Sharai Bush|26 years old|Color Specialist/Stylist|@hairbysharai
If you would of asked me six years ago where I see myself now, it definitely wouldn’t be working as a stylist in Brooksville, KY. However, let me back up and tell you a little about how I got here and what I’ve learned along the way.
I was raised in southern West Virginia where God was first and Friday night football was second. However, I had another desire that sparked a fire inside me. And that was beauty. As cliché as it sounds, I would always find the beauty in everything, especially people. I knew this industry was my calling.
Aside from beauty, I also had a passion to make an impact in people’s lives. Whether small or large, I wanted to leave a mark and let somebody know I cared.
After beauty school, I decided to booth rent at a salon close to home. Coming from a long line of entrepreneurs, I’ve always had an urge to push myself to do things others wouldn’t normally do so booth renting straight out of school with zero clientele was not questionable for me. I like to challenge myself and shortly after a year of working I built up a full clientele base. Also, I always give credit where credit is due and honestly I would not be the colorist I am today if it wasn’t for the lady I worked under there at my first salon. She taught me in depth color theory along with helping keep me updated on the latest techniques. She is truly an amazing person all around and I still message her for advice every once in a while.
When I turned nineteen, I fell in love with the man of my dreams and ended up marrying him when I was twenty one. Unfortunately, with marriage comes hard decisions. After my husband got laid off from his job, our only option was to move away from our home town to support ourselves. A new location, new salon, not knowing anybody; it was rough having to build a clientele from scratch again. But without a doubt, I still chose to booth rent.
Six month later, my husband had another lay off. Since at this point his income was our main source, I had no option but to follow where he went. And as a wife, I felt it was my duty to stick with him through all his trials. So in winter of 2014, we found ourselves residing in the farmland of Bracken County, KY.
As you can assume, we both were frustrated not knowing what will happen next. Nothing was secure but our marriage. We knew above anything else, we were going to stick together and support one another. This time in our lives is when we also decided to give ourselves to Christ and we became saved. If there was no other purpose for the obstacles we went on, then that was enough to do it all over again.
Giving my heart and life to Christ was by far the best decision I ever made. And it has ultimately helped me become the stylist I am today. My passion for giving and impacting others lives only became stronger and more intense when I put God in the center of it.
The third start over in my career happened a little differently. With my baby boy in the picture now, I decided this time to play it safe and work at a commission based salon. Nonetheless, in three years my clientele base is bigger and stronger than ever. I’ve also been able to cut my hours back to spend more time with my family all while still maintaining my full schedule. Isn’t God powerful? He truly gives you the desires of your heart.
Every client I work on, every person I meet has a story. It amazes me all the different paths we take but somehow we were meant to cross each other’s at some point in life. I hope when my path crosses someone else’s that it impacts them. Yes, I can make your hair look good and boost your self confidence but I want to really touch you somehow. People need to know they’re loved and cared about. God has placed me in the career for more than external beauty. I want to help women, men and children find their internal purpose and let it out. If I can help one lost soul, just one, then my work is worth every blood, sweat and tear I have put into this career.
My next goal in my career is to open my own Christian based salon. However, the lesson I am learning from God now is patience. I tend to rush things into my timing instead of His. The time will come and I will let my light shine even brighter. But until then, I’ll keep praying for the Lord to send me hurt, sick and broken souls to sit in my chair as He has many times over now.
I also want to point out one thing. As a Christian working in a public environment, it’s easy to get caught up in worldly conversations and situations. I beat myself up for it all the time. But we are human as well, only saved from our transgressions. My word of advice is…don’t let the enemy defeat you where he knows he can. Stand up for what you believe and be courageous in the word of God whether it’s in your career, home life or anywhere. God will guide you and protect you. Most of all He will provide. He is Jehovah Jireh.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” -Colossians 3:23