Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kayla Terrero. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?
I had a couple of cancellations one day, and I was packing up to leave when this client walked in to get her hair fixed after it was just messed up. I was hesitant to take her considering I was already about to leave work and she was a little stressed but something told me to do her hair anyways. As I am doing this woman’s hair, she’s giving me such a hard time just by saying things like “nobody has ever done my hair correctly”, and not being confident in what I can do, just giving me a hard time. This caused me to feel anxious and a little stressed out since I was doing a long service and was being questioned on my ability to fix her hair. Through the duration of this service, I just tried to stay kind and patient to her as it was clear to me she was kind of having a rough day, I knew it was coming from frustration. Fast forward, I finished her hair, she looked in the mirror and bursted out into tears. Turns out she was going to start Chemo therapy in the next week and she was nervous because she wanted to feel beautiful one last time before she lost all her hair. This impacted me so much because at this moment I realized that you truly don’t know what people are going through and that sometimes may cause them to not be the nicest, however being kind and patient can mean so much to someone without even realizing it. This was a moment that showed me the importance of actually being a hairstylist, it’s not just about hair. This was very emotional to me,I never got this woman’s name, but I think about her often.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
A little bit about me, I am a 23 year old afro-latinx hairstylist born up north and raised in Tampa, FL. How I became motivated to be apart of the industry has resulted from a couple things such as my love for fashion, as well as my mom and grandmother having a big interest in beauty. As a stylist, I work on all hair types but my main focus is on curly/natural hair and fashion colors. I strive to make anyone who leaves my chair, leave feeling like a work of art, with my attention to detail and my tendencies of being a perfectionist, and that is what my brand is about.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
While I was in beauty school, I had an educator tell a friend of mine that I “.. wasn’t going to amount to nothing…. and go nowhere in life” as I was a a star student in the honors program. Words hurt, but what you decide to do with them, is what is important and due to that comment, not only does it motivate me to work harder, but it’s a reminder of how important it is to have supportive people on your team that want to see you win.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
What is most rewarding being an artist, is seeing peoples excitement after my work is done. Clients leaving my chair, with their hair looking like this great masterpiece and me being the person they trust to do it is the biggest blessing for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/bykozykoishii