AG knows that to be successful you need to have more than just-style. It’s more about substance – what’s on the inside and what inspires you to constantly improve. We are a company that’s driven by the passion, and determination of our employees and artists spreading the infectious AG philosophy. So, what’s the philosophy? It’s to keep developing and evolving as a company and invigorating brilliance. And at a recent training, AG’s Artistic Team did just that. With industry leader Vivienne Mackinder as our guide, AG’s seven-member Artistic Team learned exactly what it means to be brilliant. With fresh eyes, they looked at shapes, proportions, and history for inspiration. The team was asked to let go of all they thought they knew, and embrace their inner artists. The result? Sheer brilliance! Vivienne began working with the team on the basic foundational skills – pinning, French Twist, Marcel Waves, The Gibson, and hair sewing, paying specific attention to “shape”. There is a reason the “grandmasters” still use these techniques. It’s because they work and can stand the test of time in any situation just with a tinge of self-expression in the work. Using the camera as our silent assistant, we photographed the team’s journey. Taking a step back to see their work at every angle; they learned to see their models from others’ eyes. They were challenged to find the shapes and silhouettes of what they were creating; oval, triangular, round – and to understand the shape and analyze it. By “taking 10 seconds to look at your work at eye level it will help you achieve what you are looking for – don’t just do hair, dress hair,” says Vivienne. Day one at the salon ended with a model call to cast for our photoshoot and we quickly learned one of our most valuable lessons – you can fix or supplement the hair, but if you have the wrong face, you have nothing. Every model was photographed at different angles and distances, using the pictures to analyze their full potential. The team was instructed to discuss and critique their analysis of the work and the model. ‘Are they the right height, do they have heavy eyelids is there room for dramatic makeup, are they too androgynous, could make a shape themselves, can they move, do they understand light, do they know how to convey emotion? Look at their portfolio for an array of emotions, poses, and themes. Do they look expensive ? And pay close attention to the model’s experience. Lack of model experience will cost more in time than anything else. The journey continued on Day Two with the process of developing the Collection Story. AG’s team printed out photos of each look, every set of wardrobe, each model’s headshot, and a hand drawing of each artist’s hair idea. They then began to mix and match each model with a photograph of each set of wardrobes to design which ‘look’ complimented which combination – over and over again. Then began the process of developing a story; taking pictures, analyzing shapes, and moving forward – taking inspirational pictures, printing out photographs of mannequin heads, and working over and over to see what wardrobe matched what inspirational hair shape with which model. Slowly but surely a story began to unfold right before our eyes. Brilliant, we thought! End o