Belated recap on Caper 2011

For those of you who were at caper I have one quote... "Baby your a fiiiiiiirework..."

Every Paul Mitchell event I have been to has that one defining song, which forever will remain in your mind and everytime it is played you we be transported back to that amazing energy you experienced the first 20 times you heard it. I can tell you that as I now sit only lord knows how many miles away from my Future Proffesionals at Paul Mitchell the School Sherman Oaks, everytime I hear that song I feel a tiny bit closer and a tiny bit nostalgic...I am pretty sure no Italian would understand why I cry at the sight of Katy Perry...or maybe they do.

Caper for me means more than a retail competition, and this caper was one of my experiences coming full circle. It wasnt but 3 years ago that I attended my first caper, as a student. Back then you had to sell 25 bags which cost $25 each...they came in these nifty mesh neon colored bags (which I still use for lunch). Our theme was "Musicals".... the launch included Learning Leaders dressed as the cast of Rock Horror Picture show...it was epic to say the least. That year caper was only for corporate schools and was taught by our amazing adanced academy team all in one big classroom. Even if only to understand where your career could take you, caper was eye opening. The following week I transferred to day school to speed up my process.

Caper 2008

The following caper I attended was in 2009 niether as a future professional or learning leader, but simply an extra set of hands, in other words I begged and pleaded and paid my own way. To see how much caper had grown in a short 12 months was jaw dropping. A mini signature to say the least with a sea of future professionals from all 100+schools....I started to set my career path towards education after that weekend.

This last year I had the amazing opportunity to work at Paul Mitchell the School Sherman Oaks where I originally got my training. When caper came along I felt like a little girl waiting to decorate for christmas. The theme this year was Soul Train vs American Bandstand...we made each team into a different band from that era and had learning leaders perform....I whipped my hair back and forth during a performance only to lose my weave....needless to say it was a 5 star performance worthy of the American Idol reject reel.

"rollin' down the river"

About two weeks before caper I found out that I would have the amazing opportunity to be a back stage assistant to La Donna Dryer, Jpms' amazing texture specialist...if you are in school and don't know her yet...shes a pretty fantastic mentor and all around awesome person...

La Donna Dryer, Yours Truly, Lucie Doughty

Needless to say I immediately went shopping.

Caper arrived and it was bitter sweet, it was my career coming full circle as well as my last days with my future professionals and my last week in the country. At caper I got to work backstage with people that I consider my family. Assisted on the awapuhi presentation, prepped models for look and learn, said my hellos and goodbyes...laughed, met new friends, and definently contemplated investing in better shoes. Our look and learn day came around and I found out....drum role please....I would get to be on stage assisting the amazing La Donna Dryer...

Backstage prepping a lovely model for the Awapuhi Presentation

On stage with La Donna during Look and Learn rehersal

Three years ago, I had watched the advanced academy team on stage styling and cutting and coloring, inspiring a small sea of future professionals for my first caper....and now I would have the chance to stand infront of an ever-growing sea of the next generation of amazing hairstylists and help in doing the same. At one point during one of our three rotations of classes Robert Cromeans asked a question that came from the audience...

"What is the most amazing part about being able to work with the show team?"

At the time I couldn't answer...not out of fear or being shy...but out of not even being able to narrow it down to something not blatantly obvious...the experience? the knowledge?...naturally all of those things. Later, on my flight to europe, I realized what it was that makes working on the show team, working with the artistic teams that is so amazing.....it is the relationships you build. Knowing that some of these people I wont see until the next photoshoot...or maybe even until Gathering, or even in a year at the next Caper....knowing that it may take a few times until we all 100% remember eachothers names but that we are there for eachother as a unit, as well as on Facebook.

Elizabeth, Scott Cole, Yours Truly

That is what transforms this career within this company from a job into a lifestyle, seeing these people year after year its like seeing your awesome uncle....or favorite silly cousin...you know how they take their coffee or how many limes they like in their gin and tonic....you know the silly slippers they wear backstage before putting on their heals....you have inside jokes and they ask you about your mom; You share the same exhaustion and early call times, but it is all worth it because you absolutely love what you do with all your heart. Like I have always said , if you love your job, then it isn't work.

I can't wait to see my Paul Mitchell family again, and add more members while I am here in Italy. Paul Mitchell is more than a company of amazing beauty products with amazingly talented people, it is a culture....are you a citizen of Paul Mitchell? Because at Caper I'm pretty sure there were about 3,000 of them.

With two amazing learning leaders from Paul Mitchell the School Sherman Oaks

Jamie Anderbery and Greg Dunham

With two of my visionary Future Professionals from Paul Mitchell the School Sherman Oaks

Heather and Paul

Bacioni, (Kisses)

Nicoletta

advice...me?

I can honestly say I love to seem like I always know what I am doing.

Now that you've processed that...realize that THAT is the method behind my madness. Smiling and nodding will get you alot further in this world than you realize. So will going home and informing yourself about every single thing you hear in passing that you have no idea about.

