Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stacey Kuehn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Stacey, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
A strong work ethic does absolutely run in my family, aside from that I truly love what I do and where my work has taken me!
I love going over hairstyling looks and textures I have created in the past and then reworking everything into a new direction. I constantly think about what I would like to do next, I gather inspiration from literally everything around me – on social media, walking outdoors, or hanging around my house! I get inspired by colors, textures and lighting and I get excited to apply these inspirations to my work.
It’s important to me that the work I do really shows my aesthetic and I hope my fingerprint shows thru in the end results.
On top of that if I feel I could have done something better I lose sleep!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love that I get to really connect with my guests socially while helping them feel good about themselves in a very intimate and personal way. I work out of a private salon suite and it’s easy for my guests to relax and be themselves there and I can learn what their goals are with their look and help them get there.
It’s about how they would like to present themselves, how they feel they look their best, what they are comfortable with, what type of look do they need for their job, and THEN hair length, texture, and condition. SOO many things to consider!
I make custom clip on extensions for 90% of my Bridal clients which work specifically with their bridal look but that they can easily wear for special events or on the daily after the wedding as well.
I do regular volunteer work for clients struggling with their hair texture because of cancer treatments and they receive a complementary haircut, a lesson on styling, product education and/or a wig haircut, whatever they need to feel good.
I also volunteer for the Caring For A Cure benefit gala every year for Mass General Hospital. The nurses of Lunder 10 raise funds for patients to cover things insurance doesn’t so they can give above and beyond care, and I style the nurses every year to give them something special too!
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?
I wasn’t aware early on that learning, and honing my skills was a lifelong education!
When I finished hair school and got licensed I thought I was all set. Then I worked in several salons, each time learning more, leveling up, and realizing the previous version of me knew very little.
Then I began work in a NYC salon and had to start from the lowest level. it hurt but I learned so much through that experience and it took me into the photo shoot side of things which allowed me to grow to a point of working with celebrities and models while traveling world wide. Each time I leveled up, I grew and realized the previous version of me knew VERY LITTLE!!
It was so humbling to keep learning that lesson! But it’s how I kept growing. Hair people are like live performers and it can be nerve wracking to work that way. it can lead to insecurity, and imposter syndrome. It’s one of the reasons there are some really big egos in the field.
I think that in order to continue to have a passion for my work it’s best for me to keep my hands in it even when my schedule slows down. Keeping the creative ball rolling inspires me so much. When I have time I invite models or friends to my suite and we do a little photo session just me taking pics using my iphone so I can play. I LOVE it!!
I learned a lot about photography from working with my husband when his focus was beauty images and I’m NO photographer but it sure is fun to wing it and make the images! I style the hair, take the pics supply wardrobe. The models are pretty much bare skin, maybe a little mascara or lip stain.
So The three lessons that were most impactful in my career journey were:
Keep moving forward and leveling up even if it hurts your ego while you do it.
Keep your hands in it all the time just to give yourself space to try new things and “play” without anyone looking over your shoulder.
Inspiration can be found all around you, keep your eyes open, your ego in check, and explore!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I love collaborating with others in parallel industries! I still have one foot (toe?) in photo shoots and am happy when I find myself on a set. Working with models is so fun because they make what we do look SO GOOD!
Nothing like the skills of a talented crew to make a day feel so special and since I don’t do it as often as I once did it’s really inspiring!
my weddings are all word of mouth so it’s a beautiful thing! I have cool clients, so they refer their cool friends! Event planners, Venues, photographers, makeup artists and bridal clients are all my collaborators! And I refer them as often as I am able. We cross promote each other, give credit and tags, and refer. It’s an amazing community.
And the one on one sessions I have in my suite giving haircuts is the ultimate collaboration! No cookie cutter looks for my guests! We talk things over, tweak, and give inspiration during every session.
I’m always happy to hear from anyone looking to book a haircut or find out about my work styling weddings, they can find my through my website.
https://www.staceykuehnhair.com
Photo shoot availability inquiries can contact Anchor Artists management and booking in Boston.
https://www.anchorartists.com/HAIR-+-MAKEUP/Stacey-Kuehn/thumbs
Any models who would like to sit for a session in my suite can contact me thru instagram DM.
https://www.instagram.com/staceykuehnhair/?hl=en
Check out my latest wedding on the Instagram Vogue wedding page
https://www.instagram.com/p/DP9dmbojakm/?igsh=MXN2ZWh0N3hkbGh1OQ==
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.staceykuehnhair.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceykuehnhair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyKuehnHair/
Image Credits
Henry & Mac, Andreas Kuehn, Adam Alex
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
