are bringing to our collective community table.

This can encompass a number of diverse people and their respective talents.

For instance:
Wineries
Breweries
Distilleries
Artisans
Artists
Musicians
Chefs
Architects
Farmers
Ranchers
Growers
Retail/mom n pop operations
Sustainable movements
Texas parks
Texas museums
And anything historical that resonates with our region

I’m involved on every detail and every thread that makes our publication shine its light on the people that deserve it.

I’m always growing right alongside the people that grow and support our publication.

It’s a synergy of partnership and community that I have felt and resonates with the success of our publication.

I care about our community and there is no person to small that I don’t want to feature.

I am blessed with an abundance of creative souls in our region; they are storytellers that have given me the grace to hear their stories and let our readers know how remarkable and inspiring they truly are.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Making choices becomes increasingly more complicated when you factor others on your path.

Life before my daughter was about this voyage and taking risks; and now it’s beginning once again as she’s older and we are both more independent of one another. We are always traversing, feeling, sometimes trembling into the unknown with risk as our first step.

Life was a deep dive into the ocean when I lived in other countries and didn’t understand the languages initially. However, I felt a freedom in this because I was experiencing these new places and didn’t register what people said or thought; similar to being underwater. I found freedom in these early risks because I didn’t care what people thought about me; and I began to listen to myself in a new way; this instilled a trust in myself at a very young age.

Risk taking is about surrendering and not controlling the flow; it requires that you give yourself over as a river that trusts its flow back to the ocean.

Risk is trust, Trust in yourself.

When you are able to release your fears of risk back to this flow, you can become creative, receptive, and find yourself deserving of the reward or lesson that for which you took your original risk.

The dams will always burst if you don’t consider the risk that God asks you to take in your life; Risk equates to understanding what your fear is of the unknown and surrendering to it like a river that flows back to the ocean.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.rockandvinemag.com/
• Instagram: rocknvine, discovertexashillcountry