I believe all artists probably find themselves faced with trends that they dislike throughout their lifetime. For example, at Sam Villa, we’ve been talking a lot about the return of the influence of “mullety” shapes, and without a doubt, there is a portion of the room that groans just at the sound of the word. What we feel is very cool, yet we also know is very challenging, is that trends like fantasy colors, severe undercuts, sides shaved off of long flowing locks, etc… used to be reserved for edgy youngsters, but with Pinterest and Instagram blasting everyone’s feed with these looks, the everyday client is asking for a little dab of punk rock in their hair formula. The question is… are you ready for it?
Trends come and go. Funny thing is the stuff that used to disappear pretty fast is sticking around like a bad ex due to social media. So, it’s not as easy to just hide our heads until a trend blows over! So, does that mean you have to love everything you see? Of course not. It’s important to make distinction within your brand. But, if your guests are moving faster than you are, it’s time to check in and ask if your mind has closed to new concepts.
Here are some ideas to help:
- Instead of saying “I like this, and I don’t like that”, consider creating a wider scope of what your aesthetic is. For example, “I don’t like mullets”… if you define everything that is shorter in the front to longer in the back as a “mullet” you have just closed your mind to an entire world of haircuts. Instead, what if it was a perspective of, “I prefer shapes that are soft and have a balanced flow to them”. With that perspective, your mind doesn’t rule out an entire catalog of shapes just because they move short to long from front to back!
- Challenge yourself to face fears. What we discover in our hands-on programs, is that people dislike what they are uncomfortable with. If you have never shaved a corner of a girl’s head who has hair to her belly button, of course it’s going to ignite some fear! So, the mind protects itself by saying “you think that’s ugly anyway… tell her to go somewhere else”. We find very often that at the beginning of a hands-on class, a few stylists might say “I don’t like that kind of haircut” but by the end, they are swinging their mannequin around saying “mine turned out so pretty! I can’t wait to do this to someone in the salon.” What changed? The fear was removed by getting their hands dirty.
- Work on the fear of what others might think. Another way that our mind protects us from pain is by keeping us safe from judgment, this is why things become very homogenous. A basic human need is to be accepted by our community and even on a subconscious level, there could be a story being told that if you admit that you love rainbow striped hair, you will be laughed right out of the salon. So, here comes the brilliance of our mind again. It will insert a belief that you hate that kind of hair to minimize the risk of that painful experience. Become aware of those stories that aren’t serving you and be willing to challenge them.
Here is the bitter pill of this all… nothing will change if you don’t step straight into those uncomfortable shoes. We all need to find the courage to open our perspectives to the very things we’ve sworn we despised! Will they all become your new favorite trend? Some will and some won’t, but without a doubt, you will see them in a different light. Guess what else will change… you! Your courage, independence, and creativity will flow in a way that keeps you, your coworkers, and your salon guests inspired by your work.
