Stay Interested

Going through Redken Specialist Training in Iowa City, IA.

Hello all! I hope you have all had a great week. It is (still) very wintery here in the Sunflower State. Spring, where are you?? I have a feeling we have a ways to go before we start getting some nicer weather, so for now I'll embrace the cold and incoming snow. I'll also continue to style my guests with beachy waves until Mother Nature gets the hint on my weather wishes.

Don't worry, this entire blog is not a weather report! This week I'm feeling inspired by a quote I shared this morning on my Instagram. This quote comes from the one and only, Julia Child. She said, "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." I stumbled across this quote and it really struck a chord with me. Passion or being passionate is such a strong choice of words. She didn't say to find 'something you like' or 'something you enjoy'; she said find something you are passionate about.

Now, passion can be both positive & negative, but either way we can all agree it is a powerful feeling. The definition of passion reads, 'strong & barely controlled emotion'; so if you are passionate you can barely control how you feel about it. You can't help sharing it, giving it your best; you probably have strong opinions & a strong connection to things you are passionate about, they become a part of who you are and others associate your passions with you.

There are a few things in this world I could list that I'm passionate about. I'm passionate about my relationship with God & my walk of faith, my marriage & husbabe, my family, my profession, and yes I'm also passionate about my fur babies. They honestly go ahead of profession! I have strong emotions about all of these things! They get me fired up when I think about being & bringing my best for them, and they get me fired up if outside forces try to mess with them! Today we are only going to address one though, my profession.

Styling & Finishing Class with Pureology educators Emily Alders and Michelle Leep.

I'm a hair stylist, as most of you know. I am passionate about making women feel pampered & safe every time they sit in my chair, and that they leave more confident & content with themselves than they were before. I have a small part in helping someone unwind & relax, or have more self acceptance, and I take that privilege very serious. Whether it be right, wrong, or indifferent; a big way we judge ourselves and are judged by others(and we can sometimes judge others) is by our outward appearance. We have all heard the saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' but judge by the cover, we do! If I can make someone feel like their cover is a beautiful illustration vs. drab and plain, you bet I'm going to! Now the part that can be easily missed, is that passion and being passionate is not enough to sustain for a lifetime. We need the second part of Mrs. Child's formula.

She told us to "keep tremendously interested in it." I don't know about you, but tremendously sounds like an intimidating word to live up to on a daily basis. However, the longer I'm in this business the more I find tremendous is what I need on a daily basis. I leave work feeling more fulfilled and accomplished after a day of meaningful appointments, and even productive downtime, than the days I just coast through on autopilot. It is so easy to fall into the slump of routine. There are days when your heart isn't in it or your mind is somewhere else, some days you just don't feel like you have a lot to give guests, or you don't have any 'good' to give them. There has to be 'tremendous interest' the days your passion is failing. This looks different to everyone, but for me the tremendous interest in my professional passion comes from continuing education. There are a few other things I could put on the list, but that is always number one.

Continuing education serves a number of purposes for me, but I'll share just a couple. Continuing education & training, first & foremost, feed my passion. I love learning new things, honing my skills, and challenging myself to be the best I can be. It keeps my fire burning and keeps things from getting too routine or repetitive. That's the selfish part of my love for continuing education; think of it as my hair stylist self care! The second reason I'll share with you is that, in my opinion, it adds value to the quality of service I'm able to provide for my guests.

Completing Redken Color Authority Program with educator Tanya Yoshioka.

Did you know a majority of states recommend continuing education to cosmetologists, but it is not actually required to maintain or renew a license? It's true! Now, think about what hairstyles were popular 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago; have they changed? Yes! Most of them drastically! Now think what would happen if, as a hair stylist, you never went to an up-to-date continuing education class over the same period of time; 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. It would be pretty easy to fall behind the times, right? It would be scary & intimidating to have a guest request a current trend with no current training, and; in retrospect, it would be scary as a guest to receive that service from someone who has not had fresh education since cosmetology school.

This is why continuing education is such a priority to me. I cannot confidently offer my guests a customized, current service without the proper knowledge of

how to do so. I also could not expect my guests to see any higher value in receiving a service from me vs. Sally Jo down the street if my credentials end at how long I've been at my job, and oh I graduated Cosmetology school. Continuing education gives me the confidence to know I'm providing the best of my abilities to my guests. It maintains my interest in my profession; and, I hope, maintains their interest in me and the expertise & knowledge I have to offer them.

I can't say I know a lot about Mrs. Child, I just stumbled across her quote and felt inspired. I'd like to think she'd be happy with the way I stay "tremendously interested" in this hair passion of mine. I feel excited when I sign up for a class I've never taken in a city I've never spent time in. I feel determined when training presents me with a new challenge and I'm forced to practice my craft until I've perfected a new technique. I feel proud when I can apply those new skills behind the chair, and share new information with my guests. Finally, I feel fulfilled when they leave with an awesome new hairstyle better than any they've had before, plus they have the knowledge and confidence to care for and maintain their new look. None of these feelings, which fuel & feed my passion, would be possible without first having a tremendous interest in continuing education.

Now, obviously not all of you have the same passions as me, but I hope Mrs. Child & I inspire you to pinpoint your own tremendous interests in your passions. The things that make us passionate are usually the things we hold most near & dear to our hearts, in short, they make life full; so it is so important to take a tremendous interest in them. We fuel our passions and our passions will fuel us right back. Here's hoping you all go forth this week and take a tremendous interest in one or all of your passions.

Blessings to you all until next time!

-Hailey J. Herrman

FB- HairxHailey

Instagram- @hairxhaileyherrm

YouTube- HairxHaileyHerrm

pinterest- Hailey j. Herrman