We were lucky to catch up with Helene Marie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Helene thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

The kindest thing a friend made through the beauty industry has done, and to this day continues to do, is say my name in rooms I have yet to step in. I have a terrible habit of second-guessing my abilities at times and there will be moments where a colleague will mention that they referred me to a company or client. I will always be appreciative of the action because although it takes nothing from them to do it, it means everything to me that they see my value in what I do.

Helene, 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 Helene Marie, a hair artist of almost 10 years (1 more year to go!) from Brooklyn, New York. At this point in my career, I have had the opportunity to do a little bit of everything with my craft. I have styled for multiple publication photoshoots, big brand commercials, red carpets and special events, weddings, film, stream-to-tv series and much more. I fell in love with the art of doing hair after I experienced my first fashion show while attending Aveda Institute. I did work in a salon briefly when I graduated but the culture of a salon didn’t stick for me. With being a freelancer, I get to work with new people and have salon-like experiences when I work in teams for special events and fashion shows – which is more than enough for me!
I contribute my success and a major key to my growth as a freelance artist to being open to opportunities and not allowing myself to be pigeonholed. I will say, however, that as I do more, I learn what I am genuinely interested in contributing my skills too. As for now, I have taken a surprising turn into the bridal industry (never saw that coming) and it has been a welcomed challenge over the past year and a half. One thing is for sure, the evolving never stops and the quality I provide for my clients will only get better.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are a few rewarding aspects that come to mind as an artist. When styling to bring someone else’s vision to life, there’s the moment they look in the mirror and the light beams from them seeing it in full touchable form. That joy just radiates and sets the tone for the rest of their day. Another reward is absolute trust. I’ve had the honor of working with other creatives – either for the first or 10th time – and they say they don’t have a vision for hair, but they trust my ability to create a look that elevates/matches the rest of the story. I love a challenge and welcome these experiences as ways to become a better artist.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I recently, as of last spring, took a turn from fashion to bridal. This change came about due to feeling somewhat unfulfilled by the fashion industry and my role in it. It also wasn’t as fruitful as I needed it to be with growing responsibilities and new financial goals in my personal life. Bridal was always something I said I would never do, but it was a fear-based statement. I hadn’t had immediate success when I initially tried my hand at updos, but I can also be honest in that I didn’t put any effort into practicing bridal styling prior to 2022. Since taking the “risk” styling for weddings, my life has definitely elevated. I feel as though my time and energy is not being wasted. No one has an expectation of free, or even uses that word! It has definitely made goals more realistic and attainable. For me, my dedication to the bridal industry is just beginning with plans to take classes to learn as much as I can to better continue my success!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/helene.marie