3 Ways to Develop Your Unique Artistry

When LashPRO Educator Sadie Welder gets into a classroom, her main goal for every student is to get them feeling confident in themselves and their skills. The reason? She believes self-assurance is the necessary foundation for lash artists to develop their on-of-a-kind style. "I want my students to understand that it’s fine to look at other people’s work and be inspired," she says, "But I also think it's so important to NOT strive to be like them — it’s important to be unique."

For Sadie, it's that uniqueness that creates good marketing — and when you mimic other people's styles, you lose the spark that helps your market yourself and what your represent.

So how do you develop your own unique style? Here are her top 3 tips!

1. Play around with what you know

"You'll be scrolling through social media, and you'll see so many lash artists who do crisp winged liner. Then all of a sudden, you'll see crisp winged liner that's been broken up to look more jaggedy, with larger spikes that differentiate the set — that's the kind of thing that sets your work apart," she says, noting how important it is to simply play around with existing techniques until you find what works for you. "Once I first began volume lashing, I started playing with different textures, different curls, and different looks. It started because I took a volume course and literally couldn’t mimic the specific method that was taught by this particular lash artist — so instead, I played with what I could, and blended techniques to create my own way of making fans —  it’s totally unique, and developed out of necessity. But it's a method that sets me apart, because other artists look at my work and go, 'How did you do that?'

2. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

"It's so important to step out of what makes you comfortable and complacent — and define yourself by what HASN'T been done before. Once you've started playing around with different styles and materials, don't be afraid to post the most striking pictures of your most audacious looks on social media. The moment you start posting your bold, interesting, unique pictures, your marketing gets a boost. Those pictures bring attention to your page, which brings followers to your studio to try new things, which allows you to be able to expand."

3. Don't just be the trendsetter — help grow your trend

"When I first created looks using of coloured lashes, especially red ones, my pictures stood out — largely because no one else was using red lashes to create a set. Most people wouldn't post a picture on social media of a red set, because they think clients aren't bold enough to get it, you know? But the truth is, clients become bold, and they're more encouraged to try something different by seeing interesting ideas on social media. Once you do something that hasn't been done, you've already set a trend. But it only matters if people follow it — and the best way is to continue posting the sets that truly make you stand out, because clients eventually recognize that it's what will help them stand out too."