I went to Birmingham-Southern College because that was what the child of a faculty member was supposed to do. My mother was a voice teacher there but was an opera singer and a wonderful performer, so really, as the child of a “drama queen” and performer, who could blame me for falling in love with the dramatics and the chameleon-like opportunities that make-up and hair provide. It simply came natu
rally to me. Every time my mother bought me a doll, the doll got a mighty transformation, usually a Farrah Fawcett shag and some serious blue eyeshadow. I loved my time in college but deep down I always knew I wanted to have a career in hair and make-up, so being an art major was the closest thing that B-SC could offer me. Once I had taken all the classes that interested me, I finally confessed to my mother that I really, really wanted to do hair and make-up, and my mother, being a woman who had done her hair every color of the rainbow that was remotely acceptable in the USA, was agreeable. So off I went. I hit cosmetology school. I always knew that I wanted to do hair and make-up for movies, film, video, photography, and whatever else this world had to offer. I found the one woman in this whole town (at the time) who did that, I went to her and begged for a job. She was on a movie set when I graduated so I waited until her movie had finished production and began a short apprenticeship with her and continued to work in her salon for the following 9 years. I loved it. Even after a few detours in location, I still do. I have been so lucky as to have had my name run across the screen at Sundance, I have had my work published on the front cover of a national magazine, and I have done the make-up and hair of a few celebrities. I found great joy in that, however, I realized I find far more joy in creating relationships with my clients in the salon that I see regularly. I have always said “Trust me, I don’t LONG to run my fingers through your hair. I just enjoy knowing YOU.” I truly do. I love building relationships with my clients. I love knowing that every few weeks I will be able to catch up with what has happened in the lives of people I genuinely care for. I love having done this job long enough that I have begun to do three generations in one family. I love having someone come sit in my chair and receive a service and leave feeling better. How wonderful a job is that? I make people feel better about themselves. What more could I ask for in life?
