Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Brown.
Hi Maya, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for doing hair started at a very young age. I started braiding hair at 11 years old, on the front porch of my parent’s home. I would love to say I was self-taught, however I have to give credit when credit is due. My father is a very unique man, and loves to challenge his children in ways they may not even recognize at that time. On one beautiful summer day my father and I were sitting on the porch, and he decided to teach me how to braid. Now, I knew how to plait and do simple styles but braiding to the scalp of your head was a challenge. My father is the second to youngest son of 12, and very good with his hands. My father taught me to under- braid meaning, the foundation of the braid did not sit on the surface of your head. Now learning this style of braiding was beneficial, but I still had lots to learn. Some of my female cousins would braid my hair when I was younger, and I was always fascinated at how they were able to braid where the braid formatted on top and not underneath. Much like my father, I never gave up and trusted the process. After practicing over and over again, using my sister as a live mannequin I eventually got it!
Doing hair for me is not only therapeutic, but it brings joy to my being. Knowing the person receiving the style feels a sense of confidence within, leaves my heart so warm. Spreading love, and having self-love is something my mother taught my family since we were babies. Over the years my mother would express some of her own traumas, and let me tell you her strength never ceases to amaze me. The way my mother loves herself to many would come off as conceited, however I am inspired. Growing up it showed my siblings, and myself to always put yourself first. I mean let’s be real, if you do not put yourself first, who will? The answer is no one, because you are indeed your biggest fan. We all have struggles and a story to share.
Here is mine, and I am ready to share it with anyone willing to listen! I am not perfect, and I fall short more times than not. However, I am blessed, and am continuing to learn and grow. I would not be where I am today without the support of God, the greatest support team (MY FAMILY), good and bad friendships, and trial and error. I am not the pain I went through, but the strength that keeps pushing me forward. I am Maya Denaire Brown!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Laughing out loud as I type! What in life is easy and if it is, was it actually even worth it? Hair has always been my passion since I was 11 years old, however after high school I did not attend beauty school right away. After high school, I took a break to figure things out to see exactly what I wanted to do in life. Being the oldest child of 4, and it has always been a struggle because I always felt like I had no one to look up to besides my parents. After a year had passed, I decided to attend CCAC for social services. I choose social services because I seen the impact my mother was making within her field, and I admired her worth ethic. That same year I reconnected with a high school friend, and started dating. Things started getting pretty serious, and I seen myself following off with school. I eventually dropped out of CCAC, and took some more time because I did not feel fulfilled. Sometimes life comes at you faster than you take notice, and one thing leads to another. Once I had dropped out, I started focusing on making more money. One thing my parents instilled in me was to hustle hard, and to make the best decisions for myself. I have always been a go-getter, and never allowed myself to stay complacent. Every 9-5 job opportunity was a reminder why I needed to go ten times harder. I did not grow up with a family that inherited wealth, but I was blessed. According to society, my parents were middle class individuals. We had to pay for school lunches, and almost never received any assistance with the cost of living, but my parents made it work.
We traveled the world, had a meal to eat with a roof over our head, struggled, but always remained humble. Growing up in a two-parent household made me the woman I am today. I am beyond grateful to have experienced such a rollercoaster time of events. We had high, and low days always remaining together in some sort. For me family is everything despite everything we may go through, and this is why I go so hard. Settling for less just doesn’t sit well with me.
After a few months of stacking money, I decided to go back to school for criminal justice this time. I enrolled into a college 45mins away from home. It was time to walk away from the nest, and find myself outside of the family that had shaped me. I was nervous and uncertain, but I needed this change to elevate. I moved onto campus into a dorm with 3 other girls which was quite interesting culturally, and emotionally. Living with a group of girls you did not know from a can of paint was a STRUGGLE for me. I was raised a certain way, and was not use to adjusting to the blended lifestyle I had emerged into. As a woman of color in a unit with one biracial, and two white young adults I am sure you can imagine our challenges. I held on as long as I could then returned home before I ended up in jail or a situation that ruined my future. I eventually graduated with my associate’s in science in 2017, however still did not know what my future held. I still was not satisfied with my accomplishment, and went back to the drawing board.
