Haley Johnson
Founder @ Okay Studio / Social Media Manager / Project Manager / Artist
Chattanooga, TN
Q What do you do?
“I’m the founder of Okay Studio, a creative home where I get to work with amazing brands across a few different disciplines.”
I'm a slashie at my core.
At the root of everything I do: creative vision paired with a knack for building repeatable systems, working efficiently behind the scenes so brands can get things done. That shows up as nearly a decade in social media and content marketing (including building and scaling an influencer program that drove $1.5M+ in revenue in ten months), as well as as project management for creative teams.
More recently, I launched a maker's arm called Okay Objects, where I get to work with my hands. I've been lucky to land brand collaborations and wholesale placements with stores across the country.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I started managing my first social media account at 19 while studying abroad in Lithuania, and I never really stopped. Since then, there's always been a roster of social accounts in my phone, and I've been hooked on the way social can connect people to brands, ideas, and each other.
Over the years, I've worked in agencies, start-ups, nonprofits, and e-commerce, but the throughlines have always been the same: storytelling and planning, everything, all the time. Working at agencies taught me how much I love juggling multiple creative projects. Working with visionary founders taught me how much I value being aligned with beautiful brands, cool products, and creative people.
The path hasn't been a straight line (whose is?), but it's taken me across the world with my camera and notebook, posting for brands everywhere. A few years ago, I also picked up clay, which turned into Okay Objects, the maker's arm of my work now.
Today, I run Okay Studio, supporting brands and creatives with social media management, project planning, event support, and handmade ceramics and art. Creativity and culture are what light me up, and I thrive on being the behind-the-scenes person who makes things run seamlessly, whether that's a brand's content calendar or a piece made by hand.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
Most people are either the visionary or the person who makes the vision real. I'm the second one, and that's what I love doing.
I steep in a brand's identity until I know it inside and out, then build the systems that make the output, social content, a project timeline, an event run of show, look and feel effortless from the outside.
For me, I think range is my superpower. Having worked across disciplines and industries, I notice things that others don't.
Q What are you working on right now?
I'm always chasing something new to learn. Lately that's salsa dancing, yoga, planning solo trips, and studying Spanish. Anything to help me touch grass, get out of my comfort zone, meet new people, and experience the world from a different perspective.
On the work side, I'm keeping an eye on what's next in social, design, and community-building, and figuring out what Okay Studio grows into next. Because... she's always evolving. :)
Q What’s your style?
My work and collaboration style is grounded, casual, and blunt. I like people who say it like it is, and I'll do the same. I'm a systems-thinker, a planner, and a connector. My skill is strategy behind the scenes of a brand, project, or event, and almost everything I do comes back to people: how they feel, what they need, where the friction is before it becomes a problem. I solve things through empathy and my own experience being on the other side, as a customer, a guest, a collaborator.
My goal is always the same: make things easier for everyone around me, communicate directly, and show up like I've been part of the team the whole time. You can see more of my work here.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Event planning, hands down. I love being behind the scenes making something happen in real life, obsessing over the details most people never consciously notice: how a room flows, how people move through a space, the things that make someone feel comfortable enough to connect with a stranger.
Camping trips, dinner party series, creative workshops, curated gatherings with a theme and a dress code, I've been doing versions of this for my own community for years. I'd do it full-time if I could.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
My own marketing always takes the hit when I'm busy with client work! I’ll happily map out someone else’s social calendar or project plan, but creating content for myself lands at the bottom of the list. Also, anything that has to do with my car, I literally can't even think about it.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Girl, cleaning, for sure. And managing my inbox.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
At 7: Keep doing what you like! It's exactly what you're supposed to be doing.
At 15: Box dye is not your friend, respectfully!!
At 21: Experiment more, fail faster!
At 30: You're just getting started.
Will keep reminding myself: Go back to what you knew at 7. She already had the answers.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
*Always* psychology, interior design, art, and community-building.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I love design, connection, and being a part of new ideas. Whether you're a boutique hotel looking for custom ceramic cups no one else has, a founder looking to design a retreat for their community, or a brand looking to translate their ethos into social-first content, let's chat. I'd love to meet you.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love working with creative teams and founders, particularly brands in wellness, fashion, design, and community-building.
A few favorites:
- Growing an interior-designer-founded rug company's audience by over 70k followers across three years, aligning content with product launches and other channels.
- Event support at Brand Assembly, toggling between logistics, social media support, and community management.
- A limited-run ceramics collaboration with Free People.
Q: What is your rate?
I work in a flexible, per-project way with each client, it just depends on what you need. That might look like project-based contract work, a retainer for ongoing support, or hourly for lighter support roles.
For ceramics wholesale, I have a minimum order value. You can inquire here.
Let's chat about your goals, and we can find something that works.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Reach out via okay-studio.com/contact. I'll get back to you within 24 hours. You can also shoot me an email at haley@okay-studio.com.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Mali Rezai
Marissa Jackson
Kirsten @ Aspen Theory
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Logging the f*ck off screens! Painting, nature, writing, music, yoga, travel!
This member profile was originally published in September 2022, Updated November 2025 & October 2026.