Is It Worth The Investment?
Is the Self-Starter Programme worth the investment?
Quite honestly, from my point of view, yes!
But seriously – if you are asking yourself this, it is because you are not ready to invest, not just in the course, but also in your own future.
I know there are college courses, University courses, and numerous academies' short courses, out there - and some of them teach really great styling courses.
But have you been given that strategy, that plan, to actually move yourself from wannabe fashion stylist, to assistant stylist to full paid stylist?
Or
From a working stylist to earning stylist with consistent clients - and perhaps getting out of debt…
Are you being guided through this complex industry?
Yes – the courses probably helped you with your CV.
Yes – they should have pointed you in the right direction.
Yes – You should have the start of a working portfolio.
And yes – they perhaps even set you up with work experience or an assisting job.
But did those courses really tell you how this job works?
· That it is difficult.
· That the jobs are not consistent.
· That everything is last-minute.
· That you are often not paid on time – if at all.
Did they tell you how to cope with that?
Did they explain how you should deal with this in a professional way?
· That you might struggle to find work.
· That you could struggle to pay your rent.
· That it is difficult to make the right contacts.
.That you WILL need a Bread&Butter job, just to keep you ticking over financially.
·That you will inevitably have to 'Pay for The Privilege' to work as a stylist. This is IMPORTANT.
By this I’m talking about getting your portfolio up and your work published in magazines.
Yes, all those cutting edge magazines... they are cutting-edge, because they cannot afford to pay anyone (except the models).
So why do fashion teams do this unpaid work? Because they want and need to get their work into the magazines. They use the magazines to showcase their work to advertisers. And the advertising work is what pays.
Employers expect a stylist to have contacts for great clothing – so that in the absence of decent budgets, the stylist will be able to beg, borrow or steal – metaphorically speaking…
SO in effect – the stylist is Paying for the Privilege and potentially getting themselves into serious debt – only on the off-chance that a great advertising gig will come through and they will be financially stable, at least for a short while.
·That you won't really have anyone to ask about how to do certain things, for example:
About PPMs (Pre-Production Meetings)
Negotiating your fee.
Negotiating your budget.
How to handle not being paid on time.
Cash-flow.
Seeing your job as a business and not an expensive hobby.
The reason I wanted to start my course the Self-Starter Programme, is that I didn't want to share with you just the dream of how fantastic it is to work in this industry. I wanted to share the reality: How this industry actually works and how – with the right strategy – you can make your business work for you and in the industry that you love.
When I was writing my book, Fashion Stylist's Handbook, I was advised by one of the universities reviewing my book before print, to take out "A glorified ironer" from The Qualities of a Fashion Stylist on page 11. I had to listen as I thought they knew better than me...
They did indeed know better than me – they knew that writing "a glorified Ironer" in my book was exposing what this job is really about. That was not the impression of the job they wanted readers to have. Why? Because they wanted to sell their Fashion Styling course.
The courses, the glossy magazines, the TV styling shows – they are all selling you the dream, not the reality.
Don’t get me wrong. When it works, it is a fantastic job. There are wonderful people in the industry. But do ask yourself why it is so closed? It’s because it's a tough industry to navigate – especially as a fashion stylist.
Most of you will carry on, feeding the beast, getting into debt, and paying for the privilege.
Despite loving this industry, you might find that you can no longer afford to work in it. Eventually you will have to find another job that pays your way and gives you the lifestyle you want.
So is this course worth the investment? YES – a hundred times over – but only if you are truly serious about succeeding in this job.
Danielle XX