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What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

 What does it take to be a Master Stylist, and who makes the rules about becoming one?

Simply put, everyone makes their own rules.  Sorry to say but its absolutely true.

There is no universal system, no Industry standard of exactly what is required to earn that title – and it’s simply that – just a title.  And it you dig a little further, its actually a marketing title.  Seriously! Think of the implied trust you feel when booking with a Master Stylist! That’s marketing at its finest.

Surprised? It’s always blown my mind.  In an Industry where practical experience, continuing education and personal dedication make a massive difference to the skill and service abilities of a Stylist? Here’s the biggest doozy of the entire thing:

Literally anyone can become a Licensed Stylist and 3 days later decide to call themselves a Master Stylist.

Anyone!!

Now you may feel this blog getting a touch hyprocritical seeing as we currently have a Master Stylist position in the Studio, and I myself used the title in the latter part of my time behind the chair.

But there’s a difference between hypocrisy and honesty, and as always, my focus is on the latter.

 

The best way to explain is always to break it down as much as possible, so let’s start with the definition:

mas•ter (noun): A skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity

Sounds like someone who knows it all right? Someone who’s seen it all, done it all and perfected everything.  Not a single thing left to learn. Done. Complete. No further action required.

The truth is, our Industry evolves incredibly quickly with new products, ideas and techniques, and claiming you know and can do it all is like asking you to believe I rode my Unicorn ? to work today and she’s available for pictures ? in the parking lot. 

Laughable, right?

 

For me the title ‘Master’ (even though I get it is a noun when used as a title?)  has actually always been meant as a verb in reference to a Master Stylist:

mas•ter (verb): Acquire, complete knowledge or skill in (an accomplishment, technique, or art)

Stylist titles are not a descriptor of who we are, but of what we are committed to doing day in and day out.  What we are committed to acquiring.

A Master Stylist has perfected the art of seeking the unknown and making it known.  They’ve mastered the process of dedicating themselves to continual, obsessive learning.  It speaks of someone willing to fail, make mistakes, try again and never allow the clients they care for to suffer because of their learning process. Someone who cannot stop until what they are working on becomes exceptional to their standards and instead of rests, find something new to do it for – all. over. again.

 

Bottom line? Ask what a Stylist’s title means to them. As for us, let me assure you:

Is there a system? Of course.

Is it based on a series of key performance indicators that access the level of service they give? Obviously.

Is it indicative of the price they have the ability to charge and their level of compensation?  Absolutely.

 

As a final thought I leave you with the words that sum up my vision of a Master Stylist perfectly:

‘People who become ‘Elite’ at what they do aren’t striving to be ‘Elite’ just to join some special club.  They take great joy and satisfaction in the pursuit of mastery, and they compete against themselves, not others.’ – Justine Musk

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

12 New Chapters, 365 New Chances

12 New Chapters, 365 New Chances

Okay, so this may not be a popular opinion but I think there are also people (yes, maybe you!) that can totally relate.

I’m off the resolutions train ?.   Done.  Nope, not for me ??‍♀️

I’ve actually been off it for years, but here’s why:

A New Years Resolution implies a commitment of one entire year.

I know that’s not rocket science thinking, but please hear me out.

1 year.  That’s 52 weeks. 365 days.  Assuming you sleep 8hrs a night (haha!) that’s 16hrs/day for a grand total of 5,840 hours during the entire year that you intend to apply one (or more) resolutions too.

Is it any wonder that people get discouraged the very first time they fail to make that resolution their b*tch during the day?

That thing that can cause a hiccup? That thing that throws you off track from sticking to your resolutions? It’s called LIFE.

Life happens one second at a time.  One minute at a time. That’s 60 times in a single hour that anything can happen!

The phone rings, the internet is down, your little spikes a fever, the dog throws up…..you get the point, lol.  There are so many things that happen in a day that can put you off from living up to your resolution.  And you want to try doing this 365 days of the year?

We are our own worst critic.  Most of the time we would NEVER say the things we say to ourselves about our ‘failures’ to the people around us.  It’s human nature.  We are so quick to offer encouragement to others if they don’t live up to their resolution for one day, but get so incredibly down on ourselves when it happens to us.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t have goals. I’m a HUGE believer goals!!  Goals are how we grow and evolve and are an absolute must when putting effort into personal and/or professional growth. Put a date on your goals.  Figure out the steps you will need to take to acheive them.

