We recently connected with Christiana Sayyah and have shared our conversation below.

Christiana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you 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?

Being a creative, it’s tough to find a direction with your life and career. When I compromised with myself on deciding hair was my path, I stuck to it fervently. I was extremely driven and would ask anyone and everyone to sit in my chair in those first years.

Now that it’s been 10 years into my career, I know I absolutely made the right decision. I earn a full-time living as an artist behind the chair and a salon owner.

Hair allows me to be creative in new ways every day. It allows freedom to cultivate your environment in both design, vibe, and with who you surround yourself.

I don’t think I could have sped up the process, because I believe every decision before hair prepared me to be ready at the right time for myself.

I also wouldn’t change anything within my career, because each experience helped me grow and learn for the better.

My current goals are to continue doing fun hair behind the chair and ensure the stylist’s in my salon feel seen, heard and are abundantly successful and happy.

Christiana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a girl from a semi-small town. I grew up in the heart of the Midwest, and resided there for 30 of my 40 years.

I grew up in the arts, dancing through grade school, singing, and playing the cello for 10 years. No matter the medium, art has always been at the center of who I am.

I was in the service industry for 10 years prior to hair school, so the transition of waiting tables and creating cocktails did help prepare me for life behind the chair.

At 29, I was dead set on going to hair school, and by 30 I was licensed and starting the greatest journey of my life.

I knew that I wanted to work for myself from the beginning, so after the first two years in the industry, I began working in a shared salon suite and doing independent wedding hair and makeup. This was after my move to Georgia in 2016.

By 2018, I had my own salon suite in Marietta, GA and began working full time with hair only. This is majorly when I began working with industry brands as well. Content creation is a huge part of my hairstylist story.

I am the most proud of my dedication and resilience in this industry. It’s a tough job not only mentally, but physically as well. I have grown so much as a person while doing hair. The type of people I meet, the stories I hear, the relationships I foster, these all add to my life in such meaningful ways. The most rewarding thing to me is seeing someone’s confidence grow as they transform while in my chair.

I’m at a point now where I want to give back. I love helping new stylist’s by giving them opportunities that are very rare in this industry. I offer cheaper booth and suite rental than most salons, helping to give new artist’s wings to fly and flourish.

I have some goals on the horizon for the next couple of years business wise. One is creating my own product line and the other is purchasing the salon building we are currently in. I would love to also expand the brand to a second location down the line, but for now, I’m very happy with our little group.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I believe the creative brain is often difficult for the non-creatives to grasp. Creatives typically move in a zig-zag, winding, unpredictable pattern, while non-creatives typically have a more linear path.

I personally find connection with creative people and mental health, such as those with ADHD and Autism. Because these individuals’ brains work differently, it allows them to have more interest in the arts and live their lives in a sometimes unpredictable manner.

As someone with both of these titles, I know a 9-5 corporate job would absolutely suck my soul out immediately. I marvel at those who can have this type of life and routine, but it could never be me.

I do thrive on my own schedule and routine, however each day’s work can not be exactly the same, or even too close to it. That is why hair specifically is perfect for creatives. It allows us to meet with multiple different personalities throughout the week, and create individual styles for each person.

I think both groups can absolutely learn and benefit from each other.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In the beginning of building an audience on social media, algorithms were different and it was easier to grow for me. I do believe the best advice, however, is to show up as your authentic self. Trying to be someone you aren’t isn’t going to attract the right audience for you, and right now people are craving authenticity.

Posting schedules and types of posts are always changing. Currently I post about every two days on both Instagram and TikTok. As of right now, TikTok has more return than Instagram for me, however, most brands seem to be heavily rooted in Instagram, especially in the hair industry.

It all depends on your goal for your page as to how and what you post. If you want to work with brands, engage with them. Tag them, post showing you working with their products, etc. and be consistent with that. If you want clientele, post more locally focused. Tag local businesses and restaurants, and landmarks. Hashtag your area and show how to interact with you on your page clearly.

Those are just some examples, but I do believe it’s harder than ever to grow on social media currently. A lot of the time you just don’t know what will go viral vs what won’t. Having a goal set is vital to keep yourself on track.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://glitterandgeeks.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glitter_artist?igsh=M29rMWc2b3Y2bGY3
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DT9U8VFsK/
• Other: TikTok:
  https://www.tiktok.com/@glitterandgeeks?_r=1&_t=ZT-919QADYCpeR

Image Credits

Cassie Rae Design