Tuesday, March 22, 2011

5.13 :: A story about honouring my clientele...

Good morning lambs!

It's early on a Tuesday morning and I'm sipping coffee, wearing a yellow Shampoo Boy by J Ry t-shirt and Diesel trunks tip-tapping away from the office at Studio J Ry.


Freshly tanned.


Freshly up.


Freshly sneezing... yep, it's allergy season.


When I was a little guy, allergy season killed me! As a teenager, it was murderous! I could NOT focus, in my early twenties, I even called off a couple times, a business owner, NEVER! I would take whatever I could (still do to this day) to suppress the urge of sneezing and hurting eyes to take care of my client.


I am at a position where my career cannot be turned off, not for sickness, not for a anything.


I was offered ANOTHER position with a beauty brand LAST week from TIGI and have been outweighint my options: L'Oreal or TIGI?


I've had conflicts in my head like, "Why can't we ALL get along?"


My strong belief is that all haircare brands are good at what they do or at least have ONE facet they're amazing at. So, a couple of weeks ago, I started a beauty blog. I have always wanted to publicly endorse products through hairshows, class appearances and public stamps of approvable and currently, on my side, I have stamps from six different companies that wanted to hire me. I've also been trained by four of them.


Think of all the endorsement as my "portfolio". Some of them are key players, some NOT so much.. anymore.


The other day I was talking about competition and the whole hairdresser loyalty subject to a guest of mine. I outwieghted why someone like me that is cocooned in their life and sees the two (my personal and business) as the same: I LIVE it artistically. I live the dream . I sewed the two together the way a public personality (Rachael Ray, Lady Gaga, Madonna) sews their projects to them like medals or, even so, arms and limbs, whereas there are other stylists our there that may be techinically gifted but have OTHER things on their brains like their boyfriends, clubbing and being seen at events, but not promoting themselves, just living.


Niether (Artist) Hairdresser A or (At-work) Hairdresser B is the better example. The two are generally amazing at what they do in their own way. Just like my favourite beauty brands. Different bottles, different scents, different marketing, but just as good, and JUST AS professional.


This creates competition.


Competition is NEVER BAD. In fact, the main goal of competition is to recognize the TOP in that particular field. I respect my comepeting peers and have strived long and hard to become a competitor in the local hair arena.


Recently being told I have to make decision to step away and education propelled me to tell a major corporate brand representative, "I am incredibly busy behind the chair. Don't make me chose one, because my clients win."


To leave for a brand will never be the story of my life.


I do not wish to "shadow" a "senior" artist in my life ever. I do not see them as competition. They're two different jobs. One creates (me) and one sells and educates (them). I do both in my salon and to remove the client interaction for me would be like me walking around with an oxygen tank during allergy season.


Sure, it's hard to breather sometimes and sure my eyes itch, but I'm up and at 'em and doing it. Itch and sneeze suppressent in place at time, but I rock out my day and don't let someone put an oxygen mask on me. No one has control over me and that's what the "oxygen mask" symbolizes in this case. Allergies are my obstacles both literally and metaphorically.


So, to assure you all, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. I'm happy and I will always make the best decisions that honor my dreams, but also, honour my clientele.


xoxo.

Josh

Thursday, March 17, 2011

5.12 :: A story about integrity

Good morning lambs!

Well, well, it's St. Patrick's Day! I can't believe it. 2011 is marching past me one little day at a time.


As I look back at the blog, it's almost a year old!


Has it lost it's zeal?


No. I don't think so.


I think it's defenitely changed focus. We've had our drama haven't we? HA HA.


I look back at some of my high-points about hanging out with friends and lows like leaving my last salon that actually were highs where I was super distraught and the emotion conveyed is so pure!


I think back to that place now a year ago and I was trying to make something happen that didn't need to happen. I had just booked a tour with CHI Academy to start in April and last date to end on my birthday, August 30th. By April 10, my tour had been cancelled as well as all my appearances unconfirmed and eventually Farouk Stystems didn't even reply except to tell me to "pay [my] own way" due to downsizing in education and budget cuts.


L'Oreal had come up on the horizon and pulled the distribution rights for the beauty distributor in Denver I was consulting for and teaching for freelance. I was so not happy about that because it killed every opportunity!


I was unhappy at Headlines and I was trying to make things happen with "Panda" that were not even really there emotionally and for me, that was THE CLOSEST to a relationship I had gotten myself into and none of my friends or co-workers were happy for me.


Wierd, huh?


Classic story: super successful, young, ambitious, has it all, and at the same time, had nothing.


I had my clients and a dream.


As Stylines shut it's doors, L'Oreal came knocking. Being the largest beauty manufacturer in the world and a colour line I've always loved, I jumped at the chance to become a certified colourist with the company. Once you've hit L'Oreal, that's kinda the creme de la creme of the haircolour buisiness, you're haircolour royalty. As I received my certificate, I gained the confidence to walk away from Headlines. And the next day, I resigned and the following morning I cleared out my shit, and walked into my beauitful future.


