Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cat Sherwin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Cat, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I developed a strong work ethic from an early age from watching my parents work hard, but also be of service to and help people. My elder brother had a part time job delivering newspapers after school, and I wanted to earn my own money too. I begged my parents to let me start a small part time job at weekends, and started waitressing when I was 14. I love the feeling of being in the work place, being of service to people, and having the independence of earning my own money. I learned early on it was important to show up, be on time, be professional and bring your best self to work whether you felt like it or not, because this has a positive impact on everyone around you – including yourself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am Cat Sherwin, a Makeup Artist, Hair stylist & Groomer based in Los Angeles California. Extremely passionate about my craft, I changed careers 20 years ago to pursue my dream job and haven’t looked back since. I was born and raised in the North East of England, a place and time where artistic creative jobs were not the norm. Initially, my parents diverted me from my aspirations to academic studies, and then a career in international business. Feeling unfulfilled, I later left the corporate business world to go traveling around the world, and ultimately immigrated to Australia, where I began training and working in makeup and hair. The rest is history! After 13 years ‘Down Under”, I moved to the US in the summer of 2016 to expand and grow, and push myself to the best I could be.
I love the visual, creative and artistic aspect of my work, with no work day ever being the same as another. I’ve been fortunate to travel with my work, and that always adds an element of adventure – and sometimes spontaneity, if it’s a last minute travel job. One of my favorite elements of my work is that I get to collaborate with a wide spectrum of clients from all backgrounds, walks of life and different parts of the globe. Helping bring out people’s inner beauty, radiance and confidence is something I find extremely rewarding.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, there are a number of key qualities that I think have helped me on my journey of where I am today. The first is courage to take a leap of faith and make a start in the direction of your chosen path. It’s easier said than done, and none of us ever know exactly what the future holds, or how things will work out. If you wait till you think you have it all figured out, you’ll never make the move – if you have a burning desire to do something, my advice is just go for it! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
The second is faith – believe in yourself. Visualize your dream, see yourself having it, feel yourself having it and don’t give up at the first few obstacles. One of the things that helped me enormously when I started again in Australia, and again in America, was having positive quotes of encouragement on the walls at home, by my coffee machine and places I would see them daily for inspiration. One of my favorites still is ” Only those who risk going to far can possibly find out how far they can go” TS Elliot.
For me, the third quality is tenacity (and strength), to keep going through the ups and downs, and to not be put off by people saying no and rejecting you. Trust that the things that are meant to work out will. There are many super successful people like Oprah who were famously turned down before rising to stardom. I remind myself of that all the time. To be successful you have to keep going though, keep working at it and eventually you will start getting to where you want to be.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
When I first took the leap of faith, to leave the corporate world behind, and went traveling for a re-boot/re-think to launch into this creative industry, I read Susan Jeffers book “feel the Fear… and Do It Anyway”. At the same time, I also read Richard Branson’s ‘Losing My Virginity”.
I’ve read many, many self development books since, but Susan Jeffer’s book was the first, and I was reading it as I started my round the world trip solo – something that both scared me and excited me at the same time, but ultimately was the catalyst for my big change. Her writings helped me enormously and were such a huge support in confronting my fears and going after a career in Makeup and Hair overseas.
Richard Branson’s book impacted me greatly also. I have such huge admiration for the courage he has taken to try many things, even though he never knew how they’d work out. When things fail, he sees it as a learning experience, picks himself up and starts again. Whenever I find myself faltering or unsure, sometimes I ask myself “what would Richard Branson do right now?”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.catsherwin.com
- Instagram: @catsherwin
- Linkedin: Cat Sherwin
- Other: https://www.productionhub.com/profile/catsherwin
Image Credits
Michael Becker John Chapple Wojteck Dabrowski
