Why am I worthy of doing a Blog anyway?
- Kara Shaver
- Dec 11, 2018
- 10 min read
Updated: Dec 18, 2018
Clicking on this title probably made you think, "hmmm, she's got a point." and you might think I'm shooting for the stars a bit here or you might be sitting there totally supportive and ready to read more of what I might have to say. My short six year hairstylist career has been packed full of victories, failures, triumphs, and course corrections; which is the makeup of any career. Am I right? So if you're interested in what the last few years have entailed, keep on reading.
Embarking into the hair industry began when I was far from successful in the college game. Yes, I was a terrible college student. I moved from home at the age of 17 to College Station, Texas and attended Blinn College for two years. Really it was only three full semesters. (I was on academic probation for my second fall semester.) I did manage to make friends with every bar owner, bartender, and bouncer on Northgate. Equally as honorable right? So, when my parents got my THIRD academic probation letter in the mail, they called me and said, "I think its time to figure something else out." That blossomed the idea of Hair School. Well, me being me, I didn't just want to go to any hair school. I wanted to go to the BEST school and get the BEST education money could buy. So I chose the Aveda Institute in The Woodlands, Texas. My education there was incredible. Even though I don't have any experience at any other Cosmetology school, I know I got the best. I couldn't be more grateful for my educators, my classmates, and my clients whom I got to build relationships with there. I graduated from The Aveda Institute in October of 2013, and there I was... "right out of hair school" as they call you. I was eager, hungry, and ready to work.
So from there, I moved back to Beaumont and went job hunting. I interviewed and brought my resume and portfolio around to every salon I thought would be beneficial for me, with zero success. They all told me, "You need to go to On Stage if you want to build a clientele." So the very next day, that's exactly what I did. I walked into On Stage II and the girl at the front desk happened to be an old classmate of mine from high school. With her big blue eyes and a smile she said, "HEY! Are you here for a job?!" I replied "Well yes, I am actually." I was hired on the spot. I'm thinking AWESOME. My dream has come true. I'm going to get an awesome job working at a reputable salon, alongside some amazing artists. Well.... that wasn't the case. Want to know what my new glamorous job encompassed? THE FRONT DESK. You read that right. Checking people in and out, answering the phone, dusting shelves, unboxing hair color, and counting money. It was literally NOTHING I wanted to be doing, for seven entire months. I would tell people, "It's like going to school to be a pilot and getting a job in the tower at the airport. You get to say you work in aviation, but really you watch airplanes fly off into the air all day, every day, while you're stuck in the tower." And now looking back, I'm extremely grateful for that front desk job. It taught me how to talk to strangers, it taught me how to book clients, it taught me patience, it taught me to be humble, and it was good for me. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? And by somewhere, I mean the bottom.
Then FINALLY, one Thursday I got a phone call from my manager and she said, "Hey! I just got out of my manager meeting with Paul and Tracy (the owners). What do you think about going over to On Stage I and being an Associate Stylist and having your own chair?" I was ECSTATIC! I was being moved straight from receptionist, to being an Associate on the floor. The usual protocol was that you had to be a Shampoo Tech for anywhere from four months to a year depending on when you were able to hit your goal. The entire company is set up for you to have goals in service and product sales to hit, to make more money for yourself and for the company. Once you hit your goal, you test out with Paul and he decides if you get to move up to the next level. And, as you climb up the ladder, you go through the phases of Associate, Stylist, Master Stylist, and finally Art Director all increasing service prices and commissions as you move up. Most all "commission salons" are set up this way. This process takes years to complete, some longer than others depending on how determined you are and how badly you want to move up. I personally managed to move up faster than anyone in the history of the company of 30 years and acquired the Art Director title in a year and ten months. As soon as I hit one goal, I'm like okay, what are the numbers like for the next? I've always been a "whats next" kind of person. I'm never satisfied until I know I've done it all. I will forever be grateful for the job I had at On Stage. They were there for me in the beginning stages of my career and helped mold me into the artist I am today. Cheers to you Paul and Tracy!
After I completed that challenge, I needed to do more. I always had a passion for hair color and knew I wanted to broaden my spectrum on that aspect of my craft. So I began to research different elite hair color training programs around the country and came across the Wella Master Color Expert program. Since Wella was the professional hair color line we used at On Stage, I though, "PERFECT"! This is the ticket. This program provides information going deep into the chemical makeup of hair color, touching on lipids and bonds and technologies within each color line, hair structure, the way the human eye perceives color, consultation, color line choice, placement, and so much more. I also read that there are only about sixty-eight other artists in the country with this certification. So I brought the info to my bosses, and they helped me out by signing me up and funding the courses and off I went!