As all of this was going on, Panda ended up using me for money and getting him out of financial jams while I, myself, did not know if I was gonna be in business 6 weeks later. Money was good, my stress load lifted as I walked and I turned my back on CHI and had an offer from Joico to educate for them eventually turning them down (a year later, I wish I would have said yes)


I've only turned two manufacturers down EVER!! FHI tried to hire me while I was training with CHI and Joico as L'Oreal had approached me.


As the year has gone by, I solidified myself as more than a Rockstar stylist, I propelled myself into public personality. Taking on public events, a new photoshoot, a HUGE ad campaign, the PULP Awards, writing for PULP and building my clientele.


As 2011 hit, I realized the talent and power were there. I'd become a mainstay, almost an icon in local business and needed to dent the industry once more. L'Oreal contacted me this last week asking for me to shadow and begin the process of becoming a technical director for the state of Colorado.


So, with a column, a solid clientele and a public persona- this Rockstar is moving on and back into educating one's self into being Tabatha, Vidal, and Anthony Mascolo with alot of attitude and ALOT OF diva! LOL!!!


Along the way, my friends have changed. I consider my clientele a major partof who I am. If you count them all, I have roughly 350 close friends and 150 of those that see me regularly. My close group has changed (kinda- not really).


I have my mum (of course), Nasia, and Andrew. Things are warming up between Tish and I and I'm still searching for someone to fill the relationship void in my life. (well, not really)


Through this whole year, you guys have taught me, I can DO IT! And that faces change, but my success is controlled my me, not a major salon, not a Panda, not a haircare brand!


It's all about integrity, and baby, 5 volumes later and many haircolours later, I'm still here.


xoxo.

Joshy

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

5.11 :: A story about egos gone wild...

Well good evening lambs,

It's mid-week, after hours after a full-day at the salon and I'm blogging for me life. ha ha. Not really, but kinda... (you know how I LOVE blogging!)


So, this week has been a WHOLE SLEW of news articles about people I love!! We've got Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" video and her runway debut for Mugler in Paris. We have John Galliano, the genius he may be, making racial slurs and anti-semitic comments and I heard this morning that Christina Aguilera was so intoxicated last night that she was taken into custody for public intoxication...


OMG, where are my role models going and why are THEY my role models?


I know this sounds like I'm casting judgment (which I am), but don't you feel like you also cast judgement when someone you admire makes a really dumb decision?


I mean, for starters, Gaga's "Born This Way" video REALLY failed to impress me and her latest avante-garde creation as a nouveau Bride of Frankestein is not flattering at all! I LOVE artsy people, but sometimes they make stupid decions. Giving birth to alien Gaga heads in a music video about being proud to be gay is NOT my idea of amazing! Or Avante Garde.


Christina, she's having a hard time with her divorce and was so drunk (thank God she was NOT driving)


And then there's my favourite John Galliano saying bad stuff (how elementary school of me) on film about Jewish people. Not cool!


All these amazing individuals made me think: DO I LOVE HOW I'M PORTRAYED PUBLICLY?


I mean, really, ask yourself... have you done dumb shit too?


We ALL have. Fact is, I'll still buy Gaga's record, and LOVE Christina and follow Galliano on Twitter! They made horrible decision creatively and personally, but I still love them. I think alot about that when I'm blasting some odd situation over Twitter or have a cyber-rant on Facebook in front of all my clients.


I think about appearing like a douche and why it's not okay to be as public as I am. And then, at the end of the day I have to remember that we ARE ALL people and we ALL put our pants on ONE LEG AT A TIME.


Today, a client of mine was talking about Charlie Sheen's fiasco and demanding $2 million an episode. We didn't talk about the $2 million or the show, we talked about all the CBS has to let go due to Charlie's publicity and deciding to shut down the show!


My client shared this with me. He says he prays every morning and tells God, "Give me enough money not to be mad at you, but not enough to forget you."


Makes you think!


Did Charlie forget about his divine spark? His Creator? Does he EVEN believe that?


What about Gaga portraying herself as "Mother Monster" and giving birth to Gaga-heads in the new vid? Is she really taking the "Queen" of pop title to heart? Does she believe she's really a "mother" to all her Monsters? And Galliano said he loved Hitler and wanted to gas all the jews! You know, I have alot of Jewish leanings and a Sephardic background. Not cool. Does he REALLY think that or was the alcohol talking?


All of this is not a case of money, fame or booze. It's EGO.


Watching my favourite celebs praise and idolize their own egos made me put myself back into perspective.


I'm just Josh.


I blog, I write, I want to be a superstar in this industry, but when I start calling myself "Mother Monster" and talking about "gassing [religious groups]", it's terrifying.


I didn't actually say any of these things, but I really believe what my Rabbi said, "we are all mirrors of each other"


Are all of these people I admire showing me all that COULD happen to me?


How many comments or bad decisions are we from spinning out of control?


Not too far when you think of it.


Today, I want to thank my 65 year old gentleman Robert for telling me his prayer. I told him mine and my mantra and he shared his with me (coincidentally HE used to do hair TOO), he taught me so much more than Gaga, Galliano or any public figure could. He taught me to appreciate what I have and NOT give in to my ego.


-J Ry.