Hey! My name is Kristine. I am a vivid and blonding specialist located in metro Detroit, MI.

 I started in this industry nearly 8 years ago and it has definitely been a journey.  From beauty school to assisting to salon hopping, I am finally finding my way in this creative world. 

  I have not always been the most confident. I would consider myself more socially awkward than anything. This, of course, made it more of a struggle to be an up and coming artist in a competitive cosmetic world. I remember my first client in beauty school. A simple blow dry/style. I was so excited– A realclient in my chair! I was definitely ready to work on a real head as opposed to “Barbara” (at least a mannequin can’t complain though, right?). The excitement was quickly replaced by a realization that I was HORRIBLE at blowdrying. (Not to mention I could not multitask which led to an awkward lack of conversation.) Fast forward to my guest leaving with frizzy, less than completely dry hair. I couldn’t even do a good blowout. How was I supposed to make it in this industry?

   This was just one of the many “fails” of my beginning career. Color theory made no sense to me, cutting made even less sense. I thought I was never going to find my niche.

 Towards the end of beauty school I began assisting. I have to say I learned so much more in those two years than I ever did in school. Slowly I gained confidence in my skills and I realized I was ready to have my own chair. This brought on a whole new set of experiences- bad highlights, less than perfect cutting skills, a whole new world of being accountable for the work I put out. Through all of this I learned that “fails” are not what they seem to be. They are learning experiences. You see, the key is to never repeat the same mistake. You learn from it and move on. If I could go back to the very beginning, I would tell myself that even the most amazing stylists have made the exact same mistakes as I have along the way. I believe the anxiety of making mistakes is the reason so many stylists give up so early on.

 Over the years I have vowed that I would make a name for myself. I realized one day that the only thing setting the average and the extraordinary apart is dedication and perseverance. Years later I am slowly making my way towards my goals.

  After years of working in different salons, March of 2018 was when I made the decision to take a leap of faith into owning my own salon suite. I gave birth to my daughter and while on maternity leave made the transition. It was the scariest thing I have done in my career so far but it has been the best! The thing about going out on your own is you HAVE to make it. Failure is not an option. Though my recent endeavors have been a success so far, it is definitely not the end of my road. I have a long ways to go when it comes to discovering my brand along with perfecting my skills and while I am excited for the future I have to remind myself that it is all about the JOURNEY! 

 Through all of my ramblings, my point is this: follow your passion and don’t get discouraged! Never compare yourself to others but strive to become the best version of yourself. I truly believe that with the right amount of passion, anything can be achieved.

– @paintitvivid