We recently connected with Alexsys Jones and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Alexsys thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
In high school, I took a forensic science class and I thought thats what I wanted to do with my life. Going to traditional college was never a goal or dream of mine, so the school portion turned me off.. but I always thought Forensic Files & True Crime shows were so interesting. In the same breath, I was always taking art classes and doing something creative. A big interest of mine was also watching youtube videos of beauty, skincare, makeup, and lifestyle content and something just clicked. I never thought it was possible to make money or make a living off doing something artsy and creative.. until i discovered cosmetology school. So I did my research, and started a 1600 hour cosmetology trade school to see if I liked doing hair, skin, and nails and maybe something would come of it. Just so happened I fell in love with doing hair at 18 years old right out of highschool.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
First, I moved to San Diego at 18 and assisted at my first salon. Right out of Beauty school, it can be extremely intimidating to dive in and start working on real paying clients & be confident in your skill. As an assistant you learn from more experienced stylists by watching their technique, doing it with them, getting comfortable interacting with clients, styling, cutting, coloring, etc. From there I have worked alongside such talented stylists in Denver, CO and Seattle, WA. Being a hairstylist has allowed me to gain confidence as a person by making other people feel their best and celebrating girlhood. I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet hairstylists I look up to in the industry, attend hair-shows and get inspired, work with brands and give feedback, been nominated for hair awards, and we’re just getting started.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Most of the time, the things my clients, friends, and family do that mean the most to me are ✨free✨ It can be as simple as liking or sharing my post, commenting something supportive, writing a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, reffering me to their friends. Society simply needs to ebrace artists supporting artists instead of getting sucked into negitivity abd cancel culture. This industry is filled with a ton of ego and personality, which can get a little messy. Instead of picking apart eachothers imperfections, we need to celebrate our differences and applaud the hard work and uniqueness of each artist/creative.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Making people feel confident for a living. I am lucky enough to go to work & be creative by painting and cutting hair, building trusting relationships with my girls, and giggling kicking my feet in the air. Being a hairstylist can be challenging, hair is so opinion based and all we do is people-please. Once I was able to start separating my personal feelings from feedback/tweaks in a service if a client wanted to change something about their hair, a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Hair is our biggest accessory, so that comes with a-lot of pressure in hoping someone likes your work and they feel like themselves wearing it. Making people feel like the best version of themselves is truly a feeling you can’t describe.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alexsys.tones