MENU
SEARCH
Colorist
As one of the most respected colorists in the industry, the former Color Director for Nick Arrojo and Rodney Culter in NYC, is a cultural junkie inspired by international cosmopolitan influences from fashion and global trends to technology. He specializes in social media and salonable haircolor, and creates new experiential educational formats highlighting technology, technique and culture. The ideas he shares with stylists build business and connects them with community so they can “Take Back The Social Network.”
I had so much fun in December visiting beauty schools that Nathan Rosekranz had spoken and done demos at during the Matrix Mannequin Mania Competition. Nathan, the Fashion Director of our studios, created Ava for the Matrix Mannequin Mania and first was selected by the team at Matrix as a monthly semi-finalist, then Ava was chosen as a finalist by the editors of our professional industry publications.
On November 29, 2010, L’Oreal gathered 500 hairdressers from around the United States for Hairdressers Against AIDS, a gathering that partners the United Nations and L’Oreal to create a beautiful world without AIDS.
This year, so many of us have learned to be thankful for things we hardly noticed a decade ago. From Thanksgiving 2000 to this year, a lot has changed and I want to say thank you for a lot more.
So many times, it seems like lives are getting harder, and at the same time, we work to make lives better by making our clients look and feel great. But what else can we do to make life better? Our team always looks to see what we can do to improve everyday life that does not require changing the successes our team has built. So, we started looking around and realized we were not fully maximizing our recycling opportunities.
Patrick McIvor uses highlights and glazes to create texture.
With the recent state of affairs, it seems like the economy is in a “super flat” state, and hairspray just might be the answer to growth. With professional blowouts making a comeback as a salon staple (or weekly indulgence), hairspray for many is about as understood as a vinyl record.
It’s funny how many people call or e-mail to ask how they can become an educator, get a job in New York, find models for a shoot or win a competition, etc. Then, when I ask specifics like, who do you want to teach for? What salon do you want to work with? Or what the is the idea for the shoot? The answers are very often: "anybody, anywhere, or I am just starting to think about it."
I love learning from friends, because most of the time they are more honest about their experiences (what worked and didn’t work), and more open to sharing embarrassing things that happened while they were learning. That is why our studio is offering an open and ongoing shadowing program where outside stylists and colorists come and hang out with our team members.
Last Friday, our studio held it’s latest Associates Soiree, planned by our team’s Artistic Director Tammy Reynolds and inspired by TLC’s Project Runway. Thirty-one friends, family and team members gathered to celebrate our associates while they demonstrated their talents in two timed skill challenges, creating bridal and avant garde looks.
What an amazing weekend I had! On July 16, 2010, my grandmother turned 100 years old (see the video “my grandma dancing at her 100th birthday party” on YouTube). Then, when I got home I heard that Matrix GM Colin Walsh and his wife welcomed their second child into the world on the same day. I realized that on July 16, I knew of someone who was one day old and someone who was 100 years old. Since I don’t think this will happen to me again, I started to think, “What does someone who has lived a full life know that can help someone who is just starting?”
Some of us got it right in high school, including me. It took years for me to learn that there was a game and I was supposed to play and win. I just went to my 25th high school reunion and I was interested to see how “Most Likely to Succeed” did and how “Best Smile” looked. On our drive home, my wife and I started to relate the labels to our profession. In our world, “Best Dressed,” “Most Professional,” “Perfect Attendance,” “Everyone’s Friend” and “Most Improved” is the secret to success, and if you’re smart enough to win the title, it means you’re playing the game of success. For some it comes naturally, and for others it takes a lot of hard work, but when you stand out by being one of the “best” or “most” in your salon, success is guaranteed.
When people ask me to share a "secret to success" with a new person entering the industry, it always strikes me as funny … like I have any secrets. The secret to success is (dramatic pause) work hard at everything from the beginning! The longer you wait for success, the longer it will take to arrive. If you want to be successful, you need to get out there and work hard, grab success by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Here is where success begins.
Those of you who know me know I am a huge Facebooker. I went from the kid who had no one sign his high school yearbook because he had no friends (I was like Ducky from Pretty in Pink) to having over 2,700 friends on Facebook. I love Facebook and became a devotee early on because it fits so well into what we as hairdressers do every day.
People often ask me, “How do I become an artist and do what you do?” Well, be careful, you might just get what you asked for. Here is a map of success that I have created and used to guide my growth and help other friends grow to be well-known guests artists—10 Levels of an Artist, A Guide To Your Future As An Artist.
My friend Winn Claybaugh wrote a book where he tells us to be nice, and I 100 percent agree. What I would love to share with so many of our industry members is also be happy.
“There ain’t no traffic on the extra mile.” I was about 22 years old when I heard Rick Goldberg say that at a Clairol/Logics national sales meeting, and it has been a secret of my success to this day.
As Stephen Covey says in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, put first things first. For salon owners and stylists, I believe that means: Reward the customers you have every chance you can. As salon professionals we know no matter how talented we are, if we don’t have clients we don’t have income. They are the first and most important element of our success.