What I’m suggesting is, Set your intention for each day but remember to allow for LIFE. You know that thing you are trying to improve by making those resolutions?  You have to remember to LIVE it at the same time.  Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. Sometimes that means being kind to ourselves when things go wrong instead of beating ourselves up over it.  There’s a brand new day coming tomorrow that should offer the exact same type of excitement you feel when it’s a new year!

Embrace the moments and resolve to live life one day at a time.

This year there are 359 more days ahead of you.  I hope you enjoy each and every one. ? 

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

Hairstylist Life! Hair Contact before Eye Contact

Hairstylist Life! Hair Contact before Eye Contact

A quick trip to the grocery store.  A night out meeting a few new people.  A binge session on Netflix.  Do these things have anything in common for you? Before this gets too weird let me explain a phenomenon of the Hairstylist Life: Hair Contact before Eye Contact.  Yep – that’s right – those of us who live, eat, breathe and sleep our careers as Hairstylists know this debilitating problem all too well. Basically it boils down to Hair Contact before…well….anything!

For most of you this may not seem like such a big deal.  ‘So what? You notice the hair?’ Just for interests sake let’s have a look at the definition of ‘notice’:

Notice [noh-tis] verb: To pay attention to, or take notice of

Believe me when I tell you – we don’t ‘notice’ the hair.  We painstakingly, obsessively, analyze, overanalyze, formulate, recolour, recut and restyle the hair all within the first 30 seconds of setting eyes on it, all while appearing in the throes of a catatonic state.

Seriously.  This is the Hairstylist Life.

Let’s take the example of a quick trip to the grocery store. This is a true story from the vault.  

I was running in quickly to grab some bananas and as I’m approaching the produce section a beautiful haircut catches my eye.  I don’t know whether I’m still walking or have now stopped dead in my tracks in danger of being cart rear-ended, but I don’t even care. I am transfixed by this haircut.  I’ve already broken down the first 3 steps of how I would replicate it, thought of two different clients with the right hair type that I could give it to and rolled over the possibilities of who the Stylist was that created this beautiful piece of art.  I have taken memory still shots, calculated my cut angles and I’m only coming up on 25 seconds.  The haircut turns to the left, I reach the 30 second mark and I am quickly transported back to the real world where I will now make eye contact (or simply notice that there is a head and body attached to the haircut).  Huh.  That’s when it hits me that it’s a client. I just made hair contact before eye contact with a client whose hair I have been cutting for the last 4 years.  I was to my car before I even realized I forgot the bananas.

One of my favourite things to do is binge watch on Netflix.  Whether at 2am when sleep won’t come or on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the dangerous autoplay keeps me tuned in far longer that I should be. While I’m sure lots of you love a good Netflix marathon, I doubt your partner, in pure desperation screams, ‘can you STOP talking about the hair!!’ while trying to coexist in your viewing space.

For instance – did you wonder how long Gemma’s hair could stand up to those highlights during the first few seasons of Sons of Anarchy?  Did you notice the exact episode when she had to start using extensions for those blonde pieces? Your Hairstylist did. When Joey and Dawson had their emotional breakup while standing on the dock of the Creek were you thinking about how much James Van Der Beek needed a haircut, and that he was dancing precariously close to the edge of mulletville? Your hairstylist was.  Or lets see…..while the entire school was chanting ‘Donna Martin Graduates!’ were you obsessively fantasizing about flat ironing Donna’s frizzed out, desperately in need of a trim hair? My guess is no – you probably weren’t but your hairstylist definitely was!  It’s Just a side effect of the Hairstylist Life!

We won’t even get into the embarrassment of being introduced to someone for the first time and spending the first 30 seconds of hair contact time mute, left eye twitching, right hand reaching out to touch said strangers hair and suddenly snapping out of it to realize you violated their personal space before even saying hello.

Hair Contact before Eye Contact is simply part of the Hairstylist Life.

Being a hairstylist isn’t something we can shut off when we leave the salon – it follows us, invades our minds and inevitably makes us better artists because of it.  Inspiration can and does strike anywhere.

So be kind – we realize we are a special breed and that those who love us have a special appreciation (or tolerance) of our constant obsession.  And really – even with the embarrassing experiences – I would change a thing.

It’s the Hairstylist Life.

 

Thanks for listening,

Carrie

www.cihairstudio.ca

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