Keeping the Fashion and Beauty Industry Well-Polished



Sunday, May 23, 2010

First Contact

The incorrect thing to think about freelance is that "I could do that, why wouldn't they hire me?". Of course you can "do it". But so can a million other manicurists in this country. It becomes about PERSONALITY. DRIVE. And not about WHO you know, its about who knows YOU.

I will never forget the day. Er, night: October 25, 2007. It was a Thursday night, really late. I was online, MySpace to be exact. I noticed that "Melissa Bozant, Celebrity Manicurist" posted a little blurb on Nails Magazine's page about an upcoming Packaging your Portfolio Workshop in LA. I had learned that you needed a portfolio to get more work, and I needed to get to LA to be there. I emailed Melissa immediately to get more info. That night was very emotional for me: we had no money. None for me to pay for the class, my flights and 3 nights in a hotel.

It was raining pretty hard that Friday morning. I got up early, anxious for Melissa's reply. The message was there waiting: the dates of the workshop were 2 days in January, the day after I would return from my family vacation. I called Continental who was able to change my flight for practically nothing. The class was paid for by the grace of God. ;)

January came and just 2 hours before I was supposed to fly to LA, I had a message from Melissa: the class was postponed due to the writer's strike. Later she told me it was like 9/11 in LA: everything shut down.

The workshop was rescheduled for April. I finally met Melissa, along with my mentor, Crystal Wright, both of whom I credit much of my success to, to this day!

I learned so much about the industry it was astonishing. Working on set, how to break into the biz, collaborating with other creatives, building a book (portfolio of your work), evolving your kit (nail colors, everything you need to work), creating my website, business cards, comp cards, getting better photos in your book, I could go on and on. Too much to write!

For more about Melissa, please visit:
http://www.photogenicsmedia.com/

For more information about Crystal and her Portfolio workshop, please visit:
http://www.crystalwrightlive.com/

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