We recently connected with Trinidad Cano and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Trinidad , thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?
Before I received my cosmetology license, during my undergrad, a friend of mine was giving her senior year voice recital and she asked me to style her hair for her performance. By this point i had spent the last 3-4 years styling other voice majors for performances. My initial experience styling hair was for my community college opera scenes and that first experience showed me the power of a performer seeing themselves “fully realized”; hair, makeup and costume. I told myself, “maybe I’ll get a cosmetology license after my undergrad”. So fast-forward to my girlfriend’s senior recital, hair is done, make up is ready and all that’s left is to zip the dress up and head to the recital hall. Well, the zipper gets caught and won’t budge. After a brief moment of panic, we remind ourselves, “the show must go on”. I stitch my friend into her dress and explain we’ll cut the stitching after she finishes her performance. Needless to say, no one knew what had ensued minutes before she walked on stage, the recital was a success and a year or so later, she would ask me to be in her bridal party because she knew I could style her hair and jump into action if needed. It was then, I knew at some point in my life, I would be a hairstylist.
Trinidad , 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 Trinidad Cano and I am a full time hairdresser in the Orange County area in Southern California, I came to hairstyling like all promising ventures show up in anyone’s life; by total accident. Hairdressing was never a career path in my immediate line of sight. During and after high school, I had decided I’d work towards becoming a performer, specifically I would follow the path of becoming an operatic singer.
My initial choice to pursue music also came to me by total accident but has since shaped the entirety of my life and it also has given me everything in my life I hold dear. Everything that has brought me stability, success and happiness brings me back to music.
Whilst in my undergrad for Voice Performance, I was very actively promoting and sought after for up-do and specialty style designs by fellow performers. I had grown to know a lot of my colleagues in the performance circles and had developed an understanding of many pieces of classical music literature. I realized by becoming familiar with so much classical performance music, I could help my colleagues feel like the characters in the musical pieces they were going to perform.. Eventually, hairdressing would become something of a probable possibility. There were times I would say aloud, “Maybe I’ll get a cosmetology license some day.”
The day before my graduation, I was sitting with my partner and he asked, “What’s next for you?”
Naturally, like many students finishing up their undergrad, I was uncertain what my next step would be, I knew I was academically burnt out and the idea of going through another voice program sounded like the obvious (but absolutely dreaded) next step. My partner brought up the idea I had had years prior of eventually attaining a cosmetology license.
I was fresh out of school so the timing felt right. I enrolled in cosmetology classes for October and a year later, I would be licensed and employed at Toni & Guy at Fashion Island in Newport Beach where I would gain my knowledge and understanding of proper ergonomic cutting, color and styling techniques.
Since becoming licensed, I have had the privilege of styling for productions such as plays, musicals and operas through the college, university and community theatre level. The combination of both my performance degree and my cosmetology licensing has also helped me thrive and succeed in wedding settings.
Weddings have a very similar feeling to productions, There are lead roles, supporting casts, stage hands, stage managers and an audience. And similarly to performances, when the wedding starts, the show must go on!
I pride myself in maintaining a calm demeanor especially whilst getting my bridal parties ready; so many things can go awry and one of the most important proponents in a successful wedding (or production) is staying calm, being kind and moving with quick precision.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Art and creativity impact everyone, Whether it’s a live performance on stage, exploring an art exhibit, watching a film in a movie theatre or leaving your hair appointment, art and creativity leave a lasting impression. A haircut can stay with you for 3-12 weeks. Each time I have a guest I get to leave them with a lasting piece of my work and when they return, I can see how it developed and how my guest has too. Art creates connection within the human experience and I’m grateful for the privilege of working in an industry that allows me to connect to so many kind and generous people through the art of my craft.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Convention is important when we want to understand and appreciate the foundations of our craft. It’s absolutely important to be able to recognize key elements like face shape, head proportions, bone structure, hair density, and texture, but we shouldn’t let it limit what’s possible. Over the years, what I’ve learned to enjoy the most is empowering guests to shift away from what’s considered the “standard” to explore all that’s possible. Guests are often hesitant to try new things like adding layers, bangs, or embracing a change of a new hair color, but we don’t have to be limited by the expectations society has molded us to accept. Hair isn’t permanent and in my chair, you’re safe to explore.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hairbytrinidad.com/
- Instagram: Trinidactyl
Image Credits
Nathan Ninomiya (https://www.ninomiyastudios.com/)