My name is Karley, and I am the owner of Karley Hill Design. What first started out as a freelance graphic design company, has now turned into something bigger and more exciting than I could’ve ever imagined.

I struggled with my mental health all throughout high school, but was eventually put on medication and life was much easier with it. Fast forward about 6 years, in the fall of 2020, my junior year of college, everything took a turn for the worst, almost overnight. I was in 15 hours of school, serving on the executive council for my sorority, and had a part time job. I was truly living my best life and I loved every second of college, until I didn’t. I began having crippling anxiety and depression 24/7, every second of every day I felt like there was an elephant on my chest, and a dark cloud of depression over my head. I suffered from extreme panic attacks almost daily, I could hardly eat, couldn’t sleep, my hair was falling out, and I lost so much weight that I weighed less than I did when I graduated high school. My heart would be racing constantly, and I physically felt ill from the anxiety. Everything overwhelmed me, and I suddenly didn’t feel any joy or excitement in any of the amazing things going on in my life. We tried to change my medication many times, and nothing helped. This went on for 2 semesters, and I went through every single minute of every single day feeling like this, without telling anyone outside of my parents, my sister, my roommate, and my boyfriend, and it’s truly a miracle that I made it out alive.

In the summer of 2021 when I thought it would all get better because I was home and had less to worry about, I was wrong, and got to the absolute lowest point of my life. I was put on an antipsychotic and it made me have thoughts and feelings of not wanting to be alive anymore. We even went as far as looking at an inpatient program to admit me, but I backed out because I was terrified. Once I got off that medication, I decided I was going back to school to finish my senior year of college. I remember thinking, "I can't just stop my life for this." I first had to get through two weeks of sorority recruitment. I was leading recruitment as a senior and had to put on the happiest face and attitude, but inside I was the most miserable I had EVER felt, I would wake up crying, go to sleep crying, and would completely break down anytime I was alone.

Once that was over, I only made it two days into my senior year before completely reaching my breaking point. I called my parents while having the biggest panic attack I have ever experienced in my life, and they made the decision to pull me out of school and move me home to get the treatment I needed.
It was heartbreaking to say the least, knowing that I had tried for a full 12 months to get myself back to normal because I wanted so badly to finish college, and I couldn't stop wondering why this was happening to me. 
Why me, God? I would constantly ask. Why don’t I get to finish my degree like everyone else? Why do I have to miss my senior year full of fun and ‘lasts’? Why did I get all of 24 hours to wrap my mind around the fact that my college life at Texas Tech was completely over, forever? Why was I hitting rock bottom now, and not after college? Nothing made sense, and it still didn’t make sense in the years to follow as I focused on healing my brain.

On the 2 year anniversary of leaving college, I got a tattoo that says ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’ because I am a firm believer in that, and that something good can always come from something so bad. At this point I hadn't found the reason this had happened to me, but I still believed so much that one day I would see the reason. Almost exactly a year after getting that tattoo, after a ‘what am I doing with my life and my business’ mental breakdown to my boyfriend, I woke up the next day and had this very different, overwhelming feeling of knowing that I am meant to use my business and design career plus my mental illness story for good, and create apparel to help others feel less alone when they’re going through the same thing. That means sharing my story online for everyone to see, which is terrifying, but the more I do it, the more I feel like I’m truly helping people.

These designs are inspired by quotes that have guided me through my healing journey. Each one carries a meaningful story, and I hope they provide you with inspiration and remind you that you’re not alone. It’s perfectly okay to not be okay, and seeking help is a sign of strength. My mission is to break the stigma around discussing mental health because once you open up, you’ll find that you’re not alone—many people, in fact, experience mental health struggles. With 1 in 5 individuals affected, it’s a conversation we need to have. I hope you find comfort in my story, my brand, and the apparel I create.

All my love,
Karley 

My story

In the summer of 2021 when I thought it would all get better because I was home and had less to worry about, I was wrong, and got to the absolute lowest point of my life. I was put on an antipsychotic and it made me have thoughts and feelings of not wanting to be alive anymore. We even went as far as looking at an inpatient program to admit me, but I backed out because I was terrified. Once I got off that medication, I decided I was going back to school to finish my senior year of college. I remember thinking, "I can't just stop my life for this." I first had to get through two weeks of sorority recruitment. I was leading recruitment as a senior and had to put on the happiest face and attitude, but inside I was the most miserable I had EVER felt, I would wake up crying, go to sleep crying, and would completely break down anytime I was alone.

Once that was over, I only made it two days into my senior year before completely reaching my breaking point. I called my parents while having the biggest panic attack I have ever experienced in my life, and they made the decision to pull me out of school and move me home to get the treatment I needed.
It was heartbreaking to say the least, knowing that I had tried for a full 12 months to get myself back to normal because I wanted so badly to finish college, and I couldn't stop wondering why this was happening to me. 
Why me, God? I would constantly ask. Why don’t I get to finish my degree like everyone else? Why do I have to miss my senior year full of fun and ‘lasts’? Why did I get all of 24 hours to wrap my mind around the fact that my college life at Texas Tech was completely over, forever? Why was I hitting rock bottom now, and not after college? Nothing made sense, and it still didn’t make sense in the years to follow as I focused on healing my brain.

On the 2 year anniversary of leaving college, I got a tattoo that says ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’ because I am a firm believer in that, and that something good can always come from something so bad. At this point I hadn't found the reason this had happened to me, but I still believed so much that one day I would see the reason. Almost exactly a year after getting that tattoo, after a ‘what am I doing with my life and my business’ mental breakdown to my boyfriend, I woke up the next day and had this very different, overwhelming feeling of knowing that I am meant to use my business and design career plus my mental illness story for good, and create apparel to help others feel less alone when they’re going through the same thing. That means sharing my story online for everyone to see, which is terrifying, but the more I do it, the more I feel like I’m truly helping people.

These designs are inspired by quotes that have guided me through my healing journey. Each one carries a meaningful story, and I hope they provide you with inspiration and remind you that you’re not alone. It’s perfectly okay to not be okay, and seeking help is a sign of strength. My mission is to break the stigma around discussing mental health because once you open up, you’ll find that you’re not alone—many people, in fact, experience mental health struggles. With 1 in 5 individuals affected, it’s a conversation we need to have. I hope you find comfort in my story, my brand, and the apparel I create.

All my love,
Karley 

My name is Karley, and I am the owner of Karley Hill Design. What first started out as a freelance graphic design company, has now turned into something bigger and more exciting than I could’ve ever imagined.

I struggled with my mental health all throughout high school, but was eventually put on medication and life was much easier with it. Fast forward about 6 years, in the fall of 2020, my junior year of college, everything took a turn for the worst, almost overnight. I was in 15 hours of school, serving on the executive council for my sorority, and had a part time job. I was truly living my best life and I loved every second of college, until I didn’t. I began having crippling anxiety and depression 24/7, every second of every day I felt like there was an elephant on my chest, and a dark cloud of depression over my head. I suffered from extreme panic attacks almost daily, I could hardly eat, couldn’t sleep, my hair was falling out, and I lost so much weight that I weighed less than I did when I graduated high school. My heart would be racing constantly, and I physically felt ill from the anxiety. Everything overwhelmed me, and I suddenly didn’t feel any joy or excitement in any of the amazing things going on in my life. We tried to change my medication many times, and nothing helped. This went on for 2 semesters, and I went through every single minute of every single day feeling like this, without telling anyone outside of my parents, my sister, my roommate, and my boyfriend, and it’s truly a miracle that I made it out alive.