Social Sessions #001: #fluidhairpainting
The meteoric rise of #fluidhairpainting over the past year is a prime example of how the digital landscape can change careers and technical education in the salon industry in little more than an instant. What started as idea sharing on social media became a full-fledged internet sensation in short order. Google the term and you’ll see features on InStyle, Marie Claire, BuzzFeed, Modern Salon and Cosmopolitan – and that’s just on the first page of search results. The rapid takeoff of the technique has turned its creator, KL Christoffersen, into a leading creative voice in the industry and one of its biggest digital success stories.
As part of our deep dive into all things digital for Idealogue: The Social Media Sessions, we sat down and talked with KL about getting started , how she’s building her salon, her best practices and how to manage it all when you’re thrust into the internet’s unpredictable spotlight.
Idealogue x KL Christoffersen
It feels so adult these days. Cheeky Strut’s got twenty chairs now, and we’re in the process of buying our current space, renovating it, opening a second location, and dealing with all the success around #fluidhairpainting and having to market myself. I always wanted to open a salon before I was 25, and the thing that truly got me thinking about it was a class project when I was in high school where we had to write a business plan. I was all about figuring out what it would look like.
LBP: And when you opened, did it live up to the hype?
Now that I’ve told you when I initially had the idea, the unicorns, crowns and mermaids make a lot more sense don’t they? ::laughs:: We’ve had them for almost ten years now – and it’s been such a great dynamic and energy for the salon but we’re actually in the process of looking into something different as we move forward, because when you’re 25 you have a certain taste of what a salon should be and that changes. When you’re younger, you’re more influenced by the external – magazines, online, what’s cool, and as you get older and more comfortable in your own skin, life becomes a little different. Your style comes from within, and there’s a sort of peace you want to have in your space while you’re working. When people enjoy what they do, guests want to be a part of that.
LBP: What’s that mean for the new look?
Well, it’s going to be more grown-up. Did you watch Laguna Beach? I think of it as Lauren Conrad growing up into “The Hills.” We want to be very approachable, like that friend who seems to be on an adventure. They’re the one always trying new things without being over the top. Not overdone or fussy; effortless – the kind of salon that feels like you’re just hanging out with your girlfriends.
LBP: How do you translate that into your social media presence?
With a lot of communication. Right now, I’m juggling five different social brands. You’ve got Cheeky Strut the salon, Siren and Proper, our lash and brow bar, my personal brand, and then keeping tabs on all the things that have been happening with fluid hair painting. Then you’ve got my personal accounts. It’s almost impossible to do all the work yourself, so I’ve set up the right people as a voice that I can trust for the day-to-day, and we’ll touch base at least once a week on what we’re hoping to achieve and come up with a plan for what we want. It gives them the freedom to respond quickly to things that might happen, but still allows me some insight as to where we’re going.
My dream is for all the accounts to collaborate between each other as much as possible. It’s been harder lately because I was planning my wedding for the last six months, and now that I’m back – we’re moving to a schedule where we create a theme for each quarter and run with it. I’m really pushing our lead stylist, makeup artists and managers to get more involved because they’re the creative heart of what we do, and I want the Cheeky Strut brand to be their brand. When my staff is showcasing the creativity they have, they’re selling the salon. And when the salon looks good, everyone involved with it does too. My role in the brand accounts is mostly on helping with concepts and photo shoots that we mix in with everyday content unless we’re excited that I got shared by a publication or something bigger.
LBP: There’s so much to manage – do you still love doing it?
Yes, but it wasn’t always that way. When #fluidhairpainting just blew up I really got a taste of how crazy social media can get when you aren’t quite prepared for it. It was so overwhelming at first. I mean, all the attention and the feedback was great, but I got burned out. I was working with people to give me guidance since I was new to being recognized in the industry, and I started to feel like I was one of those dancing monkeys. There was always someone to tell me what I should be doing – and I needed time off to take a step back and ask myself, what did I want to do? I have these talks with myself often now. If something isn’t joyful, why was I excited in the first place? What made it fun? I was having a hard time because I felt like I was in a place of obligations. Being persuaded by people to do things that were from their point-of-view. That understanding turned it around for me. When I got back from my break, I realized that I wanted my social media presence to be things I actually did, or something someone else did that inspired me. When you come from a place of obligations, social media won’t be fun, but when you come from an authentic place that reflects who you, your salon, your team is, and it’s true to what you’re doing – that makes it exciting. It’s been almost a year of finding my own voice and sticking to what’s important to me.
LBP: Do you have a favorite channel to use?
