Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Gamboa. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vanessa, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Having a good understanding of how hair works takes time. In cosmetology school you just learn the basics. Its nothing like when you are out in the “real world” doing your client’s hair. I did most of my learning when I started my job at Urban Betty Salon. I was an associate for about 7 months. Here I was able to train with high level stylists. I practiced formulating color, shampoos and blowouts. While I did my training, I was invited to help with a wedding. Which is where I discovered my love for hairstyling. It was my first time doing wedding hair. All I knew was doing a simple french braid and curls. Sometimes I didn’t have a clue on what I was doing. I was able to grow my skills by watching videos on youtube and Instagram. One of my obstacles that stood in the way was not being confident. I had the mentality that I was not “good enough” and being negative about my work. As I continue in my journey, I have learned to appreciate my work and feel more confident on everything I do. Hearing all the positive feedback, has helped me gain so much confidence in myself.

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 background and context?

I was born in Laredo, Tx. At the age of five my parents made the decision of moving to Austin, Tx. I graduated from Manor High School in 2016. I then went on to attend Blinn Junior College for one year for Marine Biology. In 2017, I decided to move back to Austin, to attend Aveda Institute. After graduating Cosmetology School, I started working at Urban Betty Salon, rated one of the best salons in Austin, Tx. I have been doing hair for 4 years now and Bridal hair for 2 years. I specialize in blonde hair and wedding hair. My love for hair was born when I realized that becoming a Marine biologist in Texas was going to be difficult, since the career paths for a Marine biologist are very little in Texas. I always enjoyed doing my own hairstyles. Living close to a cosmetology school, gave me the idea of trying to do hair. I scheduled a visit with Aveda, where I was able to take a tour of the school. As soon as I walked in and saw the students providing services, I automatically knew I was in the right place. One thing that I’m proud of is that I am able to look back at my work from when I first started to now. Gaining knowledge from taking classes from Lala Updos and Sean Gordard. As for the future, I see myself focusing more in the bridal industry. I really enjoy sharing beautiful moments with the Brides and having the honor to be a part of their special day.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding thing in my career is seeing my clients smile after their service. Every single one of my clients have their own story. I love having that connection with them and getting to know a bit about themselves. I love that I am able to make their hair dreams become reality.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Being able to stay positive has been one of the biggest lessons in life. When I first got behind the chair, the confidence in my work was very low. I always thought that my work was not good enough to fit in the cosmetology world. After learning that there are many people that have felt the same, I realized this was what I wanted to do and that I needed to be more confident in myself in order to provide the best service. I started taking classes and started following some of the best hair influencers. Little by little, I was able to succeed and provide my clients with more satisfactory services.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nessa.doeshair?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Lauren Bragg – @braggsphtography