Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Clayton.
Hi Jane, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story started a long time before I actually went to cosmetology school. It started when I was 7 learning how to braid my mom’s hair after a long day of work. I could tell by the expression on her face that such a simple act of kindness, and something that I enjoyed doing, brought her peace and calmed her headaches. When I was 12, I learned how to do intricate buns and braids and after a short while, other girls would ask me to come early before school to help them with their hair. A teacher in the building noticed the high volume of girls that started forming lines around me before class started, so she dedicated a homeroom period just for me to do as many classmate’s hairstyles as I could. I saw the confidence that a fun hairstyle could bring to the troubled minds of my 12-year-old peers- some of them with rough home lives just trying to fit in, as we all did at that age. When I started my beauty school apprenticeship at the age of 16, I learned how to do highlights and colors and sculpt haircuts to flatter the faces of the people that sat in my chair. And what I noticed was something very new that I hadn’t ever seen before; the gift of self-identity. Whether it was a teen girl or a 60-year-old woman, a change in them occurred in the couple hours I spent with them that I will never forget. People going through cancer shaving their hair off, a transgender woman seeing her hair as feminine, a teenage girl dying her hair purple for the summer, the examples are endless and all form the same emotional response. Being able to give the gift of peace, confidence, and self-identity is more than I could ever ask for in a career. This is why I do what I do, because no matter what reputation it has, or the money I make, I see the lives that I change.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
“Bimbo”. The word that haunts my career. The word that I have been called a handful of times in my life when talking about my career path. It’s been a word used by friends, by family, by strangers, by boyfriends, and even used by my own subconscious mind when I’m being too hard on myself. And I’m thankful for it actually because that one word has pushed me to work harder, do more, and prove everyone wrong including myself that this industry can build a successful and thriving career to those who put their mind to it.
COVID-19 hit the beauty industry hard, as it did with many other industries as well. For some reason, and it sounds like a bad thing but it has certainly worked itself out for the best, I decided to leave my secure job in September of 2020 to try something new. I was working at a commission-based salon and had a job lined up at a booth rent salon for a month down the line. When I went in to talk to my boss about my job opportunity in a month, she fired me on the spot. I was told I had to clean out my stuff that night, I couldn’t have any of my client’s contact information, and was never welcomed back. It ruined me. I was absolutely devastated but decided there was nothing left to do besides work harder and build a new clientele. After a month of working at my new salon, they called a business meeting a told us we had a week to find somewhere else to work because they couldn’t afford rent anymore. Again- it was crushing. After bouncing around for a couple years I finally landed in a spot I call home and am proud to say I have a full clientele and am doing better than I ever thought I would be!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Indigo the Peoples Salon?
I consider myself a hair artist and pride myself in creating an atmosphere of peace and inclusivity in my small business. I specialize in glowy/sunkissed blondes and extensions, as well as sculpted cuts!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Collaborations can contact me through my business email: janeclaytoncosmo@gmail.com
And support is always welcomed by following my Instagram page: @janeclaytoncosmo
