MODERN is in Berlin, Germany, getting a behind the scenes look as the winners of Goldwell’s Color Zoom 2016 meet to brainstorm and come up with the next collection to entice and inspire those who plan on entering the 2017 competition. 

During a presentation earlier this morning, John Moroney, Creative Director and Vice President of Kao Salon Global, who is leading the workshop, advised that the artists actually look at makeup tutorials to learn how to create a great base or “background” for a color or design. 

Hmmmm. Well that got us thinking.

Moroney, a former top artist and educator (and the brains behind all of Goldwell’s imagery), is constantly offering tips on HOW to become a better salon pro. Obviously education and “thinking out of the box” are on the top of his list but we’ve decided to challenge Moroney to come up with an additional 5 (or in his case keeping it down to 5) MUSTS for becoming a better hair artist in 2017.

Here are his top 5 concrete – and do-able – tips:

1. GET FOCUSED. Don’t focus on the end result, focus on the process. “Obviously the end result is important, but ‘getting there’ is as important,” says Moroney. “Enjoy and learn from the journey.”

2. COLLABORATE. Learn to collaborate with other artists – and organize to do a project together. “You have to give up your ego for success,” says Moroney. “It’s not about being the smartest person in the room. We have so much to learn from each other.”

3. IMMERSE YOURSELF. “Force yourself to look at things you DON’T like . Try to look at things from a different perspective and appreciate the different point of view.” Moroney, who admits he has a “problem” with modern art, shares that he makes an effort to try to understand why a pile of dirty laundry (an installation that was part of a recent exhibit at a top museum) is art. (AN EASY APPROACH: Try listening to music you normally don’t like.)

4. EXPAND YOUR BEAUTY FOCUS. Watch tutorials in different areas of beauty, for example makeup or nail art. “We have so much to learn from different artists,” says Moroney. “There is so much overlap and cross-over. We can learn new terminology and techniques from other educators.”

5. COMMIT – If you are going to do something, DO IT. “Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged,” says Moroney. “Learn from your mistakes. I make mistakes all the time and I learn more from them than anything else.” The 3 artists here at the Color Zoom workshop faced several setbacks on their journey to winning the competition. Daniel Rubin (Partner) and Larisa Bresnehan (Creative Color) competed at the global level and lost, and Sargis Airapetian (New Talent) could not get a Visa to compete in Las Vegas when the competition was held there last year. “But they never gave up,” says Moroney. “They committed to winning and here they are.”