STAYING CURRENT: THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

When we first meet with a prospective student we go over all the different goals they would like to pursue with their career. Regardless of the direction you end up taking in the world of beauty, one thing is for certain; this industry will continue to evolve and you can either a) keep up with the times or b) fall behind and get left in the dust. It is one of the many things that makes being a part of the beauty industry so exciting and dynamic. Before you graduate from school you will have learned what is current and necessary to kickstart your career and even put yourself ahead of the pack, but your education will never stop.

Here are some ways you can find classes and continuing education that will be perfect for advancing your career and your skills:

BRAND TRAINING:

As a student at Alchemy you will build your kit and work with professional products that are personally curated and selected by the founders for your education. One of those brands for Hair Artistry is Redken. As an industry leader, they are a fabulous resource and offer what they call Education On Demand on their website. We highly recommend checking out their videos with Sam Villa to get started. As the Redken Global Artistic Ambassador; Sam Villa shares hair tips & tricks. You can check them out here.

For those who have taken our Airbrush Artistry course you will already be familiar with the pro brand Temptu. Down the line in your career if you are looking to brush up on your airbrushing skills Temptu offers short form classes like their 3 hour Advanced Airbrushing. You can sign up for their virtual courses by clicking this link. If you are already a working artist and are thinking of adding airbrush to your services we would love it if you would consider taking our Airbrush Artistry course. This 4-day class will take you through beginner to advanced techniques and applications to transform your artistry with a new skill set utilizing an airbrush machine

MAC is an industry giant that many may not realize offers some great educational opportunities to their pro members. Some of their Pro Education includes Master Classes which MAC refers to as an "Integral to the philosophy of the M·A·C culture, inspirational Master Classes foster the growth of the artist community. Refine and build skills.Meet face-to-face with celebrated industry Pros." Watch makeup demonstrations to gain insights into application and technique theory. See the full list of upcoming classes by visiting their education page here.

WORKSHOPS:

We currently offer a couple of workshops that are perfect for both our current students, our graduates, as well as established artists in the industry. The 2-DAY PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO SHOOT WORKSHOP: this workshop includes professional beauty photography from multiple photographers, agency represented models, and a demo of how to layer and build looks for portfolio & editorial shoots. Includes 1 retouched image of each look the artist completes for their portfolios. This is a great way to continue to build your book and keep it up to date with great quality images. Something that is absolutely key to continue to advance your career in the beauty industry and book better paying jobs.

Something that goes hand in hand with keeping your portfolio up to date is making sure you always have a current headshot! That is why we also offer the ARTIST HEADSHOT WORKSHOP: where you will receive a professionally edited image of yourself for use on your website, social media, & branding. Graduates & artists in the community can sign up for this each year to keep their headshots up to date.

PRIVATE LESSONS:

Sometimes it takes a little one-on-one attention to take your artistry to the next level. You might reach out to an artist you really admire and see if they offer private lessons as a service. If you go this route one thing to ask yourself is if they have experience in teaching. Being good at something and being good at explaining how to do something are two completely different skills. When you are investing in something like a private lesson it would be so frustrating to ask questions and them to not be able to really break it down for you.

We actually offer private lessons to all of our current and former students at special discounted prices with our instructors here at Alchemy Beauty Academy. Those who are not a current or former student of ours can still set up a private lesson by contacting us.

OR- join us for one of our FREE Skill Assessment days. Just check out the events section on our website to see upcoming dates and times for this.

MEMBERSHIPS:

An incredible resource for artists in the industry is TPG (The Powder Group). They offer fabulous events, master classes, and workshops plus so much more. Some past workshops and events have included a master class with Make Up For Ever creator Danny Sanz, & The Artist Summit. To keep up with their upcoming schedule head on over to their website, and while you are there check out the other things they offer like TPG Pro Membership and On Makeup Magazine.

One SoCal based hairstylist that offers an awesome subscription based educational service is SVGLAMOUR. For $20 a month you can access her exclusive training videos where she shares her techniques on achieving beautiful boho styles. Sara adds 2 new videos each month, plus you can get access to her back log of videos that have already been posted. We love that you can subscribe for as long or as short as you want so you don;t have to worry about committing to it for a year if you just want to check it out. Here are all the details.

One membership program that we have partnered with is IBP (Independent Beauty Pros) because we believe in their message and mission. They are all about "Empowering Independent Beauty Professionals through Community, Education & Support". They offer member hosted educational events, access to their educational library and resources, as well as a virtual happy hour where they have guest speakers that cover different topic each month. We were honored to be speakers on a past happy hour sharing our tips for self-care for beauty pros. Interested in joining? He website & in case you want to check it out here a link to the recap from our guest spot.

Whether you take a little or a lot away from these classes, education is always time well spent. They are additional training to put on your resume or include in your bio and it shows a drive and determination to stay at the top of your field. It is also a great way to network with other beauty pros. You never know who they may put you in contact with in the future to further your own career. Also for all of our Alchemy grads don't forget that once you have taken one of our courses you are welcome to come back and sit in on future dates for that class as a refresher as many times as you would like! Since we are dedicated to always keeping our curriculum up to date there may be some new info added and certain things might click for you even better the 2nd or even 3rd time hearing it; especially once you have more experience to better understand just how important even the little things we teach actually are!

If ever you are having trouble finding classes or education, never hesitate to contact us. The staff is always be happy to hear from you and help you find resources to help you along the way!