Practicing Your Craft

Ruth Roche, Artistic Ambassador for Pureology Serious Colour Care, is a big advocate of practicing. It may sound simple enough, but how many stylists actually practice on a regular basis to master their craft? It’s best to have a plan, so follow these tips from Roche to get started.

1. Find someone who is better than you at what you want to practice and learn from them.

2. Make the time – schedule it in your calendar on a regular basis, it should be just as important as scheduling in vacation or a vital meeting.

3. Ask for constructive criticism from others so you know what to work on – sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know!!

4. Never be afraid to ask for help. (I’ve been doing hair for 30 years and still haven’t mastered cornrows, sure I can do them, but I want to do them perfectly, so I continue to practice).

5. Have the right tools, don’t use what you have simply because you have it – find out what tools will make a task easier and results better.  If working with someone who has other tools, ask them why.

6. Take pictures of your work so you can critique it correctly, a picture shows what work actually looks like without a personal filter.

So how much practice is enough? Malcolm Gladwell claims it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field, that’s under dispute, but there is no denying that “Experts aren’t people with freakish natural abilities in a particular domain. Experts are experts at maintaining high-levels of practice and improving performance.” Interested in becoming an expert? Start practicing!!

About Ruth Roche: Roche specializes in design/finishing trends and business – she’s as captivating in front of thousands as she is in an intimate in-salon setting.  She is the winner of multiple North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) awards and has contributed to Milady’s Standard Textbook of Cosmetology. Stylists from around the world learn, grow and fuel their creative fire with her. She is an established celebrity stylist (Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, Amy Adams, Pink, Jenna Fischer, Mariah Carey…) and maintains a loyal clientele at RARE Salon in NYC, where she is both founder and creative director.