Meet Arnett Mathews

We were lucky to catch up with Arnett Mathews recently and have shared our conversation below.

Arnett, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

Honestly, I don’t have to do much to keep creativity alive, it’s something I constantly feel within me. It’s not something I have to work at; it just flows naturally. I truly enjoy the art of tailoring eyebrows for my clients. Every time someone lays on my table, I get little butterflies of excitement thinking about creating a shape that perfectly suits them. For me, creativity is always present, it comes alive each time I shape a beautiful brow for a client.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve been an Esthetician since 2002, and while I’ve enjoyed exploring different areas of Esthetics, in 2018 I began specializing in eyebrows, my favorite area from the start! I’ve always had a natural talent for brows, but my skills truly flourished when I moved to Los Angeles in 2010 and worked at a Brow salon in Beverly Hills. There, I learned so much from the salon owner and my coworkers, while also adding a few of my own techniques. It’s been such an enjoyable journey.

Waking up every day to do something I love doesn’t feel like work. Sometimes I even have to remind myself it’s time to go home, I could shape brows all day! Becoming an Esthetician wasn’t my childhood dream. Growing up, I was always interested in skincare, mostly for myself, but never considered it as a career. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do until someone suggested cosmetology school. Hair didn’t come naturally to me, but when we got to the Esthetics portion, especially waxing, something just clicked. People noticed I had a knack for it, I could intuitively understand techniques without needing to be shown. From that moment, I knew waxing, and specifically eyebrows, would be my favorite service to offer.

Since 2020, I’ve had the privilege of running my own brow business, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I never imagined I’d reach a point where I could own a business doing what I love most, but here I am, shaping brows for a living, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

For me, I’ve always believed in keeping things simple, I don’t like to overcomplicate life. Finding ways to simplify, so you’re not constantly running around crazy, is always a plus. Learn everything you can about what you love. If there’s someone you admire and have the chance to work with or train under them, take it, especially if you love the way they work.

Invest in yourself, follow what feels right and works for you. I’ve always lived by this philosophy in both work and life: everyone’s path is different, and it’s perfectly okay to create your own.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I think it really depends on what you want. If there are areas you’d like to improve because you want to do multiple things, then absolutely, invest in yourself and strengthen those skills. There’s nothing wrong with bettering yourself if it’s something you truly want.

For me, I’ve learned to focus on my strengths. I’m someone who likes to keep things simple, so I’d rather put my energy into what I’m naturally good at and passionate about, and make that work for me. My strengths might include a few different things, but I want to be great at all of them, so I take the necessary steps to grow in those areas.

At this point in my life, I only want to do things I truly enjoy and look forward to every day. So my advice is simple, do what makes you happy. If you want to master multiple things, do it. If you’d rather focus on just one or two, that’s great too. It’s your path, make it your own and love what you do.

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