Instagram’s definitely my favorite – because it’s so quick, easy and accessible for me. I love the potential of some of the new channels, but I’ve found that to do good work, I really have to plan them out. Think about Periscope or YouTube. From first-hand experience, I’ve learned that the people that do it best have the right lighting, the right crew to help, and you can’t just like – whip out your phone and demo a hair rainbow. So I schedule those out a little bit more during my meetings with the team.
Did you know that I was working on Fluid for almost a year before it got noticed? It’s because back then I was only showing the work to my friends and family on my personal Facebook account. Now, we try to do one live video demo a month, and I’m usually posting on Instagram almost every day. Then Facebook, a little more like a few times a week. It might be a huge faux-pas to say this, but I don’t do Twitter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that somewhere out there, there’s a salon that just kills it on Twitter, but I chose to sit that one out. You need to have focus if you’re going to keep your sanity. There are so many options out there, and hair is such a visual medium. So with the little time I have, I concentrate my attention on places where I can show people.
LBP: How are you seeing social make an impact on your side of the industry?
The biggest thing that stands out to me in the last ten years is how much social media has given people platforms that they probably wouldn’t have had without it. And by that, I mean me. Before, I’d go to an event, I could call a distributor, ask how so-and-so is doing, but it was all confined to my little slice of the world. Everyone’s got a voice now, and you get to build off each other in a much larger way than you used to be able to. Having that connection is brilliant. There’s translation on Facebook so if someone writes me from Japan, I can write them back. I’m from Grand Rapids, Michigan, a place a whole lot of people wouldn’t be able to find on a map if you asked them, but when I go to London, they already have seen my work and respect what I’m doing. We’re going to do a fluid painting seminar in Costa Rica soon, and I’m looking to book another one in Brasil while I’m there. You can be from anywhere now and if what you’re doing is fresh – people can find it.
LBP: Is there a flip side to that?
I don’t know — I guess at the same time, it means words travel faster and longer than they ever did before too. When I first blew up and people were commenting, like Buzzfeed, I remember getting lots of comments, some of them mean. One guy I really looked up to in the industry turned me into a meme, and it was heartbreaking. I thought, ‘I can’t believe that this person who inspired me so much hates what I’m doing.’ With screens in between us, sometimes it’s like people forget that there are real humans on the other side, and the shares, liking, and large networks means that those things aren’t limited to just one person’s opinion any more. The trick is, you just can’t let a difference of opinion get to you.
LBP: How’d you deal with that?
You’re going to laugh. You know those movies where there’s a bully who is so mean but goes home and is sad because they’ve never had anything nice said to them before? In my head, I wondered if that was the case, so I’d go through their stuff, read it, look at it, and tell them how much I liked their work! I figured I’d just be nice back to them.
I remember my manager at the time was like ‘omg KL, you can’t do that!’ But what’s funny, it worked! Once I was nice to them they wrote back nice things to me too. That’s how you win over your haters.
LBP: Who inspires you?
In the industry, I’m most inspired by the people who don’t just see hair as hair. The most exciting people are the ones who see what they do as an opportunity to use a mixed media, sculpting, or a different method that you see in traditional art. Those are the people I like to follow.
Some days, I’ll randomly pick hash tags – and just scroll through photos and updates and see if anything speaks to me. You find the craziest things that way.
I love following the NAHA competition winners, and the European National artists. You think there’s only so many new ideas you can come up with for cutting, styling and sculpting, but just like fashion, there’s always someone new to put a fresh spin on it.
LBP: We can’t wait to see you at #lbpidealogue in October – what are you most excited about?
It literally feels like you guys picked the speakers from the list of people I admire the most in the industry. I’m just excited to hear them on stage. And it’s not just one, it’s every person. I see them in this two-dimensional world on my phone or laptop and marvel at what they’re doing. And now this is a chance to see them in 3D, hear them speak and be present. I’m most excited to see these humans that inspire me. And outside of the speakers – meeting people that are attending is going to be great too. We’re all trying to figure out social media and learn from each other. I’m sure there’s more than a few conversations I’ll have on the floor that I’ll walk away from and think, ‘why aren’t they up there!’ Did I tell you we’re Periscoping? I’m bringing my manager, Corinne, and she’s going to broadcast. It’s going to be great.
Follow KL on Instagram at @mermicornhair, her salon @cheekystrut, and her technique by searching #fluidhairpainting. Be sure to join us for LBP Idealogue: The Social Media Sessions, happening October 20-21 for more from KL. Get a ticket here.
