Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Interview Response

Below are the answers my model gave in response to the interview questions. 

1. Who or what has inspired you to pursue a career as a hairstylist?

When I was a young girl I watched my mother, who did hair as a side hustle spend hours shaping, braiding, and pressing hair into these beautiful, intricate styles. I stood by watching in curiosity and amazement as she transformed these women into their most confident selves. They would leave my mother’s chair with a new bounce in their strut and a smile that was unmatched. Ever since then I have always wanted to bring this kind of radiance out of women, just like my mother did. 

2. What are your long-term aspirations for this craft?

I plan on being one of the top hair stylists in Miami, with a successful hair company and magazine. I hope to expand my brand internationally and become globally known for the quality of my work. 

3. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

In 5 years with hard work and prayer I envision myself as the CEO of my own hair company, with two hair salons up and running. I want to spread my wings beyond Miami and move to Atlanta where there are more networking and business opportunities. The possibilities of the outcome of my life 5 years from now hopefully is somewhat aligned with this path. 

4. How has the coronavirus affected your business?

Due to the pandemic there has been a decline in my clients. With this decreased income I have experienced difficulty paying for hair supplies and bills. Before COVID-19 the stream of income I received from travel jobs helped to pay the mortgage and bills in my mother’s house, which I currently work out of. However, I have had to dip into my savings to keep my business afloat and implement safety measures to offer my clients safe, quality service.

5. What current business endeavors are you pursuing/achieved?

The pandemic may have limited physical opportunities but it has not deterred me from pursuing my goals. I am in the process of saving money for a hair salon and have recently begun looking into starting a hair business, where I will sell weaves, wigs, and extensions. I am currently offering virtual braiding and wig install one-one sessions to clients who are interested in learning the technique.

6. When did you realize that this was your calling?

I realized this was my calling as my clientele grew. People would travel out of their way to have me do their hair. I was immensely touched that they had such trust in me to style their hair and it warmed my heart that my passion for being a hairstylist finally got the recognition it deserved after years of pursuing my dreams.

7. What does hair mean to you?

Hair to me is a form of expression and an untapped well for creativity. It can be twisted, beaded, cut, braided, straightened, etc. into all sorts of designs just as clay can be sculpted into virtually any shape. Hair is a source of confidence, beauty, and a statement piece that should be nurtured and worn with pride, which is a philosophy I exercise throughout my brand. 

8. Who would you like to work with?

In my opinion I would love to work with celebrities such as BeyoncĂ©, Rihanna, and Niki Minaj. Working with these three beautiful talented artists would be a blessing and an honor. They could potentially assist in promoting my business, while I am helping them in looking and feeling amazing for photoshoots, music videos, or award shows. 

9. What advice would you give an enterprising hairstylist like yourself on how to overcome hardship?

Always think positive and believe in yourself. The many downfalls you encounter is just the beginning of a blessing waiting to happen, patience is key. Having the mindset that you will succeed and strive will lead you in the right path even when everything wrong seems to be happening at the moment. Remain true to the craft, and the craft will remain true to you. 

10. What has been the most memorable moment as an entrepreneuring hairstylist?

Everyday holds a new surprise but the most memorable moment I experienced happened when a video of a blunt cut lace wig  I installed on a client went viral. I posted the video of the client’s hairstyle like I typically do on my Instagram and within days my video was circulating around twitter and Facebook with thousands of comments and views. This was the first time I had experienced such recognition and it was a validation that pushed me to work at the craft more and stay true to the path I’m on.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Feature Story Questions

 

These are the questions I composed for the interview I did with my model.
  1. Who or what has inspired you to pursue a career as a hairstylist?
  2. What are your long-term aspirations for this craft?
  3. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
  4. How has the coronavirus affected your business?
  5. What current business endeavors are you pursuing/achieved?
  6. When did you realize that this was your calling?
  7. What does hair mean to you?
  8. Who would you like to work with?
  9. What advice would you give an enterprising hairstylist like yourself on how to overcome hardship?
  10. What has been the most memorable moment as an entrepreneuring hairstylist?

Feature Page Writing Practice

Below is a feature page writing exercise I did to practice writing techniques and accommodate myself with extracting and formatting information from an interview style text into one of an article. 

Reference Material: 
     
The police in this municipality received a call at 3:45 p.m. yesterday afternoon. A woman shouted at the sergeant who answered the telephone. She said: "My son's been beaten. His teacher whipped him this afternoon, and he's all red where she paddled him. Can teachers do that? That's assault and battery, and I want her arrested." Two police officers were sent to the home. They questioned the boy, who is 9 years old. At his mother's insistence, the police officers also inspected the boy's reported injuries. They reported: "We couldn't tell that the boy had been paddled. His fanny didn't look red to us, but we did notice that his pants legs were wet and muddy. As we talked, it became obvious that he boy was lying. He finally admitted that he had stopped to play on the way home from school, forgot the time and got home late. He told his mother that the teacher had spanked him and kept him after school. His mother was there with us and heard the whole story. She said she'd take of the situation, and we're quite certain that she will, as she was very embarrassed. In fact, we could hear her giving the kid a real paddling as we left—and a hard one."

Sample Lead:
       At 3:45 pm yesterday afternoon the angry voice of a concerned mother boomed through the speaker of the sergeant's phone with horrid allegations against a local elementary school teacher. This livid women claimed that her son came home with redden and inflamed skin from the paddling his teacher gave him. The mother of this 9 year old  boy demanded that his teacher be arrested for assault and battery. However after further investigation from the police and a lack of evidence it is safe to conclude that the boy did get paddled that day but not by his teacher. 
     "He finally admitted that he had stopped to play on the way home school.... and got home late." The police report states. Mischievously the little boy " told his mother that the teacher had spanked him and kept him after school". With embarrassment tinted on her cheeks and a fierce look in hers his mother sent the police away and told them she would handle the situation, no doubt planning on her curing her son of his lying problem with a paddling.

In addition to this writing practice I also did a mock interview during class with my peers, which was a stimulation of the real interview I will conduct my the model for the feature page in my magazine. This interview was enlightening an experience that taught me how to facilitate an open-ended conversation, format relevant questions, and obtain information in an organized manner. 

Below is the scenario I was given to conduct my interview based off of alongside my interview questions. 
 


  1. How do you feel about this?

  2. What is the goal of this fundraiser? 

  3. What are your connections to Jay-Z?

  4. How did you get in contact with Jay Z?

  5. In what ways has this news impacted your charity?

  6. What does this event entail?

  7. Has any other celebrities reached out as well?

  8. How did Jay Z come to hear about your fundraiser?

  9. Who was the magic maker in this arrangement?

  10. Is this Jay Z’s first time being involved with this charity? 

  11. What is Jay Z’s role in the fundraiser?