Former Aveda Institute grad, Jamie Bailey, has grown with AVEDA to build an impressive portfolio of work. He’s worked with celebrities and on high end fashion shoots, contributing his success to determination and the education he received while attending an Aveda Institute.
We had a moment to talk with Jaimie about his journey from Aveda student to highly sought after top stylist.
How has attending an AVEDA Institute prepared you for becoming a successful stylist?
Attending Aveda Institute prepared me for success by truly giving me the tools and knowledge to keep chasing my dreams. I remember the day I walked into Aveda Institutes South. The staff and student stylists exhibited such a professional behavior that set them apart from all the other schools. You could feel the passion and heart for hair in the building, and that’s when I knew I was in the right place.
As a student stylist there I could feel that the educators and staff truly cared about the growth for my career. I was coached everyday on how to grow as a professional stylist and how to practice all the things that would get me there.
I remember I never missed one day of school because I knew everyday was an opportunity to learn something new and to keep practicing my craft. I think the coolest thing was that it never felt like school! It felt like working in a real salon and everyday having fun learning things about the salon world, picking up tools for success along the way.
What’s your best advice for students who want to work on editorial pieces, fashion shows, and style hair for celebrities.
Being in the shoes of a student I understand how hard it can be. However, to get to where you want to be is to ask yourself what do you desire? What do you truly love doing? Once you have understood what that one thing is you want…then do that!
I feel that I got where I am today by truly serving from the heart and doing what I truly love. I found mentors, one big mentor was Paul Villeneuve, Aveda Institutes South Creative Director. I searched for more and more education, pushed myself out of my comfort zone, networked and promoted myself and always treated myself as a student. Anything I have ever done was by asking myself and other mentors around me, what can I do to make this better?
I would practice everything as I still do today. I still practice cutting hair at home on a good ole mannequin head, color techniques, and practice styling. I also work at promoting and recruiting so that it becomes easier each time. I work at anything I can do to make myself better and everyday I learned more about what I can do to make myself better. But the biggest lift and tools I had all came from Aveda Institute. They gave me the strongest foundation of knowledge to do what I’m doing today.
If a future stylist is torn between choosing AVEDA or another beauty school, what would your advice be to them?
Go schedule tours at all your beauty schools in mind and bring a notebook and pen. Look for behaviors that would be in a high end hair salon. Make a list of things that you noticed was professional about the school and the tour. Make a list of the things you heard or saw that made you excited about the school and the program it offers. Most importantly, when choosing your school make sure you will be doing hair. You want to make sure you will stay busy because, ultimately, that’s the best practice you can get!
When I did my tours at beauty schools one of the greatest things I enjoyed about the Aveda institute was that all student stylist had a head of hair to work and practice on! I would much rather leave the end of my day busy with clients then to sit around with nothing to do.
What are your favorite pieces of work currently in your portfolio?
Doing hair for the MAC Cosmetics workshop photo-shoot with celebrity Mac Pro artist John Stapleton.
Of course Paula Abdul’s hair.