TAYLOR ANDREWS ACADEMY - ST GEORGE

Advanced Makeup Artistry Course - June 1, 2010

Getting Involved with our Community

Here are some pictures form Deb's Prom Fashion Show that our students did updo's for last week!

 
 This past weekend we donated our time at two different events in the area. First the MS Walk, we had a team do the walk along with several other students who went and handed out business cards and coupons. And Second, we donated haircuts for Snow Canyon Middle School's Cuts for Cancer Event! Thanks to all of our amazing students who took the time and effort to attend these community events!

Bowling Feb 2010

Just had to share a fun day with the students. Our Guest Artist cancelled yesterday so we decided to take the students bowling! We had such a fun time. I just want to thank all of our students and staff, we have such an amazing group of people at Taylor Andrews Academy, and it makes my job so wonderful! Thanks everyone!

 
 
 

2010 - It's going to be a great year!

We just started a new year, new decade, and new goals! Looking back on 2009 and my dreamboard, I accomplished quite a bit:

-Travel- I was able to spend my birthday in New York City with 3 girlfriends of mine!

-Baby- Jesi James Maxfield was born November 26

-Community Service- We participated in several community service projects all year long. Went to the old folks home and performed free manicures, gave Christmas to a family, donated wigs to an instructors mother who lost her hair from chemotherapy, and donated money to the local women and childrens shelter.

-Friends- Made connections again with past friends, I love facebook!

And now for 2010:

*Education -Focus on better educating myself in areas I need improvement, also educating my instructors to be better at what they do, and last giving the best education possible to my students.

*Growth - I want the school to have 120 students enrolled by the end of 2010.

*Balance - Giving my attention to each area of my life, and still keeping balance!

*Networking - Putting my time and efforts towards networking with other professionals to help create a better Beauty industry.

*Fun - Doing fun activitites with the staff and students at least once a month.

*Happiness - Be in the now and enjoy the great things in life!

2009 in Review

I know it has been quite some time since the last post. Of course I have been extremely busy as always. But I did want to share what has been going on this year. After my last post about the Nicholas French class, we were given an amazing opportunity to have one student from each Taylor Andrews Academy help Nicholas French prep his models for a hairshow during the North American Hairstyling Awards in Las Vegas. Here in St George we decided to do a Hairstyling Competition to pick the student. We had five outside judges from local salons, and the students put together some amazingly creative looks. Here are some pictures from the competition.

      

   

 

   

Then in July we all traveled down to Las Vegas for the North American Hairstyling Awards. Each year our group just gets bigger and bigger. We had about 250 Taylor Andrews’s students and staff attending. We were the biggest group there.  Unfortunately we did not have any nominations, but we sure did have a great time meeting some of the biggest names in the industry. Here is a group picture of staff.

In August we had a team building park day. Which is always such a fun and exciting thing to do. Here are some pictures of the students.

  

 

In September we had the pleasure of attending a class at the West Jordan school with Phillip Wilson. He teaches the incredible style of cutting called free form. I had some of my instructors there to take a two day hands on class. Here are some pictures from that.    

 
 

Towards the end of September we had our first opportunity to have a class with one of the most amazing photographers in the country, Babak. He did a two day class along with Keith Bryce (former designer from Project Runway) about how to put together and execute a photo shoot. Where they did two different NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) photo shoots.  Here are some pictures from the first shoot.

  
 

          

 In early October Jim (my husband and co-owner) and Cassi (Artistic Director) ran the St George City Marathon. The students all went to cheer him and Cassi on.

 

The next week Larry came down to St George and we played Spy Games. Taylor Andrew’s version of the Amazing Race. What a fun time we had, and we have some pictures.

   

 

Late October we had an amazing guest visit the St George school. Faatemah Ampey the winner of Fashion Forward category at the North American Hairstyling Awards. She was very inspiring and so much fun, we can't wait to have her visit again.

 

 

Wow what a fun and exciting year we had! I cannot wait until 2010, we have got a great year ahead of us!

 
 
 

 

      

Nicholas French

Last week our students and staff were able to attend a class featuring Nicholas French at our West Jordan location. Nicholas French has won several North American Hairstyling Awards. He also works with Matrix out of their New York Global Academy. This class was such an inspiration! For me who has been in the industry for 8 years now, I needed to be inspired about hair again. And for the students who are just starting in the industry, it was something to keep them going.

Nicholas first started with a unconventional way of cutting beautiful seamless layers.

As you can see here, he was teasing the hair and then all the left over hair he was just cutting off. The entire class gasped the first time he did it, and the model took it pretty well (as you can see in the picture). The haircut turned out beautifully, but you would have to try this on someone that completely trusts you with their hair, otherwise I think the client would freak out!

