The path of a stylist in a competitive environment is difficult and long. If someone tells you that already during the training you will recoup your investment, then this is possible only as an exception. It is more likely that you will start earning very slowly, and you will have to overcome many difficulties on the way to your dream.

My name is Elena, I am 36 years old, I am a certified stylist-image maker, but I am just at the beginning of my career. I would like to share my experience with girls who want to work in the fashion world, who are sure that this is their vocation. I will tell you about my path to the profession, about my first steps. I will give honest advice, tell you about motivation and pitfalls on the way to becoming a stylist-image maker.



Before the coronavirus, I was engaged in internet marketing for seven years, promoted sites in a digital agency, the crisis made me think about whether I was spending my time. At the beginning of the summer of 2020, I already had my own blog about fashion, which I kept on a leftover basis. There was an account on Pinterest, a bunch of subscriptions to fashion bloggers.

In quarantine, I managed to collect money, which, in theory, should have been enough for me for a couple of months of life. This fact reduced the fear that, when I follow my dream, I will die of hunger on the way. The aggravating fact was that I was the breadwinner in the family, I had no one to hope for.

Motivation

If the management of the company had not increased the pressure in connection with the departure of clients, if the remote woman had not eliminated the emotional connection with the team, then I would still be sitting in the office promoting medical websites. To take a step, I needed motivation, and I signed up for a marathon with Irina Khakamada. I clearly knew that I wanted to write and work with clothes, I even understood that I wanted to move in the direction of male style. At the marathon, I gained self-confidence, learned to accept myself on video. I got the energy to change my life.

Leaving work

I quit my job. And here I want to say that many of my classmates did not leave their main job not during the courses, not after them. Of course, the main job is a huge inhibiting mechanism for becoming in the profession. You will be torn apart and will not be able to perceive the information adequately, you will not be put up against the wall by the fact that this work as a stylist will now feed you. You will continue to perceive stylistics as pampering and a hobby.

I advise you to quit your job, at least for the duration of your studies. It is very difficult to combine training as a stylist with your main job. Even I, when fully immersed in the process, was tired. But, of course, such an act is possible if you have clearly decided that the style is yours. If you are looking for yourself, then combine.

I would also advise you to immediately start leading a fashionable instagram. There is no need to wait and be afraid to declare your intentions to the whole world, to everyone you know. No need to be afraid of condemnation, no need to consider yourself an impostor.

Choosing a school

When I left work, it was important for me to find a teacher. I was choosing between training as a stylist and a fashion marketer. Why I was thinking about marketing because that would be the path of least resistance for me. I was a marketer and wanted to work in the fashion industry. Plus, there are a lot of shops and shopping centers in my city, so this specialization would allow me to make good money. But studying with Irina Pischuk seemed to me expensive. Therefore, I began to consider personal stylistics as a direction of movement. I advise you to participate in several marathons. The post-participation handling is very serious. You can easily agree to the proposed conditions, I advise you to answer all managers' questions that you are looking for a teacher and have not yet decided on the choice of school.

I went through three marathons and stopped at one school. But I did not regret my choice. Although all the people who earn from teaching will promise more, and you must divide all promises in half. You should not think that if you didn’t start earning after the courses, it’s your fault. No, the path of most specialists is thorny and difficult. It is important to surrender to the learning process and immerse yourself in it, follow all the recommendations and turn into a "man with an outstretched hand." You need to be ready for rejections, rejections of those closest to you. So I was not able to get to the analysis of the wardrobe of my two closest friends. They just didn't have time to help me. But practice is the most important thing for a stylist.

What stopped me from choosing one of the schools? The head of the school hosted a free webinar where she answered questions from participants. But in fact, this webinar was on record, because when I signed up for the next one, I got to the same one. The questions were answered not by the head of the school, but by its employees in the chat. It seemed to me indecent in relation to those people who are ready to pay for training from 30 to 60 thousand rubles. And on my course, everything was fair with it, even the free marathon was useful. I decided to pay for the course after the second free marathon.

