We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Chang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

At a very young age, I knew I wanted to become an artist. I enjoyed drawing and painting over reading. In school, my favorite subjects were not the academic classes but the art-related ones like painting, ceramics, music, and performing arts. They made the most sense for me. I remember taking one of those “what will I be when I grow up?” quiz and got “artist” as a career. The moment I first knew I wanted to pursue becoming a cosmetologist was the very first time my mother took me alone with her to a nail salon. I sat next to her as her nail tech was servicing her. I watched the process from the moment they laid the acrylic onto her nails, choosing the color and the details in the nail art that the technician painted on. Everything in that salon excited me. There was music playing in the background, different shades of color polishes laid out on the shelves that surrounded us, glass displaying nail art designs, and the gossip and laughter happening. I enjoyed the colors, the mood, and the art. The technician said to me ”You can do nails too when you get older,” And that always stuck with me. That was when I knew if anyone ever asked me what kind of artist I wanted to become, that would be my answer. It was everything I loved all in one place.

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 Amanda Chang (she/her), I am a Hmong American woman born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I currently am a licensed Cosmetologist and run my own beauty business called Mandy Ci (Kee) Beauty. Growing up, I frequented nail and hair salons with my mom. So when deciding what type of artist I wanted to be, these trips influenced me to want to be a part of the beauty industry. Early in my life after my parents separated, I saw my mom go back to school to pursue her master’s as a hair and barber stylist. My siblings and I were still young, but my mom wanted to show us that it is never too late to pursue your dreams. After high school, I applied to Saint Paul College’s Cosmetology program. I was working full time and going to school full time. After completion, and obtaining my license, I knew I wanted to work for myself, which led me to decide what kind of services I wanted to offer. I currently focus on providing nail enhancements, lash extensions, and brow services like waxing and non-permanent brow design. I love to engage with my clients and make them feel safe and welcomed. My mission as a business owner/cosmetologist is to create a safe space for clients and help boost their confidence by creating beautiful work using high quality products and teaching healthy beauty practices. I enjoy taking my time to achieve my client’s desired look and always value their input and preferences. I am always interested in learning new techniques and skills to improve my work. I am always eager to learn more things that I could provide as a cosmetologist that would benefit my clients. I love to encourage and support others who are also interested in becoming an artist/business owner to take risks and go after their dreams/goals. For some, it is a stereotype that Asian women work as cosmetologists and in salons, but I wanted to show that was far from the truth and that there was more to it than that. My love for art allows me to see nails as a canvas, to see a face as something you can enhance your natural features, and for some getting services it is like getting therapy with a friend. I currently am renting a station at a salon to provide services for my clients, but in the future, I would like to move my business into my own salon/suite and further my career into teaching so that I could help individuals who started out just like me to be where they would want to be.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have a goal that I am working towards on in my creative journey. My goal is to open my own salon and or become an educator in the Beauty industry. During my Cosmetology program I experienced unfairness and inequity. Because of this, it has driven me to want to open my own salon to create an environment that would feel safe and welcoming. I want to build a space for other young creatives to be a part of and not experience what I had went through. I also want to become an educator to encourage others to conquer their dreams/goals.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In my view, I believe that the best way society can support artists/creatives are spreading positive word of mouth and respecting their boundaries and prices. As much as an artist shows up to pop up events, promote their work on social media, or put themselves out there, it is still difficult to get others to see your work right away. I think that if someone knows an amazing artist, they should definitely let others know to check out their work and support them. Giving their artist a shoutout and sharing their post always works! I also believe that every artist should be able to charge their worth for their work without being low balled or asking for a discounted price. I believe there is an artist for everyone out there that would fit within their budget, and appreciating the work they put into their art would be another way to best support them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mandycibeauty.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mandycibeauty
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/MandyCiBeauty