This is a blog post about my career as a stylist, I ramble and it's mostly for me to get my thoughts out but you might get a good read out of it! I preface by saying I'm proud of the career I've chosen for myself and I'm only just getting started. There are so many branches of the beauty industry to be explored and the opportunities are endless.
Photo taken by Erin Moulden
Since I was young I had an inkling that my future would be in the beauty industry. My friends, my family, and even on of my favorite high school teachers told me that they could see me being successful as a stylist. I lived for beauty tutorials on youtube and volunteered to do hair and makeup for my friends at any and every formal event that could take place in a grade school. It didn't dawn on me that this fun makeover stuff could be my career until I was 14 and my cousin asked me to style her for her wedding. I was honored. From there my passion blossomed.
I remember counting down the days to my high school graduation and with each day my anxiety and excitement grew and grew. I knew I was excited to be done with high school but had no idea what was waiting for me once I got there. I was terrified. However, after my first interview at a cosmetology school during my second semester of my senior year, my fears depleted and were immediately replaced by God's reassurance that I was taking the right steps towards my future. With my newfound peace and excitement about my future also came scrutiny from others. "So you're gonna cut hair?" "Are you sure you're going to make enough money? " "You can't do that forever though." "Why don't you just go to college and leave the beauty stuff as a hobby. "
I could go on but you get the point. It was devastating to hear statements like these and to not be taken seriously when it came to the things I was most passionate about. Unfortunately this industry gets a bad wrap. Somewhere along the way, ( the musical Grease, while a theatrical masterpiece, does not help) people started to think of being a hairdresser as a last resort for women and men who weren't smart enough to go to college or whatever else. Well screw that. This was what I wanted to do with my life. Not a last resort, a first choice. Not to say I was the smartest kid in class but I graduated high school as an honor student with a 3.7 GPA and I had been accepted to five different colleges. These aren't super significant academic strides but I consider myself and everyone that I had the honor of attending cosmetology school with to have above average intelligence. I also consider those people that I went to school with some of the most dedicated and hard working people I've ever met. Some of my mentors in school make upwards of $200,000 a year and thats behind the chair alone aside from being successful business moguls.
No career is "easy" if you want to be truly successful. If you really want to achieve your long term goals and be the best at what you do, you're gonna have to kick some ass. ( Figuratively of course. ) No matter what it is, whether you're a hairstylist, an entrepreneur, a musician, lawyer, etc. We all start somewhere and we all have our aspirations. At least try turn those aspirations into goals then into reality because failing is so much better than not trying. Whatever you want to do with your life aim to be the best at it that you possibly can and don't accept less.
