We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katt Monroe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katt, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I feel like the biggest risk I’ve taken in my pretty risky 34 years is moving my lil family of 4 across the country from Baltimore MD to Southern California while my fiance and I were still very much so figuring out life. I believe that following my gut and ,moving with intention has been a place of grace for me. Ok so let me preface this by saying I have a film theory, that a good percentage of time the writers make us either really like someone/scenario or really dislike someone/scenario before they plot twist on us! right. So, Back in Baltimore (i adore my city to my soul) while We were doing ok, I had just opened a new beauty space with my sister in law and had made a pretty solid positive name in my field and working with very cool artists….simultaneously, it seemed like life was kicking my ass quietly, and exhaustingly. I was going through drama living back with family, We couldn’t work out good trusted child care for our baby girl for my fiance and I to work and network consistently, the city seemed more dangerous than usual, and I was still reeling from the closing of my first hair art studio. As a “I’ll figure it out” type of person who uses my creative pursuits and works as an expression of myself and my source of income, I was having a hard time dealing. D*pression was beginning to win. Over time, talks in safe spaces, and purposeful intentional seeking of inspiration I realized that I couldn’t make anything shake if I couldn’t get very ok. Right there.. I wrote “I am where I am, and where I am is Ok” where I could see it everyday. But also I knew I needed to dream up something that seemed too big. And commit and do it. I wanted to JUMP. Almost scary but safe and progressive because my babies are involved. I started to revisit some thoughts I had left alone over the years, one being moving to NYC or Southern California. I had pretty much already decided against NY so I thought and planned and all of the things about the whys and ifs and hows we could make it happen. My fiance was with it and wheels were put in motion. Before anything solid even happened, I began telling my clients and some close loved ones that I was moving to LA and speaking it into our daily lives. I prayed, gave us a timeline of “after my babies birthdays”, I looked into grade schools in the areas we were thinking about, made connections online with businesses and people on the West coast, I made a playlist that reminded me of how much I love California, I made a pinterest board with info I felt was important and apartments and all that. The drive across the country was no whore and it seemed like there was hiccup after hiccup thereafter. It was like “what plans?” It was a huge risk and definitely did NOT play out as I planned in the beginning but I regret nothing. I’ve grown to realize that while I may have thought I was moving for one set of reasons, as cliche as it sounds …The gift IS in the journey. I’m journeying. Iyanla Vanzant recently said something to the effect of “…I was so exhausted, it took me 2 years to land back in my body” I relate to that alot. I’m now giving myself and the ebbs and flows of life more grace. Nonetheless, I live and experience some of the things that I’ve imagined and written, It still reminds me often of that saying “You wanna make God laugh, tell God your plans”
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
O hey, Im Katt, I am My Ancestors dream. Im a Mom. and Fiancee. I do dope things lol. What I do as a Hairapist and Aesthetic Dramaturg is a conglomeration. I’ve been a licensed Hair Care Specialist/Beautician for about 13 years. I ultimately I began my career as “the girl that can do hair” lol . I always knew I wanted to be a beautician. Talking to and helping people, using my hands to grow healthy hair and its all art? Yes please lol. I had a clientele of family members and friends weekly in some fashion since I learned how to shampoo hair and have always been told I have “growing hands”. I wanted to go to a high school that offered a cosmetology class, it was unavailable in my area but I was able to obtain my nail technician license. I remember being in my school’s computer class and looking up beauty schools and found a school in California called MUD Designory and was sooooo sold on the idea of going there. They offered beauty AND special effects classes and I had family in a further part of California so I didn’t feel I’d be totally isolated. So I sent off for more info and began to show my family that I was interested in this school. So boom, Thanks to my Pro Imaging (nail tech and theory) class, I was already familiar with state board testing beauty licensing out of high school but I didn’t really want to do nails. After I graduated I caught wind of a beauty school in Baltimore that offered make-up artist licensing and thought “O definitely” so I talked to my mom and thankfully She and who I consider one of my God fathers worked up a plan for me to go to Von Lee School for Aesthetics. So MUA licensing in the works, I had already had a “job job” at a lingerie/beauty store and was doing both pretty well, then I found out I was pregnant with my first born. Through being sick and all the changes of early pregnancy I got my license but kind of paused on creative professional pursuits and any thoughts of going to California were definitely put on the back burner. Working and making money the way I was accustomed