Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Smalley.
Olivia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started working in a salon when I was 13. My mom was a hairstylist for a brief moment so I worked in the salon with her folding towels and bringing all the little old ladies coffee. When I was 20, I got my cosmetology license and a right after that I went straight to school for makeup. That’s where things really took off. At 22, I opened my first hair and makeup company for weddings.
We did over 400 weddings in 4 years! I did eventually lose my passion for weddings and decided to pursue being a beauty blogger. I began to film makeup and hair tutorials for YouTube and Instagram and just posted like crazy. Today, I am traveling all over the world teaching beauty enthusiasts social media and how to grow an authentic audience through an authentic voice. I could not purse all of my dreams if it wasn’t for my support husband Aaron Thompson as well as my father and mother.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road to where I am today has definitely not been the smoothest. Throughout my career, I have hit bumps in the road that knocked me down, but I’m the kind of person who falls down and works twenty times harder to get back up. When I first went to beauty school, I didn’t have much… My family and I had no money at all. I begged my school for a scholarship or grant because I didn’t qualify for financial aid. Reason being, my parents made too much money on paper, but the reality is my mom didn’t have that job anymore. After six weeks of pinching pennies, I was offered a grant. THAT is the reason I educate. I was giving a gift of a trade and I will forever share my secrets. My struggles are the things that motivate me. There is no success without failure.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a hairstylist and content creator! I specialize in blonding and extensions, but I still maintain a very diverse clientele. I find that I am most proud of my day to day work in the salon. I feel the most accomplished when my one of my clients tell me that they love their hair. People ask me all the time if I would ever give up being behind the chair to dedicate more time to social media and the answer is always no. I am a hairstylist first and foremost, being a beauty blogger is a gift that came along with that.
What are you striving for, what criteria or markers have you set as indicators of success?
For me, success is taking all that you know and using it to help and better others. I feel most successful when I am teaching. Whether that’s making videos for Instagram or teaching other stylists how to use social media to grow, it is always the most rewarding experience. You are successful when you take that success and give it to others.
Contact Info:
- Website: Omgartistry.shopify.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Instagram.com/omgartistry
- Facebook: Facebook.com/omgartistry
- Twitter: Twitter.com/omgartistry
- Other: YouTube.com/omgartistry
Image Credit:
Team Shot: Cosmoprof Beauty Artistic Team Members, Amelia, Leysa, Christina, Olivia, Lala, Jacob, Keon
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
