We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mckaelynn Williams a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, McKaelynn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of you and tells you what to do and how they did it. A mentor is someone who walks alongside you, to guide you on what you can do. It is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night may get, joy is just around the corner. They see the potential, the higher part of yourself when it becomes hidden. The best mentors are expecting the mentee to become the mentor in their own time too. Mine never forced me to be created in her image but gave me (and continues to give me) every opportunity to create myself with her support. I call her many things in this life, boss, leader, mentor, friend, Debbie, Grammy, but before any of that I called her mom.

I think back to a time when I wasn’t in a salon and well, I can’t. I was bottle fed in this industry. As a 4th generation stylist, I wonder if I even had a chance of not being in this incredible industry. I certainly tried and succeeded at other things, but nothing ever felt exactly right. It wasn’t until 2017 that my parents took a leap of faith and launched Spotlight the Salon that I realized the inevitable was about to happen. My mom and dad along with many friends and family gutted and remodeled a building downtown Delta and turned it into a dream. Nothing prepared me for the fire that was naturally igniting in me helping my parents build a business literally from the ground up. It took a few months before I was approached by my mom to come work for her. I remember her saying “I know I can’t compete with the benefits you have right now but one day with your help who knows what we’ll be able to offer!” I joyfully left my desk job and drove 45 minutes one way 5 days a week for 6 years.

I think it took me all of 1 week as a salon coordinator before I fully realized I was meant to be behind the chair. I would manage the salon and enjoy meaningful interactions with each guest throughout the day. What kept my true interest was watching Debbie create magic behind the chair. Everyday just like a little kid I would watch her. I could see the joy that sparked in her with each new challenge. The care she took with her people through a dedicated consultation, which resulted in a grand understanding of the challenges each guest faced with their unique canvas. I watched her applications, her foiling strategies, the way she listened, and I’d be lying if I didn’t hear a few stories about myself and my sister as kids. That was always my que to come back to reality and stop gawking at her creative process whether she meant for it to be or not. I decided on one of my long drives back home that I would be enrolling into Barbering School the following month. I’ve never been one to wait to pursue a goal or a dream. I can thank my mom for that.

When people ask where I went to school (albeit because the skills I came out of school with were not that of a fresh stylist) I gladly tell them, but I also remind them that my skills were not a result of a school doing an overly exceptional job. They are a result of observing someone who is highly skilled at their craft for 100’s of hours day in and day out. I had the gift of being mentored before, during, and after school by the best. Not a day behind the chair goes by that I don’t think about my mom, or see her show up in a phrase or technique I’m using. I recently started my own business in Grand Junction Colorado, Artisan Crafted Hair. Having two small children and an amazing husband drove my desire to be closer to them. A day doesn’t pass that I wish to be partnered with my mentor, boss, leader, friend, Grammy, my momma.

One day we will rejoin forces, and it will be a whole new adventure. I am forever grateful to the woman who may not have known how incredible she is until later in life, but always believed in her kids without a shadow of a doubt. You have made other’s better as a result of your presence and I know firsthand that it has a lasting impact in your absence. No matter where I do my work, you’re always behind the chair of life with me. I love you.

McKaelynn, 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?

My name is McKaelynn Williams, I have been licensed to create since 2020! Growing up in the industry it feels like WAY longer, but that’s what happens when you dive heart first into the family business. I have been a salon coordinator, manager, barber, and stylist with my mother’s amazing salon in Delta, Colorado Spotlight the Salon for the past 6 years. Living in Grand Junction, commuting to Delta, we knew it was only a matter of time until we launched a second location. As a standout hybrid barber, I specialize in textured curly hair, fades, shaves, custom colors, grey blending, traditional and eclectic styles. I value education as a stylist above all and have a passion for empowering my guests with knowledge that will elevate their hair care journey. I became very well known for my color correction success even in school and continue to have a passion for it to date. Design has my heart; I truly believe that a good haircut can change someone’s life. A first-class consultation experience is the key to success behind the chair, and the education you receive will change your hair for life. I consider myself like the Lorax, but I speak for your hair while keeping it as eco-friendly as possible.

Being a private educator, I have found so much freedom in the ability to work with any and all brands I see align with my core values. I have a passion for the chemistry of products as it works to support the PH of hair. Nerding out about hair is one of my joys, and there is never a shortage of products to dissect and understand, to bring that knowledge right back to my guest.

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

The most rewarding part of being an artist is getting to see people heal over the process and the end result of a project. Being able to provide a space that allows someone to feel seen, heard, and valued is nothing sort of magic. People will sit down in my chair, look in the mirror and I can instantly see how they feel about themselves without a word exchanged. I watch body language; do they look in the mirror or do they desperately avoid it? Starting out asking my guests what they love about their hair/ appearance in general is a great way for me to see where they are at in their self-love journey. For most it is way more than “just a haircut”, it is a strategically planned time where they get to focus on themselves, analyze their style and get professional advice on how to feel better about the way they look and feel. Seeing someone’s vision come to life that I had the honor of co-collaborating on is almost better than Christmas to me. Creating a custom look for someone’s bone structure, lifestyle, and preference is NEVER boring. I deeply love the process, and the end results are the cherry on top for sure!

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?

Two words come to mind when I think of an answer to this question. CREATIVE FATIGUE. Normally this is talked about in regard to marketing strategies that are overused and thus ineffective in reaching the target audience in its full potential. As someone who creates behind the chair for eight plus hours a day, it can really affect our ability to do the exact same thing! I’ve heard many times from traditional job holder’s that “it must be nice to make your own schedule”, or “wow only working 4 days a week.. but making 5 days of money must be pretty cool.” and my personal favorite “Working hard, or hardly working huh?”. The reality of an effective creative income is so taxing on your mental health, physical health, and financial health you are quickly met with the reality that you will burn out much faster than you sell out. Each person has their own bandwidth just as an individual, now add a couple of kids, a spouse, and oh yeah be a BUSINESS OWNER on top of that and let’s see how good you can juggle! I have had the honor of watching one of the best juggler’s around and have learned what it takes to make it work, and as always when observing, some things I will try to do differently. I only have one body. The job I love requires A LOT from it, so I know if I plan to work into my 50’s I will only be able to do that if I honor myself with a 4-day work week. As a creative person, the content we are forced to produce feels like feeding a never satisfied mob of hungry savages. The last thing we want to do when our day is done is to bust out another reel that a few people might take the time to double tap, but here we are doing it anyway just to be seen! Imagine working on a project for half of your day, having the best results, a great client experience, and your art project has to run and go pick up her kids as soon as you’re done with the blow out? You’re not going to ask her to pose for content. You got a before picture (for once!) but did you get a decent after? Scrolling through your phone for possible content to post for what feels like hours while trying to get inspiration from the algorithm, feels like another full-time job. This. This is creative fatigue. The only thing that will cure it is rest, and no matter how hard we try to pretend we don’t need it; we do. So, rest its genuinely part of the job. Then wake up and post your reel before the chaos begins and enjoy having one less thing to do today!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vagaro.com/artisancraftedhair
• Instagram: @artisancraftedhair_bymckaelynn

Image Credits

Casey Portrait Artist