 Next he did some dresswork. Here are some pics from the class.

 

 

 

NEW YEAR ~ NEW GOALS

Well we made it to 2009!!! It is finally here my favorite time of year. Only because I really love to set goals and achieve goals.

This week at our staff meeting we had our staff bring a summary of their 1 year, 3 year, and 5 years goals. I think it is so important to do this every so often. The thing is most people have no idea, and thus go nowhere.

It is time for you to make a DREAMBOARD! What is a dreamboard? It is pictures, words, and whatever else you would like to add that compiles your goals and dreams. I have made several Dreamboards over the course of the last 5 years, and in the last 5 years I have accomplished incredible things. I decided I would make a DREAMBOARD for my blog. So here are some things I want in 2009!

     

      TRAVEL                        BABY

     

HEALTH

                                Growth

                              

                                                                                         Friends (not the tv show)

        growing relationshipsMONEY TREE (WHO DOESN’T WANT A MONEY TREE?)

knowledge   

DESTINATION REJUVINATION

This week I had the pleasure of attending a retreat called Destination Rejuvination in Laguna Beach, CA. This retreat is something that cannot be put into words, it is that amazing. Every woman needs to treat themselves to something like this at least once a year. I have been lucky enough to attend it twice this year and both times have returned to the real world with a new outlook on life.

  Mary Wilson (on the right) is the woman who put this enitre retreat together, she is incredible and I am so happy she envisioned this destination. Her son Tyler (in the middle) visited us at the retreat a couple of days and I had the pleasure of having a great conversation with him over lunch, and he is such an amazing 11 year old. Ann Mincey (on the left) is Redken's Global Communications Director (she is the happy Redken lady). The retreat is based off of Ann's book "You Are a Star Right Where You Are" which I would recommend to anyone and everyone. It is a book based on realizing we are all stars and we just have to create more balance in our lives to shine brighter.

I got to meet so many new and wonderful women, and was lucky to have some of my own staff and other Taylor Andrews staff there too. This was such a beautiful bonding between women from around the country. And again hard to put into words.

                      This was one view from the great Surf and Sand Resort where the retreat was held at. This is one resort that everyone needs to visit. The staff are so genuinely friendly and helpful, I wish that my staff could see and learn from them. Not to mention that our rooms overlooked the ocean, and at night they would turn down our beds and turn on relaxing music. We would sleep with our door open to the balcony and listen to the waves crashing. I love this place!!!

I am so grateful for the richness in my life. Including my husband who always supports me in everything I want to accomplish, my family who made me who I am today, my staff who understands my vision and helps me in making my dreams come true, and of course my students who without them I would be nowhere. They inspire me every day to become better in many ways and I truly love them.

I want to especially thank Cassi, Jaclyn, and Christie who came with me and made the trip even better. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life. Thanks!

Beautiful Southern Utah

  Last weekend me and my husband and a couple of our friends visited the national park - Zion. I just had no idea how beautiful these canyons were. And the best of all is they are right in our own backyard. While we visited the park I realized how many people from around the world come to beautiful southern Utah to see Zion. We were the minority who spoke english. From what I saw most of the people were from Europe. Which just blew my mind that I have lived here in St George for a year and a half and I've lived in Utah my entire life and never visited something that people travel thousands of miles to see. It made me realize how truly blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place.   

Update

Life has been crazy since July. Let me catch you up on a few things. Later in July we attended the NAHA's (North American Hairstyling Awards) in Las Vegas. We did not have any nominations ourselves, but we did have over 200 students from Taylor Andrews Academy's. Which was incredible in itself. We are already working on NAHA nominations for next year. My husband is determined to get a nomination in Salon Design of the Year. He is already remodeling things to help make it perfect. That's why I love him.

July was an incredible month for me personally, because my husband finally moved down to St George full-time. He left his career as a firefighter, and has now joined our team at Taylor Andrews as the Business Director. Everyone loves having him around because he has a different perspective on things and that helps us in so many different ways. He has taken many of my responsibilities so I can focus on signing up students, and making a difference in the school.

Then August started and wow, it came and went. During August we went to the park and played "Shot in the Arm". It is a team building game that proved very beneficial in helping the students understand they are all on the same team trying to get to the same goal of graduating and starting an amazing career.

We also did a photoshoot in August with Abbie Warnock. I had personally never shot with Abbie, but had seen some of her work and loved it. We ended up loving her high energy and creative abilities, and we got some incredible photos. Thanks Abbie!

 

 

 

Now that we are halfway through September. Jami our Student Services Director has moved to Salt Lake to help open the new Orem Taylor Andrews Academy. She will be greatly missed by me, our staff, and students. But we know she will do an amazing job up there.  Thanks for everything Jami!!!