We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Suzy Grifa a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Suzy, appreciate you joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
Being a bit fearless of failure, doing a task scared, and continuously developing communication skills are foundational lessons that have propelled me throughout my career. From my early experiences being on a freelance makeup team and sometimes being booked for jobs in which I could have easily felt that I lacked enough experience or credibility, my mentor always encouraged me to simply show up confidently, professionally, and to rarely say no to an opportunity.
While in college I was hungry to be successful and a make a significant income, which maybe at the time my naiveté also propelled me into opportunities to try even if I failed. These opportunities included planning photoshoot themes for models, coordinating Indianapolis’ largest bridal runway show, doing makeup for local news personalities and a Sports Illustrated magazine article. I had many more gigs working with successful individuals where I was able to make an impression by performing at a high level in hopes of gaining referrals or being asked back in the future.
These experiences were invaluable to developing my fearlessness in different work situations and strengthening my communication skills with all types of people and businesses, both of which I continue to value, evolve and improve upon.
Twenty years into my career in the beauty industry, I still value being fearless and taking an opportunity, even it occasionally means working for free. If a project excites me creatively or allows for collaboration with other talented creatives, I consider it a worthwhile investment of time. The experience you gain can be priceless towards your future career goals, develop your network and allow you additional experience to practice your craft. As you continue in your profession, find outlets to push your creativity and exercise curiosity.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For over 20 years, I’ve been a makeup artist, hairstylist, and creator in the beauty industry. I’ve found purpose and joy in providing hair and makeup services ranging from classic haircutting and coloring in the salon to creative editorial looks during a photoshoot all while developing long-lasting relationships with those in my chair. It’s my intention to deliver an exceptional service encompassing my years of experience and technical education, while also providing a comforting, relaxing, and artistically customized experience to leave clients feeling lighter and more confident after their service. I currently work behind the chair 4-5 days a week at Rejuve Salon and Spa in Carmel, IN, in which I’ve built a beautiful clientele over the past 14 years. I also provide local freelance work for editorial, beauty, and commercial shoots. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and an Associate’s degree in Costume Construction from Indiana University. In my free time, I enjoy painting, especially portraiture. The blending of these skills and experiences contribute to my unique, artistic eye for all of my creative work.
My introduction to the beauty industry began during the summer of 2004, after my freshman year of college, when I was encouraged to take a makeup certification class. I had developed my hair and makeup skills under the direction of our high school color guard hair and makeup designer Karen Hall. We had kept in touch and she was interested in my potential to join her team. This certification was the catalyst to my path in the beauty industry and provided me with opportunities to earn a decent income on weekends throughout my college career. This allowed me to expand my network, be part of a freelance team, and gain experience in many types of makeup artistry including, bridal, commercial, editorial, and runway. Upon completion of my college degree, I decided to pursue my cosmetology license and continue to gain experiences through advanced education courses while learning from my peers once I began working in a salon.
From the beginning of my salon career, I was determined to build the lifestyle I wanted. I had to focus on developing business and technical skills to build trust and grow a clientele. I was never too shy or too proud to learn from others in the salon, regardless of their years of experience. I signed up for as many educational opportunities as I could fit into my schedule and afford. I paid attention to how successful hairstylists in the salon spoke with their clients, provided excellent customer service, and honed their craft. I was also able to continue doing freelance hair and makeup work on my days off, which continued to provide a network of other local creatives and expose me to an array of experiences.
The older I get, the more I realize that I have a deep need to do work that I find purposeful and fulfilling. Regardless of my years of experience and success, I value staying humble and continuing to learn from the people and experiences my life. Now more than ever, I know that I’m responsible for my own attitude, happiness, success, and how I bring all of this into my workspace to present myself to others personally and professionally. I find happiness and joy in having experiences, working with my hands to create, and using my skills and talents to positively impact people.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
To see life through the lens of an artist is to find beauty and uniqueness in all things – and then to interpret that to create your own work to share with others is truly a gift. The hues, shapes, patterns, texture, symmetry or asymmetry, balance or imbalance, and imperfections are just visual inspirations of information to an artist’s eye to interpret and bring to life in another form. The journey of creating is equally as fulfilling as the final product, whether I’m cutting a precise square bob or designing a thematic makeup look. Every part of the process presents opportunities to be curious and explore options to create an outcome.
I have always been curious enough to jump in and try something new in regards to creating and as long as it doesn’t negatively affect a client. The result always teaches you something along the way. Whether it was successful and you learned a new technique, or unsuccessful and you learned to adapt and make changes for the future. That experimentation is valuable and provides a wider net of knowledge than staying within the box.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
It starts with having more awareness and appreciation for the artists and creatives and for what their contributions provide to our personal lives and society as a whole. It’s often difficult to put a price tag on creative work. The materials, time, and labor can provide a base price but level of difficulty, demand, uniqueness, originality, exclusivity, and experience are also contributing factors.
Pricing can also be misunderstood for some artists. For example, experienced hairstylists or photographers are often able to deliver an exceptional result in a shorter amount of time because they have a vast foundational base due to their accumulated knowledge from years of experiences, successes and failures, and continuing education.
Being in the creative service industry, I highly value the skills of other creatives and understand the investment in time, money, and experience to build their businesses. I expect to pay a premium for that level of service or artistry. In any career, growth is an important factor to build a desirable lifestyle and creatives shouldn’t be excluded from that ecosystem. We deserve to have thriving lives personally and professionally as much as any other profession. Do humans in general produce their best work while starving, literally or figuratively? Why should artists have to carry that burden as an acceptable social stereotype?
I’m proud to say that I work for a small business that supports their artists and values the happiness, success, and wellbeing of the team by providing benefits uncommon in the salon industry, such as health insurance, vacation pay, and a 401K. They also allow flexibility in scheduling to support our individual lives. Business owners play a vital role in creating sustainable business models that are mutually beneficial to the creatives and owners.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @suzygrifa
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzy-grifa-9757b394
Image Credits
Image 1: Astro Tide Photography
Image 2: Josh Saltsman, Rock Salt Media Co.
Image 3: Brian Love Photography
Image 4: Callie Taylor Photography
Image 5: Josh Saltsman, Rock Salt Media Co.
Image 6: Callie Taylor Photography
Image 7: Callie Taylor Photography
Image 8: Mikaela Helane Photography