WAKULLA’S UNSTOPPABLE ARTIST KINSEY HOUGH

The 12-year-old excels at art, loves fishing, and is learning to be an entrepreneur

Kinsey Hough


Kinsey Hough art.


Kinsey Hough with the winning catch at Rock the Dock.

By LINDA ANN McDONALD Correspondent

Kinsey Hough is a 12-year-old local girl who enjoys sharing her artistic talent with one goal in mind: to benefit others.
Sharing a kind gesture to let them know she is thinking of someone – to bring a smile to their face, or to raise awareness for health conditions such as breast cancer and food allergies – is a driving force for Kinsey to create and share her art. Kinsey’s love for Wakulla County and nature is obvious in her work.
A Wakulla native born to Kevin and Cindy Hough, Kinsey is a powerhouse of talent.
“I like all art,” she says. “I like to wood burn, sculpt, air brush, paint (watercolor and acrylic, pastels, pen, pencils, oils, and charcoal). Sewing is fun, I can also make resin jewelry, Christmas ornaments, flower presses, wood carving and art with stamping.”
With a long list of art skills and finished projects, Kinsey does not stop learning and pushing her art abilities to the next level.
“This summer I signed up for a pottery class to learn the pottery wheel,”she says.
  Kinsey’s mother Cindy says of her daughter: “When she was little, my husband Kevin and I offered her crayons and paints, and she loved them. Kevin’s mother, Sandy, is an artist herself and she would buy plastic art kits for Kinsey to try when she was little.”
Kinsey adds: “My other grandmother, Wanda Williams, would always support me, encourage me and critique me so I can always do better.”
Kinsey has a passion for fishing which was inherited from both her grandparents and parents. A daddy-daughter fishing team named “Ride Teal Dark” with Kinsey and her father was established and started winning local fishing tournaments under that name.
“I have participated in Rock the Dock for consecutive years. This year in the youth division I placed 3rd place for spotted trout, 2nd place for rock bass and 1st place for both youth and adults for the redfish with the most spots – the fish had 18 spots.”
The “Ride Teal Dark” name was established for awareness to bring light to severe food allergy in which Kinsey lives with.
“Like pink brings awareness to breast cancer, teal represents food allergy, so we named the team Ride Teal Dark. Since my father is an avid angler, I learned how to inshore fish and freshwater fish for panfish. One of my favorite things to draw for my father is fish from the Wacissa River where he and his siblings grew up. When I paint for him, I think to myself how happy it will make him when he sees it.”
Kinsey also shares that she likes the competitiveness of the Rock the Dock event and being close to home fishing local waters and helping the cause of Panacea Waterfront conservation.
Besides her wins at local fishing tournaments, Kinsey also made a clean sweep of prize ribbons from the North Florida Fair in 2022. “I brought home 12 first place ribbons and three second place ribbons for my art,” Kinsey says. “My favorite entry was my redfish painting. I entered painting, sewing, carving, ornaments and two necklaces. After I won, I felt happy, and I can tell my art was getting better and it boosted my confidence. It makes me think about what I am going to enter next year.”
Laughing, Kinsey adds, “When I win, I feel people actually like my art and it’s not just me who enjoys my art.”
Being active in bringing awareness to breast cancer in our community is something Kinsey wanted to participate in at Wakulla’s “Think Pink”event at the Wakulla Senior Citizens Center where Kinsey made jewelry, auctioned it off and donated all proceeds back into the event.
“I like to give back to my community and support a good cause,” Kinsey says. In addition, she actively supports Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Wakulla with her art.
   In the fall of 2022, a business event called “Kreative Kids” was held at the Methodist Church off Shadeville Road with an invitation to local kids to be an entrepreneur. It was an opportunity Kinsey could not resist. Kinsey set up her table with her jewelry and ornaments and invited friends an family as visitors to the event and introduce her art to the community. “A lot of people bought my art for themselves and to give away as Christmas gifts for their family; that made me feel good, in a few hours I made $275. With this event, I learned how to display my product and sharpen my selling skills.”
Competitiveness and persistence  are attributes proving beneficial for this unstoppable girl. After months and months of entering, a second-place win was finally earned from a Breyer horse photo contest. The Breyer horse photo was incorporated with a coloring contest of a Christmas scene.
“One time there was a lady in my church who seemed sad, I created a picture out of pressed flowers and brought it to her work with a card to give to her. The lady was very happy with my present.”  
When asked what she wants to do with her future, she says, “I want to make money from my art and build a shelter for animals and I would like to teach and sell art in Wakulla County. Also, since it is now the month of May, which is food allergy awareness month, I want to raise awareness in Wakulla County that 37,000 people live with this condition plus more are affected due to the dietary needs associated with this condition. I want the children and their families who have this condition like me to learn healthy habits.”
Kinsey’s art is viewable on YouTube at “Ride Teal Dark.”