Group chat

The training was very intense and motivating. Group chat is a big plus. I advise you to become an active participant in it, delve into and support your fellow students, because they will be your faithful "likes" during the first months, and even years of promoting your stylish profile. Do not be lazy, like the posts of girls stylists from your course, leave comments, view stories. It is this kind of synergy that will create the proper activity, because people from your city will not immediately start subscribing to you.

Stylish Instagram

Next, the most difficult thing is to announce to everyone that I am studying to be a stylist. It was necessary to arrange a separate page or your profile for a stylist. I still advise you to continue to keep your Instagram, but to indicate that you are a stylist and nowhere will not turn from this path. If you start a new page, it will have fewer subscribers, it will be difficult to promote it.

There are two strategies for keeping your Instagram stylish. The story of Cinderella and Girlfriend. People are interested in watching a person grow and expert opinion is also interesting. If you do not know how to write, then there is nothing to worry about, make your collections stylish, find your strong side. If not texts, then it can be a cool transformation of clients, stylized photo sessions, useful collages. Consider how useful your post would be to you. If it is not useful to you, then it is not a fact that it will be useful to others. Face it, your photos are likely to get more likes than expert posts anyway.

Content plan

Be sure to work according to the content plan. Make it up and stick to it, despite all the kickbacks that may happen to you in the learning process and after. If you want to write an emotional post, write. We were told that customers will start coming after the account has 2,500 or more subscribers. It is imperative to show your subscribers what you are selling, what is the value from your services. You need to show results and positive feedback. Collect reviews from everywhere. Also work with fears why a person does not want to contact a stylist, think about it and write posts about it. Be sure to post your life and work in stories, 5-7 stories a day will be enough, many, when they see 10-20 stories, just leave the page.

Keep your word

Do all the tasks to the end, even give your friends what you promised. So I can say that I did not approach this very responsibly, you think, a friend or a relative, they will wait. No, treat them as your most valuable customers. Even when working with your son and husband, you can learn a lot of interesting things.For example, my son really liked the images that we put together in the store, he took part in a photo shoot when I allowed him to grimace.

Analysis of competitors and target audience

Already on the course we were motivated to analyze competitors, compose a portrait of our target audience, contact photographers, hairdressers, models in our city, exchange experiences, look for common ground, write to fashion magazines and showrooms. It was the completion of this assignment that helped me find a job in the mystylex.techinfus.com/en/ magazine and a job in the city's showroom. If in the process of training I tortured all my friends with suggestions with transformation, then for sure I would already have several personal clients. Practice and effort give great returns in the profession of a stylist.

Overalls

Of course, I was upset by the fact that my style is not perfect, but you just need to choose a few looks that will be like overalls. In them, go to the shooting and analysis of wardrobes. On the street, you can look as you like, to a stylist without outrageous anywhere. But nevertheless, I would recommend coming to clients in the expected form, let it reflect your individuality, but it should be convenient for work and not frighten a person. After all, subconsciously he will think that you will make him the same.

Specialization

Specialization is also very important. The narrower the specialization, the more chances you have to find your client. An example of success is a chain of stores for obese women in our city, they have their own production, warehouses, offline stores, an online store, and all because they have chosen a narrow specialization. Specialization can be from a fashion blogger to a stylist for tall people or a stylist-psychologist.

In the process of training, it became important for me to find out what path he is as a stylist-image maker in our city. I wrote to the most famous stylist, she told me that it will take at least two years to become, even taking into account full dedication. You definitely need an airbag, you need work.



What is happening in my life now, two months after graduation? I was invited to be an author in a fashion magazine, I maintain a clothing store account on Instagram, write posts and compose stylish images for reviews, I also plan to take part in purchases. I started my main job, promoting an online store of women's clothing for overweight, eventually I plan to stylize photo sessions for this site. I continue to blog, I came to the profession to stay here. I understand that it takes time to be recognized and accepted, I am ready to waste my time.

Don't expect quick results, but don't let misses and downtime force you to stray from your chosen path. Courses are a powerful foundation for a house that I have yet to build.