We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Lara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.
Catherine , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
My career within the beauty industry started in my early 20’s which is when I became a makeup artist. I enjoyed the freedom and the ability to travel for what I would do. However early on within my makeup artist journey, I came to the realization that while this is fun and enjoyable at the moment, long term it can be a little tiresome. After expressing how I was feeling about being a makeup artist long term to my father, he suggested I go to cosmetology school and get licensed to do hair. If im being honest, I cannot say I had a full plan as to where I was going with this cosmetology license. All I knew is that I had a slight advantage being that by the time this came around, I was a makeup artist who had traveled within all 5 boroughs in New York City and that gave me the exposure needed to get my name out there if I just took a few models, It took some time to fully build my clientele however I knew that making a comfortable living being a hairstylist was not impossible. I spent a lot of my time in the salon working 7 days a week 9AM-9PM if needed because I knew that one good year of consistent hard work would pay off in the future and it did. During my time in the salon I would film content for social media and eventually I caught the attention of hair care brands like moroccan oil , biotop professionals, RUSK, Redken and more. Working with brands allowed me to see the power of social media and what it can really do for you. I always say that if I could start over, I would probably do everything the exact same way. I believe that those late nights in the salon showed me what im made of not only as a person but as an artist and business owner. Looking back, it built so much confidence and provided so much knowledge in terms on how to run a business.
Catherine , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
The story of how I got into the beauty industry is not one I share often. The truth of it all is that I stepped into doing makeup because I suffered from a severe fall that landed me in the hospital. Resulting in me getting surgery and not being comfortable to walk or sit for too long for years. This surgery and recovery resulted in me isolating myself and falling into doing my own makeup as a hobby. This hobby however is what led me down the path of eventually becoming a successful hair colorist who travels within multiple states to do hair. In hindsight, everything happened exactly how it was suppose to. When it came to doing hair, I wanted to do something that clearly showed a drastic difference in appearance. Which is why I decided to set my focus on being a hair colorist. I myself have seen how your hair and appearance can affect your mood and the way you present yourself to others. My only goal was to make every client of mine feels as confident and beautiful as they could when they leave my chair.
What sets me apart from others in this industry is simply the fact that being your hair colorist is not a quick business transaction for me. As a hair colorist and business owner I always express the importance of giving and receiving. In my eyes it’s the law of how humans function. If you’re blessed enough to give then go ahead and give to those to have supported you through your journey because the only way to continue having those blessings is by giving and with that you shall receive. I always make sure to host giveaways for my clients but not only giveaways related to hair. Over the years I have had the pleasure of getting to know my clients on a personal level and with that, I eventually decided that I would be doing giveaways not only for a complimentary hair service but also giveaways based on my clients likes and interest. For example, we all love to travel so I have scheduled giveaways where my clients will win a complimentary airbnb stay to a destination of their choice. I host giveaways that allow my clients to enjoy live music by their favorite artist. These are a few personal giveaways I host to show appreciation for their continuous love and support.
As a hair colorist, my focus is assisting my clients in keeping their hair healthy through their hair transformation. Being that I myself have had my fair share of ” Hair Horror Stories” I make it my duty to fully educate my client. During the month of December, I always ask my clients to create a hair inspiration board of different colors they would like to try within the year. The reason I do this is because I want to give my client what they want but also create a strategic plan where their hair won’t be compromised. EX: Dying your hair black to red and then wanting blonde would damage your hair overtime. Resulting in split ends. So what I do is start with my clients natural dark base, keeping it natural, taking them up to blonde then allowing them to go red after being blonde and wanting to do something different. Properly planning my clients hair color will ensure we keep their hair as healthy as possible without having to do a ” big chop ” which is what many people tend to do after a hair color transformation.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
We have heard it all before, it costs nothing to share your favorite artists work. Create a small video on TikTok or instagram. Share a photo of work they have done on you or for you. These are small actions clients can take to not only give the artist exposure but also share with their audience what it is that they love so much about their favorite artist. Write reviews for your artist or simply send them a personal message they can repost on their socials.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are so many great books on the market for business management, how to start up a business and accounting however if you’re feeling like you need an in person class with someone to teach you; I learned that if you go to your state website, often times the state will host free classes that will teach you everything you need to know about how to successfully run your business. The classes are usually held yearly and they will also host taxes on accounting and how to do your taxes as well.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Salon Headshot NYC Photographer: Fridah Gonzalez
Makeup Artist: Fridah Gonzalez
I own all other photo credits of clients