It is so important to tap into aesthetic expression as an outlet for broader levels of service innovation, and new insights and inspirations. Use your ingenuity to invent new approaches and satisfy your intellectual appetite at the same time. When you access your unique set of inherent gifts, you give yourself more freedom and fulfillment. The richness of your work experience depends on what you are willing to give to it.
Innovate
Where does your spa need aesthetic innovation? Estheticians with artistic flair have so much to share. Areas in which you can make a difference include the following.
- Marketing—Can you develop workshops that bring principles of beauty to the forefront?
- Treatment development—New modes of expression can be added to therapeutic environments by adapting lighting, adding music, providing different levels of touch to treatment applications or creating new physical sensations by introducing various massage techniques.
- Retailing—Display merchandise in clever ways. Strengthen its visual appeal by using color, texture, line and design.
- Uniform or treatment gown alteration—Create patterns or sew new designs.
- Music—Compose new musical pieces for treatment and retail areas
- Graphics—Design the layout of treatment menus, newsletters, brochures, thank-you notes and gift certificates.
Express yourself
There are scores of lucrative opportunities for anybody who chooses to get out of their fixed job routine. You are only limited by your own imagination and do not have to wait to be a spa owner in order to express your inner artistic talents. There are all kinds of arrangements that can be made if there is a demand waiting to be fulfilled at work.
Perhaps you have a talent for arranging flowers, or you are good at decorating and interior design. Why not ask yourself what you could contribute to make your treatment room more attractive, and how those changes might affect you, your co-workers and your clients.
Maybe you have taken some culinary courses, or you are good at entertaining. Perhaps additional expertise that involves menu-planning or food preparation might be ideal for a promotional after-hours.
If you have an innate sensitivity to color, an eye for balance and an appreciation for fashion, you may want to consider taking some evening or weekend courses to become an image consultant or an appearance counselor. This is a great way to generate additional earnings. Image enhancement, of course, is central to every form of esthetic service, which means that having this background will permit you entry into a whole new world of professional beauty-makers, setting yourself up for a promotion or a raise.
Those who do consider offering more than just basic job skills will find that they feel more connected to their workplaces. Think about your retail area; what could you recommend that would make the products you sell more inviting? How could these items be arranged to be presented more attractively? What about the look of the labels? How can you create more value or interest? What would make the skin care formulation inside the container more appealing? Do a little extra and you will make yourself indispensable, and don’t be afraid to demonstrate your more artistic side. Doing something that is not expected for your employer is always a wise decision because it will give you the distinct advantage over those who just do what they are paid to do and not a thing more.
Everybody’s a critic
By now you have probably gotten the idea that your talents and your ability to use them give you the opportunity to transform your work experience and even increase your income. However, you do need to recognize that not everyone will appreciate your creativity, and that there will be instances when those around you may not approve of your contribution. In fact, you may have to bear the risk of their criticism. There is no set way to gauge whether your efforts will be totally appreciated, which is why artistic intervention in the workplace does require some advanced planning and careful coordination before you begin.
Make sure that everyone feels free to voice their opinions. You must be prepared to modify your concepts if the circumstances call for an adjustment to your vision. It is always a good idea to allow others to comment if they have contradictory tastes.
What you want to avoid is for those around you to feel as if you have imposed your individual aesthetic preferences on them. Do some checking with everyone before getting started. Sit down with the person you work for ahead of time to see if there are some avenues available to use your talents. You never want to do anything artistic against the objections of others. Taking such actions will only breed resentment of those who are not in agreement with your form of artistic self-expression.
Eye of the beholder
Art must be tailored to the creator and the audience. Keep in mind every artistic endeavor has its own time, and sometimes it must go through several revolutions until it is recognized for the full aesthetic value for which it was originally intended.
