We were lucky to catch up with Wenny Blackman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Wenny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Following my passion has provide full time income allowing me to provide for my family, siblings and parents. As a kid who just graduated, I took a risk in 1996 saying; “What do I have to lose”, and opened a salon called, ‘Hairspray[. Without any business education, mentor or relatives here, I took my Cosmetology license and hit the ground running. I opened my doors, The first week my entire staff walked out except for 1 person. I decided to acquire more knowledge and dive deeper than cosmetology school offered. I downscaled to haircuts and saved the clients hair….I know, sounds weird. I would experiment with the hair and how it reacted to color and products. I became not just an expert, but a master in color and color correction. I became so good I was perused by Aveda to be a test salon and consultant for their new color formulas. As a master colorist, I had to come up with a better business plan. I was working every position in the salon. Working 24/7 allowed me the means to grow the business and hire staff. The journey of doing every position and teaching myself the chemistry behind color was not easy. Yes, having this knowledge would have sped up the process. However, I would have missed out on knowing how hard the struggle is to run a small business.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was an immigrant who landed in NY City at 8yrs old. Our family was poor and the 10 of us rented an 800 sf place in the lower east side of China Town. I wanted better for my family. I focused on school and always had a love for fashion and the beauty industry. This was hard since my dad worked all the time, my mother was ill and I became the primary caretaker for my mother and siblings while my dad worked nights. My dream for my dad was to become a fashion designer. Unfortunate things happened while I was studying this in high school. My father lost everything he worked so hard for and I had no funds for college. So I packed my backpack with $500 and a ticket to Houston. I worked 3 jobs for a year and saved money to complete my GED, Esthetician license and Cosmetology License. After I graduated and opened Hairspray, I brought my mom, dad and siblings to TX. The journey of running Hairspray offered me the ability to learn from and implement the Aveda business model. I agree with their mission of, “caring for the world we live in’. What sets me apart is being an image consultant caring for the whole persons well being, using sustainable and all organic products, being a master colorist, and constantly educating myself and clients on the latest industry standards. For example, I am one the few stylist in Houston providing the latest technology in hair extensions. I’m also happy to announce I have been chosen to do model hair and makeup at his years NY Fashion week. I’ve worked on movie sets, professional model shoots, international pageant shows and Houston Fashion week.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As an artist, you are always thinking of creating and growing. I built a small salon to owning 3 very successful businesses. I didn’t prepare for something like Hurricane Harvey and COVID that wiped out 75% of my client base for two years. I learned and encourage you to make a plan incase of unforeseen circumstances. No matter what happens in life, don’t give up. I had to downsize and still follow my passion. I’m growing rapidly and taking a different approach in running my business. Now my business model has disaster protection. I’m still taking clients in Houston and the surrounding area, but I’ve expanding outside of brick and mortar. I have a traveling salon in partnership with PRIV that provides in home services, weddings, modeling and entertainment industry.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s priceless to put a smile on a clients face. I bring out their true beauty by touching their lives and making them feel confident. Many times people come to me for their emotional state. They don’t feel pretty or good about themselves. It’s an honor to lift them up and make a difference in there life. I often call myself a “Hair Theorist”!

P.S. Love what you do and do the best!

Contact Info:

• Website: wennexy.glossgenius.com or salonloft.com/wennexy_beauty_consultant
• Instagram: Wenny.b
• Facebook: https;//www.facebook.com/WenexyBeauty
• Yelp: WenNexy Beauty Consultant