The Wella Master Color Expert Program (MCE) consisted of four prerequisite classes lasting two weeks. Once you complete those, you have to be accepted into the MCE program. I went off to the big city of New York, New York and started my journey. In my first week I completed my first two prerequisites during Christmas of 2016. I was in the studio for five days. I completed my second week of my second two prerequisites during February of 2017. Again, I was in the studio for five days. Immediately following that week, I completed my first week of MCE Phase 1 and I was in the studio for five more days. My brain consumed more information during those five days of Phase 1 than it has my entire life. I would go back to my hotel and just stare at the ceiling and ask myself, "what on earth have I gotten myself into?" This caliber of education is not just for any hairstylist, it challenges you in ways you've never dreamed, and makes you question your entire existence as an artist. Also, I don't know if any of you have ever been to NYC in the winter months, NOT during Christmas, but its miserable. Everyone is mad, everything is frozen, all the Christmas spirit is gone, its like a cold concrete lonely city. And I was there for TWO solid weeks undergoing hair color boot camp. I was freezing and my brain was fried. Thank God my mom came up to be with me the second week I was there, I would have lost my marbles without her. But, I completed it! And they approved me to move onto Phase 2! WHOOO HOOOOO!! I've never been more relieved. And I had a project to complete at home between the two phases and present on the first day of phase 2.
Here is my Video created by John Ellis as part of my At Home project.
So in June I went BACK to NYC for Phase 2, FIVE MORE days in the studio. My friends, family and clients kept asking me "Back again? When will you be done?" I just kept answering...."Never. I never stop learning." Phase 2 was way more relaxed than Phase 1. It also helped that my entire family and boyfriend came up to see me graduate. We had the best time, and I'm so so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to go through such an elite training program.
From there, my journey at On Stage came to an end. I then started working at The Loft Hair Studio in downtown Beaumont. This new job ended up being a very different type of work environment. I went from going to work, doing my job and going home....to doing EVERYTHING else behind the scenes, along with doing my job behind the chair. Overnight, I had to literally learn how to be my own boss, manage my finances, scheduling, color orders, manage customers, be self-motivating, pay taxes, etc in a matter of hours. This was a huge learning opportunity for me and I believe everything happens for a reason.
Remember how I was saying earlier that I was a "whats next?" kind of girl? Well, here went the next journey of mine. I needed more. I wanted to be different. I wanted to do something that inspired me and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I saw an ad online for a tryout in NYC for a New York Fashion Week Hair Team with Aubrey Loots. Click, click, click, I was signed up and booking a flight. In October of 2017 I went BACK to the Big Apple and auditioned at the two day workshop. I was on an editorial and runway high. I brought two friends of mine, Andrea and Laurel Rugg, and one night at dinner I was probably being so annoying talking their heads off about how magical the day was. We had a mock runway show with Christopher Palu, from Project Runway's newest collection and then a full on editorial shoot with New York photographer Ksenia Poulber.
Then that was it. Aubrey told us he would follow up with an email letting us know if he needed us for any upcoming shows.
I waited four loooooong months....and FINALLY I got an email. I remember running into my bedroom and jumping up and down on the bed with my boyfriend in it screaming holding my phone with excitement. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! I was goin to New York Fashion Week. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I remember watching tv seeing backstage scenes thinking "wow that's so cool but that'll never be me." And here I was, communicating back and forth with Aubrey Loots about dates, locations, call times, and models. It was a dream come true.
We did hair for Dan Liu, Han Wen, Matopeda, and LaQuan Smith. Through these experiences, I learned so much about myself as an artist, what its like backstage (which is truly pure chaos), how to work with and be creative with complete strangers, and that everyone is there working for free. You read that right. Everyone is there doing it for the "glam". BUT, its so worth it, the people you meet and the amount of magic that happens backstage is something I cannot even describe. I'll just drop some photos below instead.
OH! And then Metopeda asked me to model for her. I was FLATTERED. And I had no idea what to do with myself. I immediately texted my friend, who has modeled at NYFW before and asked her, "quick, give me some modeling tips, I'm about to walk on stage." Surprisingly, she said "pretend your're pushing a grocery cart with your hip bones and don't crack a smile." Wow okay, most random advice ever. But alright! And it worked! imagine that. Thanks Tyler Brewer.
My fashion week experience lead me to a dear friend, Giuseppe Forbici. He and his business partner, Dmitry own a gorgeous salon in Wilmette, Illinois right outside of Chicago called Salon Fusion. We instantly connected and started a friendship that has opened up many doors and continuously provides me with business advice and friendship. His salon was asked to be over the hair for a four designer collective finale for Chicago Fashion Week, and he invited me! I was stunned, once again. I was invited to hang out at his salon for a day and be a part of the Salon Fusion team representing him and his company. So, naturally, I flew out for the weekend and had the most incredible time. Thank you so much G for giving me the opportunities you have. I'm still in such awe that you think so highly of me, I'm not that cool, I promise!
I've come a long way from flunking out of college. I remember thinking at that time that I was going to be a failure, but judging from the doors that have opened and the life that I've created for myself, I can confidently say that I'm far from a failure. And I'm not stopping anytime soon.
All of this being said, it's important to invest in your career if you can. I've spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels, and time off work, educating and exposing myself to new opportunities to be able to offer my clients the absolute BEST service they can get from me. And I want my clients to feel like they are getting their hair done by someone who is current and stays educated. My clients love to ask me about my trips and see photos and some of them even come with me! All of them are super supportive and are waiting on my next move and wondering what's going to be around the corner for me. I'm not at all trying to be the best in Beaumont, but I am trying to be the best Kara I can be and I strive every day to be a little better than yesterday.
Next in my career comes my experience and training with Natural Beaded Rows Hair Extensions. That deserves it's own blog, so stay tuned for those details. I just wanted to give you guys a recap of what my short six-year career has comprised thus far. And I'm not done yet, stay tuned.
Xo, Kara.
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