From working in the salon, on set, or to bring a creative vision to life — the team you surround yourself with is essential. They act as a support system to help you reach your goals and often offer fresh inspiration when you need it most. Aside from making people feel recognized, validated, and creating a sense of camaraderie and contribution — working on a team makes people feel like they are part of something bigger. Working together with a team provides a purpose, but can also create a few challenges. Collaborating and sharing ideas, whether in the salon, backstage, or at a photoshoot, takes a fine balance of knowing when to not sweat the small stuff and when to let those creative juices flow.
Teresa Romero, Sam Villa Ambassador @_teresa_romero, works as a salon artistic/education director, backstage, with celebrities, does editorial work, and is a two-time NAHA 2021 Finalist for Team of the Year with Jose Louis Salon (Downtown and Domain Northside Teams). Her career and experience have taught her a thing or two about the value of working on a team and how to do it gracefully, which is why she wants to share her wisdom with you.
“Collaborating as a team isn't always easy and can seem daunting to some, but it’s a beautiful thing to see a group of individuals come together on a creative journey and discover the team experience. Producing hair artistry together will bond a group of people as nothing else can,” explains Romero who offers these tips for success.
- Team Leader: There has to be a leader with a distinct concept that can clearly communicate with each member and keep things on track. It takes patience and motivation skills to navigate through artistic ideas and make each member feel vested while keeping the concept in focus.
- Collaboration: Team members should feel like they can contribute ideas – some might make the concept stronger, and some might be off the mark, it’s up to the leader to listen and then make the final call. Sometimes the most unexpected ideas are the best.
- Define Roles: Each member needs to know what they are responsible for, play to their strengths when assigning roles. Invite newer members to assist more experienced members to give them an opportunity to evolve and be part of the team.
- Don't Get Lost in the Hair: The magic happens when, hair, makeup, wardrobe, and photography are in harmony, so include all talent in the planning process and do a test shoot, if possible. Choose a photographer that understands the nuances of shooting hair. Hire models with confidence that can make the hair shine. Makeup artists and wardrobe stylist/designers play a major role in the overall aesthetic, so choose them wisely too. When all parties are involved in the planning process it creates a more positive team experience on shoot day and reduces post-editing time.
- Plan Yet Remain Flexible: Plan meticulously with a well-stocked session kit but know that there will always be unexpected things that occur on set, so don’t stress, stay positive and flexible. Keep the shooting atmosphere drama-free, and have additional hairpieces and tons of irons at the ready – a winning combination for saving a shot!
“Working on a team is full of discovery, collaboration, practice, planning, and editing. It’s so rewarding, and when those hidden unexpected gems are created on set…well, that’s when everyone feels the magic and it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of,” adds Romero.
Credits:
First Image: Jose Luis Salon (Domain Northside) - Photographer/Nico Nordstrom; Hair/Teresa Romero and Jose Luis Buitron; Makeup/Tanya Ortega and Sarah Contey; Wardrobe/Teresa Romero. Hair: Sam Villa Signature Series Textur Professional Texturizing Iron was used for adding texture to the hair fiber before using the Artist Series 2-in-1 Marcel Iron and Wand 1” to create tight spiral curls that were brushed out for an airy effect.
Second & Third Image: Jose Luis Salon (Downtown) - Photographer/Nico Nordstrom; Hair/Jose Luis Buitron, Teresa Romero and Theresa Kelly; Makeup/Tanya Ortega; Designer/Mysterious by NPN.
Hair: Hair wefts, braids and coils were sculpted and attached to a mesh form providing a foundation for the shape. A Sam Villa Signature Series Sleekr Professional Straightening Iron was used to smooth and shape the model’s hair which was then also incorporated into the mesh form to sculpt the style.
