One of my favorite instructors in Cosmetology taught Thermal Styling 102 and was one of the strictest teachers in school. He was strict because he wanted us to have structure and to be 100% professional behind the chair. Aside from learning how to use a hot iron, he taught us another valuable lesson that I’ll never forget – not to talk $hit. He taught us the importance of not aggravating drama within the salon and instead to de-escalate it.
He would tell us a funny story about working in the salon and constantly having others want to gossip. He said your only responses should be “Really?” and “Oh”. Never agree, never disagree, simply leave the gossip where it is and move on. The more attention you give it the longer it hangs around.
Years later, this lesson rings true both inside the salon and outside of it. Currently, we are living in a world that makes it easier and easier to gossip and bully due to online applications. While it is imperative that everyone has a chance to voice their opinion, I think all too often we hide behind the shield of a username in order to spew hate and criticism. We should each do our part to cut down on the “Haterade” (as some like to say) and instead, lift each other up!
Sam Villa is one of the top artists promoting the #ArtistsSupportingArtists movement and for good reason. During a recent class of his, he was instructing students not to bad mouth each other's work. He went on to say that no matter the circumstances – even if you’re fixing a cut or doing a color correction – there are never grounds to talk badly about someone else’s work.
The biggest movement in the beauty industry today is that of individuality. No one ever made their mark by being the same, so we should do all that we can to stand out. Unfortunately what we’ve learned in the industry so far is that with individuality also comes criticism.
Recently in an Instagram post, Educator Briana Cisneros addressed just this. She advised others to “Think twice before pulling the trigger, keep your tongue in check and witness yourself go further, become more integral and create deeper relationships.” Between gossip mags and online trolls, it is an unusual culture we’ve cultivated – for some reason we feel as though we need to put someone else down to bring ourselves up. This is such a slippery slope and at the end of the day, it just brings everyone down.
Elevating our craft starts with the way we view other’s art. Try to see the positive at every turn and if someone asks for an opinion – give them constructive criticism that will help them GROW. Competition is healthy but there is no need to be cutthroat. If you have a vision, stick with it, because someday you’ll see you were simply ahead of the pack.
