We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Rivera recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I think one of the biggest mischaracterized things I hear about cosmetology from some people is that “doing hair isn’t a real job,” or that “it’s just hair.” It’s frustrating to say the least, because most people don’t actually know what it takes to be a stylist. We’ve gone to school and taken a state board test for our license. We then start an apprenticeship which can take months to a year. Plus, it can be a physically demanding job. We’re on our feet most of the day, back pain can be an issue, we eat lunch whenever we can, we’re working with multiple people a day. I can go on and on, but point being it’s so much more than just hair. If I’ve learned anything from it, it would be to never knock or judge anyone’s passion or career just because it’s not your average corporate job. It really makes a difference when you truly love and enjoy what you do.

Jessica, 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?

I’m a hairstylist and color educator at johnny rodriguez the salon. What first sparked my interest in doing hair was back in high school, i loved playing around and styling my hair into updo’s and braids all the time. I remember watching youtube videos learning different styles to try on my hair. I never thought about pursuing a career in cosmetology until my family suggested and encouraged me to try it out. And now i will be celebrating 10 years in the industry this year. I offer both color and cut services but i specialize more in balayage, highlights, fashion colors, women’s haircuts, special event styling, and brazilian blowouts. I’m most proud of seeing how far i’ve come and grown as a stylist and person, and also becoming a color educator in the salon. But the best and most important part about my career is making clients feel and look beautiful.

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

It’s knowing and seeing how you can make a difference in people’s lives. Bringing out the beauty in them. It’s the relationships that we get to build with our clients. I have some clients that have been with me since the beginning. Getting to in a sense, grow and go through any major life event with them. Like getting married or even divorce, welcoming kids, illnesses, starting new jobs, entering high school, or going off to college. As well as the relationships I’m building with new clients. It’s seeing how happy and beautiful I’ve made them feel after their hair service. Or getting a sweet message telling me about their experience. And now as an educator, it’s also seeing students growing and thriving in their work. Knowing that all that hard work has paid off. There is honestly nothing better or more rewarding than that.

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

I feel like social media has become such huge and important factor for artistic and creatives. Instagram in particular, is where we are showcasing our work. It’s been a great tool that has helped market and promote my business. At my salon, we are able to have our instagram handles printed on our business cards. Some of us write it on our mirrors so clients see it when they are sitting in our chairs. And clients usually tend to ask our receptionists for it when booking appointments. With that being said, some advice I can give is that you need to make sure you’re staying active with posting pictures, stories, or reels. Make sure you are posting your best work. And also make sure you are tagging and using hashtags relevant to your work and your location. I’ve had clients who’ve told me they found me through hashtags, and decided to book with me because they liked my work. It does really work. Always look at your page from a client’s point of view. And lastly, don’t get caught up on your follower count. Of course we all want to be like those pages that have a ton of followers, but in reality it’s usually going to take time to build that up along with your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.johnnyrodriguezsalon.com
• Instagram: @riverajess23
• Other: Email: [email protected]