Vidal Sassoon Basic Fall 2014 Winner Elissa Alferez

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt.

As I pursue my career in beauty I grow to appreciate this quote more each day.

I believe my creative inspiration stems from culture and art. Each culture uses their own combination of colors, patterns, flowers, etc. to cleverly represent who they are and what they stand for as a whole. Art’s collaboration of colors and mood has an intriguing relationship as it offers a range of feelings for our senses to experience. There is a power in color that stimulates our moods and emotions more than we understand. As an aspiring beauty professional I admit, it excites me that we have the power to manipulate and create beauty in countless ways.

Before taking a leap into this path of becoming a beauty professional I was aimlessly lead into my family’s dream for me becoming the first four year university graduate. They imagined me to become a professional in something with financial stability. So, I did. In possession of a bachelor’s degree with no financial stability or anything else to show for it I began developing feelings of resentment, hopelessness and depression. To occupy my mind I turned to art as a hobby and for therapy. With art I was able to surround myself with colors and the beauty from within myself. Art, once again became my nostalgic trip back into childhood where art carried me up and away from the chaotic heartaches of reality. It all began to click… As a beauty professional, I have the opportunity to incorporate my appreciation for art as well as my passion to help others look and feel good about themselves. Finally, this is where I belong.

This is my dream and I believe in the beauty of it!