We were lucky to catch up with Doug O’Connell recently and have shared our conversation below.

Doug, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Both my parents are very hard workers and always have been since the time I can remember. From a very young age my parents have always strived to teach me how to be the best version of myself and I take pride in achieving that every single day of my life. They always had me involved in sports, classes and extra curricular activities to always keep me busy and learning. One particular thing I envy the most about my parents is that they always let me choose what I wanted to be involved in and always pushed me to do my best in whatever that may be. I’ve learned so many skills from both of them that I put to use not only in my career, but my every day life. Being responsible has always stuck out to me because of them. Responsibility will get you very far in life and it really teaches you the true meaning of accountability. I will always remember them telling me “Life is all about choices” and let me tell you that is the most truthful statement I have ever heard. The choices we make on a daily really do reflect how or what will happen in the future. My mom has always taught me to be kind and help others, which makes sense due to the fact that she helps addiction/mental health patients everyday. Family is everything is something my Papa has always strived on as well. I have never gave up on my career and I believe that is why I have gone so far in this craft. Always ask for help, figure things out and get the job done has always been planted in my brain, but I never forget to have fun and know mistakes may happen along the way. I really cherish what my parents have taught me growing up and I love them both dearly for molding me into the man I am today.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Doug O’Connell and I am a professional hairstylist in the Orange County/Los Angeles area. I have been in the hair industry for about 12 years and have loved the journey this career path has taken me on so far! I attended cosmetology school was I was 20 years old in Fullerton,Ca. Growing up I never knew I wanted to do hair, I just always knew I wanted to do something in the creative field, but could never really pin point exactly what that was. The way I got into the beauty industry was I was very interested in doing makeup. We’ll come to find out makeup wasn’t my thing and it just didn’t feel right. So I ventured out, really brainstormed what I wanted to do and where my passion really was and went to school for hair and fell in love with every moment of it every step of that way. Once I graduated and received my license I got an assistant position for a stylist at a salon right away, then worked as the owners assistant, learning as much as I possibly could and pushing myself to the limit and a little less than 2 years later I had my own chair. I learned so much being an assistant. I highly recommend that every single person that graduates should be an assistant. That’s where you learn the most! I loved taking clients, doing their hair and having an impact on their physical image. It feels so good knowing you made someone’s day or hear their story and really develop relationships with these complete strangers. I work full time behind the chair, but I always do a lot of outside work as well such as photoshoots, events, red carpets, wedding and more. I do everything from color to cuts to styling to extensions. The thing I am most proud of this far in my career is I’ve gotten to style hair for the Emmys in 2002 for some of the girls on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The moment I was asked to do this I literally cried because it was so special to me to be asked. My work has also been featured on MTV in 2023. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me because I truly know this is only the beginning to amazing journey.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My main goal is to make myself and my clients happy every day whether I’m behind the chair or out doing some random life event. Happiness really is the root to the best life. I mean who doesn’t want to be happy?

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I really wish I would have just known how helpful other creatives are! I think in the beginning of my career I was always just nervous or scared to ask fellow hairstylist and artists for advice or help. Being in the industry now for almost 12 years I have come to realize that we are all in this together and help/answers are definitely out there. Of course you’re going to experience people or companies that don’t want to give you the time of day, but those people aren’t meant to be in your life. I have found by just reaching out and simply asking questions or asking artists to collaborate has had a huge benefit on my career. Sharing knowledge and creativity can really change the way you go about business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dougoconnellhair.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dougoconnell13?igsh=YTR2eHdxcDltZjZp&utm_source=qr
• Other: Tik Tok: @dougoconnell13