STYLE SAMPLE Editor-in-Chief Tamia Stinson tamia@stylesamplemag.com Photography Assistants Brandy Kaufman Tiffany Gies To subscribe, visit www.stylesamplemag.com. For information regarding permissions and advertising, contact info@stylesamplemag.com Style Sample magazine is published bimonthly by Style Sample, LLC Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
{It’s just business } It has recently come to my attention (through trial and error—mostly error) how important it is to learn the business side of your business. While the glamorous part—styling models, taking amazing photographs, working with clients, planning events, etc. —is absolutely amazing and definitely worth the work, the day to day business activities are what occupy the most time. This is why corporations have entire departments dedicated to accounting, IT, and marketing. Those activities require a lot of time and energy. I had the opportunity to meet Project Runway designer Althea Harper, who, in a recent interview noted that her advice to design students is to enjoy the freedom of creativity and push yourself to learn your craft while you’re in school. When you’re out on your own, she pointed out, it’s about running a business. You’re not so much a photographer/designer/illustrator as an entrepreneur who just happens to take photographs or design clothing or create drawings. The fun and shiny part is a small percentage of what entrepreneurs do on a daily basis. The rest—finance, communication, taxes, filing, answering emails, marketing, etc.—is where the bulk of your responsibilities will lie. Be sure to educate yourself.
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The stylists featured in the personal styling feature in the print edition of this issue share a similar sentiment. In a series of candid interviews, they acknowledge that while being a personal stylist is an altogether fulfilling, fun, and rewarding career, everyday activities like marketing, promotion, networking, and the like are just as important as a sense of style. If you’re at all interested in styling, I highly recommend purchasing the print edition at magcloud.com to read the feature. I’m always interested in your feedback and ideas, so feel free to contact me, and don’t forget to subscribe at stylesamplemag.com to keep up and stay in touch!
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