What the ‘Licensed’ Me Would Tell the ‘Student’ Me
They say that hindsight is 20-20. Being licensed and in the industry for over 20 years, there are a few things I would tell ‘me’ if I could go back in time. As a young future stylist, I missed out on so many opportunities that I had while I was in school. So if I could go back in time, here’s what I’d tell myself:
Pay Attention and Ask Questions
This was a struggle for me. Not because I suffered from ADD or ADHD, but because book work came easy for me. So I often found myself with a wandering mind. I would start planning my weekend on Monday, when what I should have been doing was working harder on my mannequin, practicing my color formulation and spending more time taking new Guests as they came in.
I also needed to ask more questions. When I thought I was paying attention and learning, I felt that naturally I already knew that. Oh boy was I wrong! When I was faced with something that I didn’t quite understand, rather than asking for help, I would try to figure it out on my own. Now I know that is not always such a good idea. Case in point: I wanted to take my level 9 blonde hair to a level 4 brown. I didn’t ask my educator to double check my formula, because I knew what I was doing after 4 hours of color theory and formulation, right? Guess who’s hair turned deep forest green? The take-away was a private class on color correction and a variety of red-based strands along my back hairline!
Overcome Fears
Okay, this one is a bit difficult for me. After school, I was not confident in my ability to do hair. I was terrified that I would make a mistake on a Guest’s hair that couldn’t be fixed. For the next 14 years, I hid out behind a manicure table. Please don’t get me wrong, my career in nails and skin care was fantastic, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, it made me who I am today, after all. But what I would tell me is to face the fear! Yes, you’re most likely going to cut too much off, use the wrong color, have to redo an occasional updo and that’s okay! That’s how you grow and learn. Even if you only learn what not to do, you still learned something.
Get More Experience While You’re in School
Remember I mentioned earlier that I should have been taking more Guests…well, maybe if I did I would have asked more questions and gotten a jump start on overcoming some of the fear that was paralyzing me. I would have had the support to build my skills and confidence.
You Can Do It!
Self-confidence is something that came with age for me. If I could go back to 1993, this is one of the biggest things I would constantly tell myself. I can cut hair. I can formulate color. I can do whatever I set my mind to. I needed to believe in me as much as everyone else did.
Since time travel is not yet a possibility, I take the advice that I would have given to myself, and I pass it along to you. Use my advice for yourself or pass it on to a friend. However you use this advice, know that I believe in your ability to be an amazing stylist!