I got a job within my field, and disliked it so much. As I reflect, I believe it reminded me of my own traumas that I had not healed from. I was working with children from the ages 6-12 who lived in a facility where restraints were conducted if they became out of line. I resigned within 3 months, and started working with IDD individuals in which I found a lot more peace. Although I was at peace, the money was not enough and I did not feel I was following my dreams. In 2019, I got into a big altercation with my father and moved out with my boyfriend at the time, and enrolled into Carlow University to further my education. I was so excited to be at a University, and I am sure it made my parents proud. In that same year, I applied to a job in mental health, and quickly received a Team lead position which boosted my self-esteem! I met some wonderful people, and started forming into the woman I was destined to become.
Fast-forwarding to 2020, COVID hit and life took another turn for the worst. Classes became online, my relationship with my partner was failing, friendships went bad and I felt lost. Unfortunately, I ended up dropping out of school and accumulating debt that set me completely back in life. With this heavy load on my back, I resulted to working harder, and traveling the world. To avoid facing my demons I started drinking more, and even picked up smoking weed for fun. I was not happy with myself, the choices I was making or where my life was heading. I was fed up being a team lead, settling for less than I felt I deserved, and it showed within my productivity. In 2021, I fell out with the supervisor who had given me the opportunity to lead our team due to an incident at work. This put fuel into my being, and allowed me to place that pain into something I loved dearly. I enrolled into beauty school finally.
By 2022, I had graduated and passed my exam in the same week. For once in my life, I felt proud of Maya. 11 year old Maya felt accomplished, loved, and satisfied with following her passion. 2022 is when Denaire’s Designs LLC was created. This accomplishment meant the most to me because I did it not for my parents, but for the younger version of myself. That same year I finally parted ways with my now ex, and my mental health fell off. I became the patient, and needed to be handled with care. I could not believe what was happening to me, and I felt like a loser. I had lost myself completely and thought my world was coming to an end. I felt broken, and I did not feel like living anymore. Mental health is so REAL, and is not talked about enough.
Yet, here I am in 2024 typing my second article for a magazine. I have reconciled some relationships, and let other’s be a lesson. I am beyond blessed, and express gratitude as much as I can always. I give thanks to God, the greatest support system I could ask for, and myself for pulling through despite how I feel. I do not know where life is going to take me, but I am grateful for another chance. This journey has just begun!
” I mean if you don’t put you first, who will?” – Maya Denaire Brown
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a licensed cosmetologist specializing in protective styles, and healthy hair. I love teaching others how to maintain a healthy routine that is suitable for their lifestyle. I love working with textured hair because that’s where I am most comfortable, however I have serviced all textures of hair. When I started doing hair, I only did braids and only considered myself a braider. After receiving my licenses, I have promoted myself to a stylist (someone who is capable of being versatile). I am well known for creating designs with my braids!! However, I have to give create to my cousin whose hair I have been doing since we were little because we literally come up with some of the dopest styles the day of his appointment.
I am most proud of my ability to not limit myself. I want to continue to educate myself within the hair industry, and my overall being. There is so much more to learn and see! I never want to get to the point where I feel I have learned it all. I have learned a tremendous amount of things, but yet not enough.
The thing that sets me apart from others is my passion for making others feel beautiful. Such much so, I have done hair for FREE. While working many of my 9-5 jobs, and in my daily life I would give free hair styles. Within my business currently I have done photoshoots where the models get treated to a self-care/love, clothing for shoot, and a free hairstyle free of charge. Funded by myself, and my parents as a way to support my dream.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I want to thank everyone who has ever supported me at any part of my life with this journey. Without you, I may have never been able to keep following my dreams. To anyone who feels stuck, or doesn’t know which direction to turn, I want you to keep doing what makes you uncomfortable until you reach a place you feel comfortable. Nothing in life is out of your reach. You are the creator of your story, so please make it a good one. Loving yourself right now may be the hardest thing to do in this season, but I promise it gets easier. Trust and be patient because your dreams can come true. Thank you for taking the time to read my article and may all your dreams come to fruition. It’s time to put you first!!!!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.denairesdesignsllc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_denairesdesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenairesDesigns/
Image Credits
Graylyn Brown