You Can Let It Make You Bitter or Better
Alright ladies and gents! All of the things I keep promising you are slowly coming together.
Allow me to reintroduce myself:
I'm Alicia Maxwell — founder, owner, and operator of Maxwell Salon since 2012. I've been whispering hairs into happy submission skillfully since 2006, and I've always been passionate about showing people the beauty that already exists in them by enhancing their natural features using hair and makeup.
Currently, I am doing hair in the salon just a couple of days per week. The relationships I've built behind the chair are important to me, but after nearly 15 years in the salon biz and some really difficult experiences as a salon owner, I've been feeling some burnout signals in my body and my mind.
In my creative pursuits, I've recently found a revitalized passion for boudoir photography. It's something I fell in love with a long time ago. I love the empowerment of it. You can really show someone how to feel confident in their skin by offering a service that is tailored especially for people who are nervous about the idea of being photographed in an intimate way. I love bringing out that inner bad b*tch.
“High-class, without the attitude” has always been our philosophy at Maxwell Salon, and I aim to put that same energy into my boudoir services. I'm not really interested in serving the masses anymore. I want to work with people who are really excited about what I'm doing and want to give themselves a really empowering gift. Bonus if your significant other can also enjoy this gift, but honey, it should be for you!
A few other things you can expect to see here (coming very soon) will be a variety of different blog series highlighting local spots, people, and products. Also, a podcast that M.LeighArtistry and I are collaborating on where we will talk about various issues we care about and invite people of varying perspectives to discuss and share thoughts. We just recorded the first and second episodes and I'm working my way through editing now. It's a bit fumbly in places, but we have an interesting topic, and a guest who is a wealth of knowledge on the subject we're discussing. We'll get a groove goin’.
I'll also be sharing monthly events hosted in connection with the salon. (If you were looking for info for our 1/31/20 fundraiser for Justice and Soul, it has been canceled due to low ticket sales 😢) Right now, we have another Maxwell After Hours coming up on February 15th that will (of course 😉) be the V-day alternative. It's a super casual affair — just come hang, network, collaborate, and have some light snacks and coffee. We'll be keeping it sexy-classy, as always. We'll be hosting these After Hours events (put on by M.LeighArtistry) monthly for a little while and she has some killer artists lined up to be featured. February's featured artists will be me(!) sharing some of my boudoir work and Matty Malone's dreamy PNW art. Stay tuned for the full lineup, and check out highlights from our last After Hours with Danielle Rimbert and Mariah Finch.
If you're interested, read on to my next post for a peek at what to expect from the upcoming episode of our new podcast.
A podcast where we talk some real talk with real people in our Kitsap community.
This year, I'm pursuing passion, I'm pursuing art and creativity, I'm embracing love, and I'm finding my voice again and just putting it out there. Even if I'm nervous, even if the fear and negative voices in my head creep in, even if I think people won't like it. Honestly, if people don't like it well... I don't care anymore. It's just not for them, it’s for the small tribe of people out there that grows every day, who I know will love it and benefit from some of the knowledge I've gained (a lot of it the hard way).
It doesn't have to be perfection, it just has to be a real, honest discussion. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the universe doesn't give us hardship for no reason. It's all meant to guide us to the places and people that are meant for us. Owning a business is really tough. I've seen it make people bitter in so many instances. I choose better. I'm excited about all I've learned from my experiences and will continue to learn from the beautiful souls I surround myself with as I grow.
Does anything I'm talking about strike a chord with you? I fell off the map for a little while because quite honestly, social media in the general sense bores me (and sometimes freakin' scares me), but social media used as a tool for building real connections and collaborations with awesome people in my local community... that's something I can 100% get behind.
Join the tribe. Reach out on Instagram, get in touch on my Facebook page, subscribe to this blog and our podcast, and help me out with some feedback. I have big plans for 2020 and I'm still finding my flow. A lot of this stuff is new to me, so please be kind. I really am doing my best, and I'm open to constructive feedback.
What kinds of things interest you about our growing little Kitsap community? What do you want to know about me, Maxwell Salon, or any other local business? I'm all ears👂🏻
— ✌🏻❤️🍕
Alicia