This week Hairbrained.me is proud to feature a blog post from Traci Sakosits. Traci is the North American Creative Director for Sassoon.
“Where do I begin?”
It’s the most common question asked by the students at the Sassoon Academy. Sometimes it’s in reference to a haircut but often it is in reference to their future career as a hairdresser.The best advice that I can give is “Surround yourself with hairdressers who have great skills and whose goal is to share their skills with others.”
I have been fortunate to be mentored by and alongside of, many of the best in our industry, it’s so important to realize who these people are in your life and be as near to them as possible. Early on I used to think that, maybe I was just lucky to always have amazingly talented people around me. Now, 23 years in, I realize how focused the people that trained me were on giving and making a difference. Today, I am able to share the knowledge and skills I have, because someone else shared theirs with me. I love the fact that now I am the one, who gets to give back and help others realize their goals.
My aunt, Charlotte was the first to share the craft with me, and was the reason I started hairdressing. Growing up she was the coolest person I knew and I was always with her. I wanted to be like her, and she was a hairdresser. Charlotte owned two very successful salons in NJ and that is where I started my career. After working under her direction for a few years, I was drawn to haircutting. The idea of shape intrigued me, I wanted to be able to control hair and truly understand the “how and why” of what I was doing.
As any great mentor would, Charlotte pointed me in the right direction and off I went to the Sassoon Salon in NYC, to apply for the assistant program. Sassoon hired me and needless to say I never looked back! My Aunt Charlotte is still a hairdresser, and is front and center at every Sassoon show and event that I do.
I encourage all stylists to mentor an aspiring creative: encourage friends, relatives, and anyone with an interest in design to explore their passions, through the craft of hairdressing. For those who consider me a mentor, it is truly an honor; my deepest wish is that your skills exceed mine, and that you pass on what you have learned.
Share hair......... I do
Traci
P.S. Know any aspiring hairdressers? Be sure to recommend the Sassoon Cosmetology program in LA, and you both will save! Click here to learn how.
Here are some links to Sassoon content on Hairbrained:
Sassoon | Model prep for Salon International London 2013| Video by Randy Taylor
Sassoon Academy at ISSE Longbeach 2012| Video by Randy Taylor
Sassoon at IBS NY Photos by Randy Taylor
About: Hairbrained is a community of hairdressers that share a deep passion and desire to celebrate the craft of hairdressing, online socially.The community was founded by two hairdressers, Randy Taylor, a photographer / hairdresser; and Gerard Scarpaci, a world-class educator/platform artist. Both have love for our industry; its people, and the craft of hairdressing. For more information vist www.hairbrained.me.