They haven't asked me if I am happy doing what I am. They haven't looked into my eyes and seen the passion that burns behind them. They haven't asked about my school, my teachers, my course work, my accomplishments. Upon hearing that I took my practical exam they didn't ask about it, or even congratulate me on passing. They almost seem to think that this path I have chosen is a cop-out for me... that I "could have done better" or some BS like that. When they heard tell of my graduation ceremony they didn't ask when it was, how it would go or if they could come (needless to say, after writing this blog I don't want them there, but still)
They are not proud of me, in all the work I have put toward my goal these past 16 months. And while I do not need the approval of anyone to validate what I love, these people, being who they are should probably look at their priorities and set some things higher.
I am very proud of the things I have done. I have completed just under 2000 hours of school, passing all my tests with flying colors. Never not completing my assignments, always on time and doing the best I can.
I am attending one of the very toppest top schools of cosmetology in the world. The best teachers I have ever met, amazingly skilled hair stylists who have such a passion for it that they want to pass it on to us, the students. It was passed and stuck. I love doing hair, I love fashion, I love what I do. I get to go everyday and do something I love.
I am a day-maker. Everyday I get to go and make someones day better than it was before, I make people feel beautiful. I help bring inner beauty out for all to see, shy uncertain people leave glowing with confidence. Not only because of how I make them look, but the way I make them feel.
Then there is the artistic part of it. With the combination of cutting, coloring, texture and styling I can make a person look completely different. Subtle changes that open a face up or diminish the look of an unwanted feature. One of my favorite teachers once said that we don't "do hair" we "decorate peoples heads" It is so true, I am an artist, but unlike most mediums, my art is alive and has to like what I do. A walking, talking, breathing, feeling, judging, paying canvas.
Doing what I do is much more difficult than people give it credit for... especially certain individuals.
To these people I ask, what is the main component in hair dye? Why is it that box color is bad? What happens when box color and professional hair color is mixed? What is the ammonia content of store bleach? What is hair made of? What is the pH of hair, professional shampoo? pH of Suave? What pH is needed for a hair color to be permanent and not semi-permanent. What causes fly-aways and split ends, how does one prevent them? Can you name the bones of the skull? I can. Could you, if asked look at a picture of some celebrities hairstyle and copy it to fit your clients needs, tastes and lifestyle? I can. What is the difference between the 15+ brushes in my kit, when and why would you use one over the other?
The way a perm works is it breaks down the physical bonds in the hair. (disulphide bonds are the strongest and can only be broken with chemicals or except in overly damaged hair) Then the hair is held in a desired shape, most commonly around a perm rod before the bonds are chemically reformed in a different pattern, creating a new wave pattern.
In school I have been on three different extra curricular teams. Through these teams I have learned everything about the entire Paul Mitchell hair care line from the six shampoo/conditioner lines to the over 50 different styling products. Protective sprays, pomades, serums, foam, waxes, gels. There are at least 11+ different types of hairspray alone. I can tell you the best one for any given circumstance and have been "top take-home leader" multiple times, meaning I have sold the highest dollar amount in product that month.
I have worked on the sets of multiple movies/plays doing the hair and the make-up. Making connections with people in the business and have gained many new clients from it. My name will be listed among two others under "Make-up Specialist Team" in a short film which will be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival.
I have gained the knowledge on how to bring clients into the salon, keep them coming back and bringing their friends. I have learned how to sell product or extra services to almost anyone. And am top of my school as far as cutting, coloring, perming and styling are concerned.
When most people think of hairdressers they think of the ones working in Master Cuts or Great Clips. Or high school dropouts who couldn't do anything else in their life.
I could have gone to BYU, I could have gotten into so many different colleges, but that isn't what I chose. I CHOSE TO DO HAIR! Doesn't my opinion have anything to do with it? Doesn't my happiness have any say in the matter? I am happy and that should be all you care about, that in it's self should be enough for you.
I am doing something I love. I have accomplished so much in the past year and a half, and I have the next seven years of my life planned out. Within a month I will have a license and a Laurent job ANYWHERE I go, with the very probably possibility of making over $1000 a week. What other barely 20 year old can say as much?
Next year while I am working at some High End salon charging over $50 for a haircut, my friends the same age will be juniors in college. Still working minimum wage scooping ice cream or making telemarketer phone calls. Even after they graduate, some are getting degrees in "childhood studies" or "English" or "music performance" And really, what can you do with those? Be a good mother, a teacher... with a BA in English you can teach, write, edit or be a secretary. And any of those jobs will fluctuate with economy, job market and things like that..... but think about it, when people are depressed about the way the world is going they go somewhere they can feel important, beautiful and relaxed. They will come and sit in my chair and I will make sure that they are the most important person in my life for as long as they are in that chair.
One individual was surprised when I said I would be working in a high end salon by next year. "you can't just walk in and get a job can you?" Taken back, they know nothing about the industry and excepted that I would have to "climb the ladder" per say. No, this is not how it works. I have connections through school and other things that will secure me at least three Good job interviews in any city in the US. This person, who has never seen my work or shown any interest in it, knows nothing of my technical skills and has no idea what I can do... I can do some pretty amazing things, but you wouldn't know that unless you showed more than 4% interest in what I do.
These... certain individuals in my life look down on what I do, look down on the decision I have made. They see the $14,000 I spent on school and the $8,000 student loans I have as something to be ashamed of, some kind of big mistake. I feel that the education, skills, personal discoveries and experience I have gotten from my time spent at Paul Mitchell the School, Provo were worth every penny of that $14,000 tuition.
I am a hairdresser, I have a passion for it. Doing it fills me with the kind of energy you can only get when doing the thing you are supposed to be doing. I will be happy doing this for as long as I can do it, until my fingers fold up on themselves with arthritis, my knees bend out and I can't hold scissors or stand up... I will do hair, and love it.
So, to those certain individuals who feel that this choice of mine was not the best, that I could have been something better with my life...
I say Screw you!
