Feminine & Fierce: The Best of Both Worlds

Since I began this journey into the outdoors, I've dedicated so much time to being in the field and increasing my marketing through social media. I love to share my adventures in the great outdoors, but I'd also like to share another huge part of my life: my job. It's important to me to let my followers (especially the women) know what I do for a living because it proves that you don't have to choose between being feminine or fierce. You can be both! I remember walking across the stage at Texas A&M with a degree in my hand and thinking, "I have no idea what I want to do with my life." I felt so lost, yet pressured to have an awesome career and be happy. I ended up having side jobs such as working in retail at Cavender's Boot City, bartending Texas country concerts, freelancing design jobs, and cashiering at a fudge shop because they made me smile. I mean, how can boots, live music, graphic design, and chocolate not feed your soul? EXACTLY. I refused to have a job that made me miserable, regardless of the pay. As a result, I ended up working long days with little pay and I needed a change. First, I acknowledged a few really important factors that I desired in my career:

1. Meeting New People 2. Self-employed 3. Easy Mobility 4. Creative/Artistic 5. Detail-Oriented 6. Flexible Hours 7. Great return 8. Challenging

Through a series of events, this led me to enroll in beauty school fresh out of college. Hair Stylist? Nail Tech? Esthetician? None of these! I'm a Lash Artist. Let me paint a picture for you: I get to make women feel beautiful every day. My clients come in, sometimes in their sweats with no makeup. They take their shoes off, curl up in a blanket and lay down on a heated, extra padded massage table. 90% of my clients are asleep within 10 minutes. I clean their eyes, put my magnifying glasses on, and carefully glue an individual lash extension to each of their natural eyelashes using tweezers in both hands. Each appointment is 1-3 hours long of detailed work and I somehow have the patience to thoroughly enjoy every minute. I never get bored because I see several clients (sometimes up to 8) a day and everyone has such unique eyes and personal stories. The extensions that I apply come in roughly 10 different lengths, 3 different curls, and 3 different thicknesses. I do not create the same design on all clients because the idea is to enhance the natural shape of their eye. It is truly an art for me, which is why I easily go into a meditative state of mind at work. Similar to quilting, I can focus on something so tedious with no boundaries for creativity. When you have an artistic mind, it's important to have several outlets to feed your creativity. I'm lucky enough to have that in my job. I'd like to add that my mom had a salon in the 90's and I swore I'd never be in the beauty industry. I've always been a tomboy, wearing little-to-no makeup my entire life. Growing up I loved Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles as opposed to Barbie anything, and I didn't learn to walk in heels until college. I've developed a strong "self-love" through becoming more of a woman and getting to make other women feel beautful in as little as an hour. There's something truly gratifying about the process and I don't feel like I ever work a day in my life. It's very rare for me to have a "bad day," and when I do, it's typically not work related. As a woman, it's really important to feel feminine and sexy at times. However you choose to feed that desire, while upholding your values and self-respect, can be extremely powerful. Being in the beauty industry, especially as the owner of a company, I'm expected to look put together at work. This doesn't mean I dress up every day, but on the days that I do my hair and makeup, it makes me feel really good about myself! On the other hand, when I'm in the field hunting, I feel like a warrior; I feel brave, powerful, strong, and fierce. Nothing makes me feel more unstoppable than when I have a bow in my hand. I go into a different state of mind and I don't necessarily feel feminine. In fact, I'm able to feed my boyish, rough around the edges, "I don't care what I look like" side, which is just as powerful. I love nothing more than to prove I can hang with the guys. It challenges me in ways I never imagined. I live a very happy, well-rounded life and it makes me feel on top of the world. When you push your boundaries and go outside of your comfort zone, you will learn so much more about yourself. I strongly encourage everyone to branch out and really tune into your personal desires in life. Feed your soul and I promise your heart will feel so full!