We recently connected with Nyki Nechiporenko and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nyki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I fortunately have been able to earn a living and support my family doing what I love but let me tell ya, it’s been a journey! Everything has been a learning experience. I was able to be creative and “be me” in the beginning of my career but when I had started getting taken advantage of at the salon I was at, I was hired at a large well known salon in my area. Within the first year, my veteran co workers tried to have me fired multiple times saying I didn’t place color or even mix properly. I quickly had learned that my small clientele and I were different. Not wrong, just different from them. At the time, it still felt like a huge opportunity so I stayed and pretty much conformed to their ways. Trying to bring my creative side to the shop was never received well, but I kept trying and stayed for fear of moving again and loosing the small clientele I had. If I had been more comfortable being who I was in the space I was in, things would have been VERY different and could have attracted a clientele I loved.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My parents still say they called it when I was 3 that I was going to do hair, and they were right! I started in the industry when I was 18 and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. My main specialties are adhesive free hair extensions and hair color, especially creative coloring. Beyond making sure my guests are happy with how they feel, I always make it a priority to maintain the health of their hair and to make sure it doesn’t just look good when they walk out of the door, but that it will continue to look good for the months to come. I love to say “plan for the fade”. Any stylist can make sure their guests look great when they leave their stylist, but I strive to do what I can to make sure their hair continues to look it’s best and can be easily maintained and styled on a regular basis until we meet again!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve always known I’ve had more of a “creative brain,” if you will. But the luxury of being able to use that inherent creativity to build a beautiful life for my child is what I’m really grateful for. I of course knew I needed to work to provide for her, but really, motherhood has made me so much more creative. We color and paint together, and the art we create inspires me behind the chair as well. It is an indescribable feeling when our at-home creations are the inspiration behind something that someone wears on a daily basis. When my clients can look in the mirror and feel confident about who they are and how they are expressing themselves authentically to the world. It’s validating to take some credit for that, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and I owe a lot of it to my daughter. She’s the creative driving force that makes me want to be better every day.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

12:08 < Notes
There is no such thing as a non-creative! We are all capable of creating, we just choose to create or we don’t. I’ve faced resistance the entirety of my career, and maybe even before. I was made to feel inferior. “Creatives” aren’t always taken seriously. The comments I’ve received since embarking on this journey have spanned from backhanded compliments to downright degradation. I wish the general public knew how much dedication, determination, heart, and soul it takes to build a life and support a family whilst working in an artistic field.

Contact Info:

• Instagram:@nyki_nechi_hairjunke_13
• Facebook: Nyki M Nechiporenko

Image Credits
Ginny Haupert Photography * for the Spring Pastel Pinup look