to became the norm and necessary. But I was still writing and looking through magazines and dreaming up big moves. Fast forward to my son being about 1 and I was completely over working retail even though I see how many things i learned there, I was over it. So I decided I wanted to go to a Beauty school that would have the full Cosmetology program and would educate me to be licensed to work in a real hair salon setting and continue my Beauty goals. I enrolled in Empire Beauty School and while I was there I began looking up different opportunities for building my portfolio. Most of the time they were free or low paying gigs where I was doing makeup and light on set hair styling and gaining experience. Word of mouth is big in most industries and I think its important to be kind to people and move with integrity and opportunities will unfold for You. While I was at Empire I connected with a like minded creative and was like “aye u wanna do photoshoots stuff with me as a duo” lol. We had already been told we worked really well together and we did. Also while at Empire a opportunity came up to do HD interview hair and make up for a T.V show Mystery Diagnosis which would become my first for tv in studio taping. It was stressful and new. I can remember walking into the studio and having no clue what to expect but the whole feet first and then figure it out thing was not new for Me lol. The camera set up and equipment were beyond anything I had ever seen a photographer work with and seemed to pick up every out of place hair or make up oops possible. And they made sure we knew, and saw, and fixed, respectfully. We nailed it. I was hooked, and I wanted fully in. Of course , teamed up with my then new partner in beauty shenanigans I continued to look for and book us for different port building shoots and then we built up enough work to begin to get paid real money and still do the shoots we solely enjoyed with a network of photographers and creatives we had met. So years down the line of expanding and growing and experience and learning I began to do a lil bit of everything to do with creative productions. Hair, Make-Up, Wardrobe/Costuming, even being the Photographer for a shoot that we had exhibited on a The LED billboard in Baltimore. I began to read and research like crazy just trying to see how detailed I could be with certain projects. I want there to be significance and brilliance in addition to the known and surface level beauty happenings. After the move to LA , things weren’t panning out the way I imagined quite yet. I was talking to a friend of mine who also creates in production and theater and she was like “well u can do so many things AND you love history and stuff, that’s kind of like a Dramaturg.” I had never heard of this role. I looked into Dramaturgy and the many definitions of what this person does and I felt it was almost perfect for Me. Dramaturg’s research and support the directors and production team in so many different ways, I loved the idea of researching a production and adding details to emblazon a story. I was like ok how can I specify this. Aesthetics is by one definition having a sense of and theory about beauty. It was like another light bulb came on. It seemed freeingly fitting to pave my path in this . Because of my love for and proximity to my community in such a intimate way as that of touching their hair and head, and my own and shared truths and journey, I am aware of the deficit in adequate and effective mental health care, especially for Black Women. I wanted a safe way to assess | intervene and possibly provide resources as well as a ear. I obtained my PsychoHairapy certification in 2022 with Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka and am thankful for the additional skills that enable me to be a resource in connecting psychology to hair. The best way to connect with Me is through my email @ [email protected] & Im on most socials as @vitablumonroe
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Resilience is something I feel like is bittersweet because it has to be proven. Like scars almost, its healing/healed and that’s awesome, but that thang hurt didn’t it lol. Like, One doesn’t know the extent to which the word is relevant to them until life has pushed. I believe if you are passionate, you keep going, and take healthy pauses, good things will happen, Bad things too, and not always when we expect one or the other..but its ok! There were times where I was like “What are you doing?” and that may make one want to retreat on a goal. “Succeed or Perish”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Buy Art. Share it, mention it, exhibit it. Fill your homes and the homes of your loved ones with works created by real people. Be intentional. I believe that we could continue to see a rise in the percentage of social media posts/shares and on the ground art initiatives and the creative ecosystem will thrive. There is the issue of intellectual property ownership and usage and I think that boils down to mass accountability. and visibility.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://luvkattmonroe.wixsite.com/vitablumonroe
- Instagram: instagram.com/vitablumonroe
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitablumonroe/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vitablumonroe
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/vitablumonroe/
Image Credits
Self Taken shots Picture of Taylor Michelle (ocean side) Adorned by Katt Monroe, photographed by Dolly of Honey Dove Photography BTS moody shot photographed by Katelyn Kopenhaver