Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Gratitude.

Having been in the fashion industry in the Midwest for a good five years now, I've been awarded many different types of friendships that have blossomed because of this mutual interest or hobby. Some of those friendships have been fleeting, some long lasting, and some incredibly toxic. By far one of the most important and fulfilling types however, are the friendships that I've gained with my clients.

(Image courtesy of Brittany Powers)

Now for those of you just tuning in, I own a hair artistry company here in Ohio called Synthetic Rebellion, and I style hair for all sorts of things: Photo shoots, weddings, proms, runway shows, films, hot dates- you name it, I style for it. Every Sunday I work at Laura Dark's studio styling hair for her many, many clients, and it's there that I have been able to gain the aforementioned friends. Not only do I get to work alongside my best friends who also work at the studio (i.e: Team Dark!), but I get to hang out with and pamper women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds for their photo shoots with Laura. It really is a dream, because nearly everyone who walks through our doors is just amazing. Their attitudes are amazing, their humor and perspective is amazing, and their investment in us as a company and as individuals is amazing!

(Image courtesy of Joan Nakamoto)

We're really fortunate to have so many repeat clients who come back to us non-stop, and who after every visit becomes more and more of a friend. It's refreshing how many people come in as strangers, and in just a few short hours leave us feeling as though our studio family just got a little bit bigger.

(Team Dark Pose Coach, Jackie Steinert, with model Anastasia Corpus)

For us, our Sundays at the studio are a chance to really exercise our creative muscles and think of new ways to bring someone else's vision to life. More than that though, our Sundays are a chance to build up our client's self-esteem, smother them with compliments, give them all of our attention and praise, and help them to realize that they are beautiful. They're beautiful without the makeup and the hair, and they're beautiful without the costumes, and the allure of Photoshop. To us, our clients are stunning from top to bottom, and we get the privilege of helping them see that for themselves.

(One of our regulars, Tracy Gantt and myself in Chicago!)

It's that part of our job that makes a blossoming friendship with our clients so special. We become bonded and supportive almost right off the bat, and there's a strong sense of genuine admiration for each other, be it for our creative talents, our personalities, or for our inner and outer beauty. It's a really wonderful thing to have!

(Me and my prom girl, Josie right before she got dressed for her big night!)

Some of our clients drive two or more hours one way just to see a show we're in, or to go to an event we're hosting. Some fly in from out of the country and hang out with us outside of the studio, and bring thoughtful gifts for our birthdays and/or holidays. Some clients show up to the studio when they're not shooting just to sit and chill for a few hours and catch up with everyone. It's just incredible. I feel so honored and lucky to have such a large group of people who have become really good friends, all because of the studio and what we do there.

(My best friend and partner in art, Jackie Steinert and myself during a studio day)

This whole experience has really taught me to invest even more in new faces, and to put myself out there as a friend from the get-go. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but I still have a lovely time getting to know someone I didn't know all that well before, and we still have a fun time working together. Other times it works out REALLY well, and we all gain another person we just can't seem to live without! This experience has also given me the chance to grow stronger bonds with those that I'm already friends with, and share my passions with them on a more one on one level. I could never be grateful enough to have so much opportunity to meet so many incredible people!

With that said, to all of those clients turned friends out there (and friends turned clients!), thank you. Thank you for making me feel so full and wealthy with your friendships. Thank you for supporting everything that I do, and for recommending me to your friends and family. More than anything though, thank you for the chance to get to know you! You really are amazing, and I hope that we remind you of that every single day.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

On Being A Slacker...

February? I haven't updated this blog since FEBRUARY? Oh my god, I really have fallen off the blogging deep end. So much has happened in the last five months, way more than I could ever try to shove into one entry, buuut for the sake of all of the cool things that I've got going on now, I'll try anyway.

My most recent entry was about my behind the scenes shoot with Crys Darling of Label Yourself, Art CatTrulie Scrumptious, and of course the hair structures from my hair company, Synthetic Rebellion. Just a few short months after that shoot had taken place, we debuted the entire sweets collection during a massive runway show at Drauma. It was spectacular!

(Image by Shadow Services.)

You can view the full collection here.


I was then interviewed in the Columbus Alive featuring the hair pieces at Drauma, and it was an amazing experience. If you click on the link above, you can read the full interview on their website! 

(Image credit: Tony Bentivegna Photography)

In April I debuted an entire collection of clothing made entirely out of synthetic hair at The Alternative Fashion Week 2014, with the help from my assistants Kaylen Jackson, and Jackie Steinert. I had announced that we were doing this on the blog in January, but nothing really prepared us for what we eventually created for the show. You can see the full gallery of looks by clicking here. The event was an amazing experience that really pushed my creativity to an extreme that I hadn't known I was capable of achieving. My models were amazing, and the amount of support that we got from the community left me in awe for weeks after the whole thing ended. To be truthful, I'm still riding that high a little bit! 


After Alternative Fashion Week ended, I started up my next massive project, which was The Boyfriend Project- an interactive, original comedy set to become a YouTube mini-series about modern dating. Our cast and crew is comprised of talented, hard working people, who have really embraced the script and the characters to their fullest ability. It's been SO MUCH FUN filming each episode, which takes place all around Columbus, Ohio. It's a very ambitious project, totaling a hundred pages of script, dozens of locations, a cast and crew of over twenty people, and twelve episodes total. The amount of support and excitement we've gotten from the local film community has kind of been out of this world. Every time we shoot, I'm left with this overwhelming sense of gratitude that this idea that we created almost two years ago is finally coming to life- bit by bit. It's been totally awesome! 


In the middle of all of this, Equine Partners moved to a new facility just fifteen minutes away from the old one, and we had about two days to move over forty-two horses and start over fresh... In the middle of winter. It was CRAZY. But, through the move we gained a wonderful and happy new home that has perked everyone's spirits sky high. The actual farm itself is stunning, with a swimming pool for the horses, an indoor and outdoor racetrack, open and bright stalls... It's really quite a sight to see. May now has her own stall, and is busy being a silly little diva. She's been getting handled so much now that we've moved, and I can tell that she's improving and learning every time I go out and visit her. Truth be told, I haven't been able to go to the farm as often as I'd like to, and working with May (beyond general grooming time) has been minimal. And that's something I'd really like to change in the next few months once things slow down a tick. I very much miss my beautiful girl. 

Now, there are TONS of other things that have happened, too. I started a brand new job at a private practice, my sister had her first baby, and I got to spend four whole days loving on my brand new nephew, Corbin (aka, the cutest baby ever). Dan and I got to see Eddie Izzard perform at the Palace Theater, and in just a little over 48 hours, we sign the lease to our brand new apartment together. 

Life has been GRAND! 

I'm sure that there are things that I'm forgetting, but for now I just leave you with what's above. I've carved out time in my crazy busy schedule to write more often, as I'm still the lead blogger for The Alternative Fashion Blog, and I've been a total slacker there, too. Luckily, there are a handful of amazingly talented writers who have been great at contributing solid content. Still, it's time to commit to both blogs, and write more often. 

Hope you all have been well! I've missed you!