ASCP Skin Deep

September/October 2012

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your niche Blended Careers Three days out of the week, suburban Detroit esthetician Meri Slaven is all about smooth skin. But on the weekends, she's all about smooth jazz. Slaven's work in two salons provides her with a steady income, while giving her the fl exibility to build her second career in music. "Last-minute things throw me for a loop," admits Slaven, who has an album out and has been nominated for a Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Vocalist. "If a client calls me at the last minute, chances are they won't get in. Or if a gig comes up at the last minute, I usually can't do it. But if I get a few days' notice, I can make just about anything happen." Jennifer Denton, a veteran esthetician in Buda, Texas, likewise juggles two very different careers. Like Slaven, she splits her time between two salon jobs that add up to about 30 hours a week. But Wednesdays and Saturdays are dedicated to her other passion: fresh produce. She's the founder and executive director of a farmer's market. "There have been times when I wish I could just do one thing," Denton says. "And sometimes I think maybe the farmer's market could get so successful that I could do just that. But skin is what I do. It's what I've always done, and I love doing it. So I never think about leaving esthetics for very long." According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, most estheticians work full time. But those who need or prefer to work multiple careers will likely fi nd it relatively easy to obtain a part-time spa or salon job. Part-time estheticians juggle two lives by Rebecca Jones Meri Slaven combines skin care with a successful career in jazz. ©Sherry Kruzman Photography Less easy is considering how to maximize part-time earnings and minimize the stress of trying to cram too much into a week. "Esthetics seems to go in fi ts and starts," says Slaven, who is also a massage therapist. "You'll have busy days and times, but not always. People don't get quite as many facials, so I'd say get really good at waxing or manicures." She reserves Mondays for private clients; her home business focuses mainly on massage and facials. All in all, Slaven's only regret about how she's combined her two careers is that she didn't start sooner. She didn't study esthetics and massage until after she'd spent fi ve years trying to make ends meet as a musician. "I was singing in clubs in New York City," says Slaven. "But the money wasn't really consistent, and I had to come up with something else to do." She returned to her native Michigan to study. After the birth of her son, esthetics kept the bills paid, but then she started thinking about music again. "One thing led to another, and between my solo career and my group, Metro Jazz Voices, I keep pretty busy," she says. Jennifer Denton runs a farmer's market, in addition to her esthetics practice. Denton has worked steadily in salons, apart from one year as an administrator in a dermatology offi ce, and particularly loves medical esthetics. The farmer's market began as a lark. "When it was fi rst getting started, I would have more people come into the salon asking me about the farmer's market than about skin care," Denton says. "But it's all evened out, and it's great networking for me. I've gotten some skin care clients through it." Denton's advice for career jugglers is simple—make sure they're both things you're passionate about. "You can get burnt out really easy when you're running in two separate directions," she says. "If one of the things you're doing on the side isn't something you love, you won't be able to keep going." Rebecca Jones is a longtime newspaper reporter and freelance writer based in Denver, Colorado. Contact her at killarneyrose@comcast.net. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com 11

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