We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Salina Higgins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Salina, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
This is a great question! A lot of people don’t believe I’m an incredibly shy person because I have such an outgoing personality BUT when I’m passionate about something, as I am about my profession, you’d never guess that being “confident” is not something that comes easy to me!
I developed my confidence when I was studying to become a massage therapist and aesthetician in the early 2000’s.. I realized the impact I can make on someone with my craft and it made me want to learn everything I could to be better.. With every repeat client, I realized I had a gift for not only my craft but with connecting with people and that itself made my self esteem and confidence grow over the years!
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 am a permanent makeup artist is Tucson Arizona specializing in brows! My “job” is more than a tattoo machine and tattooing someone’s face. Permanent makeup has made huge growth just in the last 5 years! I am an artist who listens to what my client wants and with my 15+ years in the beauty industry, my continued training and most importantly, my confidence in my craft, we have a thorough consultation to go over all options that are available! It is not one size fits all in my practice! We stay conservative and know that we can always add later down the road!
I’m approaching my 7th year in the permanent makeup industry and have won Best Permanent Makeup Artist through the Arizona Daily Star the last 5 years in a row. While I’m so proud of that achievement, it wouldn’t have been possible without my loyal clientele! The relationships and friendships that are created is one of the main reasons my business thrives.
I do offer more than brows but brows are what I’m the most passionate about. I had thin, almost non existent brows…I was a teenager in the 90’s…and had my own brows tattooed 23 years ago. While my brows are not a reflection of the newer modalities available, I’ll never forget waking up the next morning and being so excited to have brows. At the time I was 18 and now I’m 41, but I still remember like it was yesterday. THAT is why I do what I do! I help restore confidence and make my clients lives easier. I have the best “job” in the world!
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?
If I had any advice for new and upcoming permanent makeup artists, be consistent. Post on social media and DO IT ALOT! Don’t worry about annoying people, so many new artists are worried people will be annoyed seeing their constant posts. Those people will unfollow you but in the meantime you’re putting it out to the universe and planting seeds with everyone else! Follow some of the bigger artists and pay attention to how they post!
Continuing education is important with any profession! If you think you know it all, you don’t! You won’t make it far without continuing to educate yourself skill wise but also mental growth too!
And I think this last piece of advice is probably the most important, don’t ever forget what it’s like to feel like the client. If you are in a profession, especially permanent makeup, I think it’s essential for you to have had some sort of body tattoo or permanent makeup on yourself. It is important that you can not only sympathize with your client, but also empathize with them as well! Being able to fully understand what they are feeling will allow you to connect better with them and also help them trust your word!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Deciding to go into business for yourself can be one of the most rewarding experiences. Make your own hours, flexibility, your own boss! I’ve learned a lot the past 7 years and while there has been incredibly amazing moments, I have had obstacles. I went into business almost 7 years ago with no business plan and no experience with running a business. I had a couple of friends that were able to help me with some general business knowledge but the rest was me figuring it out day by day. At the time, my daughter was 3 and my goal was to create a lifestyle that would allow me to never miss anything when it comes to her! I have absolutely been able to do that and I’m incredibly grateful for that! But what I didn’t do was create enough time for me.
Owning a business is not a 9-5 job. It’s a 24/7 operation. I wish I knew what I do now when starting up years ago. Boundaries are essential. Create work hours. Create family time. But most importantly, create time for you. I’m a hustler and I like to have a nice lifestyle but I chose to ignore the red flags that my body was becoming burnt out. Just a few months ago I was hospitalized facing back surgery and had to take 2 months off work simply due to me not taking care of myself. I do have a previous back injury from 8 years ago but because I didn’t take care of me the last 7 years, I continually ignored the red flags, I ended up really hurting myself. Thankfully I was able to return to work and now my eyes are wide open, boundaries have been set and I’m grateful I was given another chance!
A lot of business owner don’t share the hard times. Being a “business owner” has a pretty ring to it. But it’s not for everyone. Sacrifices will be made. Good times along with bad times happen. As long as you can learn from it all AND be open minded, you can get through it! If I could rewind the clock, would I change anything? The answer is no. While I have had trials and tribulations, I’ve grown so much and I’m incredibly proud of myself and my business today because of it all!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.symmetricallybeautifulbysalina.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symmetrically_beautiful_by_sal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SymmetricallyBeautifulBySalina
