Fly High Dolls Founder Cimone Key didn’t grow up anywhere; she grew up everywhere. Being a part of a military family meant moving all across the United States and even across the ocean. Even as a little girl, she knew the countless people, cultures, and art she encountered were helping her achieve a unique destiny.
At the age of 16, Cimone’s mommy got called to duty to fight for our country for the second time in Iraq. This left Cimone heartbroken because her mom had to be in a danger zone once again, and she had to move from Virginia to Texas, away from all her friends during her last year in high school.
Who knew that moving to the BIG state of Texas would change her life forever? Her Daddy was in an upper-class suburban area where she didn’t see many kids who looked like her.
During career day, an art school exposed her to creative jobs such as graphic design, web design, interior design, animator, and chef. She didn’t know it was possible to grow up and make a career out of doing something you love, a techy artist. She fell in love with being a graphic designer.
One thing that was stopping her though, the school cost tons of money, more than the average since it was a private art school. Cimone was going to settle for another school because she knew her mommy couldn’t afford it. Her mom was determined to figure out a way to get her in that school by all means necessary.
One day, President George Bush announced that military parents can pass down their GI Bill to their children. This was a blessing. Cimone was able to go to the art school, graduate at the top of her class, and win the best portfolio out of her graduating class.
Then she worked at some of the top advertising agencies in Dallas, Texas. She knew something was missing and wanted to own her creative agency one day.
Determined to chase her dreams, she founded what would become CK Creative Studio—an award-winning, black woman-owned branding and digital marketing agency in Dallas, Texas, that has now shaped the creative identity of some of the biggest corporations in the world.
Fly High Dolls are a part of Cimone’s dream to help parent plan for their children’s future early, be the catalyst to financial literacy, and expose underserved communities to S.T.E.A.M. careers. The Fly High Gifts will help them save and fund their wildest dreams by providing a model of “serious” success that’s fly, fun, and stylish.