Stylist, photographer, model and writer - Kia Chenelle does it all. After spending four years as a dutiful government employee, she took a hard look at what she really wanted to do for a living, and needless to say, it wasn't working for someone else in an office. Even though her family called her crazy, and even though the recession had just begun to hit a high point, she quit the 9-5 two years ago and started following her dreams.

Kia dove head first into the fashion industry, and made a name for herself as a stylist in her hometown of Baltimore and in Atlanta. She was named an Artist of the Week at the Stilista Agency, was heralded as a "stylist to look out for" by Atlanta based Allezom magazine, and provided fashion tips for a local television station. She then headed for Brooklyn, surrounding herself with like-minded artists and fashionistas. Her freelance styling business became a success, and she found herself working in video, commercials and runway projects with clients like BET, Maserati and Christian Siriano.

Seeing a void in quality lifestyle magazines for minorities, Kia launched quarterly magazine Quixotic Online in August. Quixotic Online showcases talent that tends to be overlooked in a lot of other publications, and Kia plans to offer stories on fashion trends, alternative lifestyles, and other topics that tend to be under-covered in mainstream lifestyle mags. She hopes to make Quixotic Online the "ultimate platform for the voices you don't normally hear" - a welcome goal in a sea of sameness.

Not only is Kia taking on the online mag industry, she and a team of artists are making plans to give back to the community by providing workshops for kids, giving the "right-brainers" an opportunity to see that they can follow their dreams. She wants to pass on the eureka moment that she waited for four years to act upon, and let kids know that they can "expand on your god given talent - just because you're taught to sit behind a desk doesn't mean it's right for you. It's okay to be an artist."

Looking at her first issue by itself, it's clear that she has artistic talent in many areas. We're proud to add Kia to our roster of effing amazing women making a difference in the world, and look forward to the second issue of Quixotic Online, coming in January.

Thanks Kia!

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