A Neophyte Emerges Amidst Vanity Wars
Post date: Jul 25, 2019 8:47:56 AM
A Neophyte Emerges Amidst Vanity Wars
By: Myra M. Divinagracia, Anicet M. Kistadio
Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes. – John Dewey
Indeed, Jemimah ‘Maymay’ P. Alvarez of P-2, Poblacion, Barobo, Surigao del Sur mused that she did quite a number of failures in hair styling and make-up applications yet such failures isn’t enough for her to be fazed to push through with her interest nor did it goad her to shift her eyes to another field of work.
Instead, her previous shortcomings aided her in becoming a persevering, fierce and bold person who wouldn’t run away amidst vanity wars armed with her survival kit —hairdryers, makeup kits, confidence and true grit — until her clients are fully satisfied with her work.
Maymay maintained that it is always difficult to shift careers especially when she always had the knack for dolling up. Such knack has already been etched in her since then and she carries it along with her.
Luckily, the said interest seemed to have guided her to where she would always excel right from the start when she heard that her mama’s alma mater, the Agusan del Sur School of Arts and Trades (ASSAT) offers skills training in both Hairdressing NC II and Beauty Care NC II. She knew that this as an opportunity for her to enhance and to practice what she loves and foresees that she could earn from it at the same time. Seeing that she was given the best of both worlds, Maymay immediately packed her bags and had herself enrolled in those said courses consecutively.
Currently, the 23-year old Maymay started working early this year as a personal hairdresser to her sole employer who is a princess (name is hidden) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Further, she adds that she was now able to sustain her family’s needs while setting aside her extra income for savings in the future.
However, Maymay never had it easy at first. She started with freebies and low rates as a freelance hairstylist and as a makeup artist from 2013 until 2015 in her locality — both in Agusan del Sur and in Surigao del Sur. Over time, she juggled her freelance services between Wo Ai Ni Salon, Aiko Salon and Nailed It Salon in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur from 2015 up until the latter part of 2018 before she transferred to Nailed It Salon in Manila in the early quarter of 2019.
“Prayer is the key,” she advised and shared that “…there are no challenges that can’t be overcome with…not minding too much about the negative comments other people say…because God will [always] provide.”
Further, Maymay revealed that behind her success are the people who believed in her talent, who encouraged her to pursue her dreams and those who treat her like a family member.
“…when I enrolled in ASSAT, they didn’t make me feel strange. They are one of the reasons of my success story. Why? Because they gave me their best and they gave me confidence. That’s why I am here today giving my best for my only client [here in Saudi Arabia] as a successful product of ASSAT and TESDA.” ###