Recently, people have been asking me for advice, career advice...not love, clearly...though if someone would like to trade tips and tricks, I'm game. Thing is sometimes I feel like when I look at my career I am looking from the outside in, because I always just did what felt right and didn't do what felt wrong, call it an inner compass dialed for happiness...in this case dialed slightly north and quite east.

But I think I managed, for the most part, to get it down on paper...lets see...

...set a path and be ready for it to detour...get stuck in the mud...and sometimes hydroplane. just enjoy the ride, and try everything, working all the time is alot better when you love what your doing....and I dont just mean hair...I mean the niche in hair you love...and share your dream with everyone because you never know who is listening and who can do something about it....find out the people who are doing what you want to do and become their friend, let them become your mentor...you aren't supposed to be as awesome as them yet and if you are study their habits that made them more effective than you, dont snake their job or steal their contacts there is enough work out there for all of us that we don't have to "want someones job" but we can create our own...be a person to admire and even if your not ready fake it....but most importantly...just work smart, play hard, be nice and be yourself, it makes it all much easier...let the universe show you how amazing it can be, be forward focused but be realisic, be a visionary who has a vision for their future and the openness to allow it to transform beyond what they thought was possible...

and lastly smile and laugh when you make the "wrong decision" because you just layed another brick on the road to your amazing future

Ciao

Nicoletta

p.s. In no way is my path done, I have big goals and dreams, but I couldn't be happier about what I have accomplished in two years at the age of 23, I don't claim to be all knowing, I just know what worked for me, edit as necessary.

disclaimer:: this is not to say I never broke down from being, well, broke, frustrated, angry, consufed, sad, did I mention broke?, sick, lacking health insurance, lonely, worn out, and/or hysterical...but these break throughs are part of that amazing process and can't be ignored.

Welcome...Wilkomen...Benvenuti, and such.

As you pan into my room you'd see me here drinking my chai, eating my multigrain bread with nutella and listening to Mumford and Sons preset station, you would think not much has changed. Then you pan camera left and you see a door leading into a hallway...wait does she live in something bigger than a tiny studio....you see 4 double closet doors approximately 14 feet tall...confused you pan right and see large windows....you zoom in and see a lego stack of pastel colored buildings and light blue grey sky...you also see an odd dividing line in that sky that becomes a darker blue...wait, I recall seeing that before...oh ya, its the ocean, but this time, the mediterranean.

The lack of updates is by no mistake...I figure why start with an intro and just get right into this post...To say the last few months have been a whirlwind would be an understatement, posting was simply not something I wanted to add to the mountanouse to do list, non the less expose you all to the clusterfudge that was my mind.

But now I am here, all the wiser and all the more european. The road to get here, the triumphs and "discoveries", the fevers and fights, the crying and the laughing were all worth it. Though I have already began my personal journey, I begin my proffesional one March first, and couldn't be more excited.

Some of you who avidly follow my constant updates of facebook (joyously may I add) are completely in line with the program...others feel as if I skipped a crucial pivitol chapter in this story. To catch you up and avoid posting a link to my facebook note, I will post my lovely alumni profile from the Paul Mitchell the School Newsletter.

::switching gears::

Now we all know that being an italian-american doesn't necesarily make you any more italian then the cast of the Jersey Shore, and luckily they lack the charecteristics of true italians, except maybe the loud think. I felt as if I had a pretty good advantage, many things that were done in my household growing up, even down to the way of thinking....were never "American". I thought...I have family there, I speak the language and I've been to europe many times and even backpacked on a budget, I got this move down.

But you can always count on the underestimation of an international move to shake your core beliefs of who you are and what matters.

The culture shock was inevitable and for now still seems mysteriously appealing, though when you speak to other italians they long to "catch up" with america...thing is I think they have it right here. Take today for example, in past trips I remember nothing being open on Sundays, nothing, this coercing you to stay home with family, or enjoy nature, or sleep (or I suppose to your catholic duty, or something). Other than the church bells, the cities develope an odd hush which is joined by the wafting smell of various foods and the slap of a carpet being cleaned off the side of a balcony; the same balcony where friends who have survived 6 decades of friendship, a new millenium, wars, the invention of internet, 3 popes and the Jersey Shore great each other from across a stone lined walk way/street/parking lot. Today I am given until 1pm to grab groceries from my local tiny super market called "Margherita" a chain branch of a larger super market known as "Conad"...this too being a "newer" developement here.

The next year (and maybe more?) of blogging, my life line to america, will be filled with the cultural awakenings, life lessons learned, and experiences had, like having a housekey the size of your hand and an elevator the size of a phone booth. I invite you all to take this journey with me. Send in your questions, comments and/or reservations for my sofa bed.

p.s. to my future professionals from Paul Mitchell the School Sherman Oaks who asked if they could have a place to send in questions and they could be answered in written from, pictures and possibly a vlog....this would be it...miss you guys!

NicolettaLaBionda@gmail.com

Ciao,

Nicoletta

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