Meet Trailblazer Crys “Crys The Artist” Vaughn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crys “Crys The Artist” Vaughn.

Crys, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Oh goodness, this is always a tough one for me to answer. I guess the best place to start is at the beginning. For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the wonderful world of beauty. I can recall as early as 5 or 6 years old watching in true amazement the ladies at work transforming woman after woman at the salon where my mom would have her hair done.

It intrigued me how ladies would slug in the door one way, and after their services manage to strut out, heads held high as if they were ripping a runway. I didn’t know what to call it then, but I now know it was a boost of self-esteem and self-confidence that resulted from their short time spent amongst the girls at the beauty parlor. This was my first real lesson in when you look good you feel good.

Fast forward the year is 2007 and within the course of about a year, life knocks me down. My grandmother who was my confidant and nurturer and honestly my closet friend and my father who I had finally had the chance to reconnect with both past unexpectedly. I finally had the courage to leave an abusive marriage, so I also found myself facing divorce, an eviction notice, unemployed and no real money insight which led me to a great depression and even suicidal thoughts.

Until one day, I received a call from a good friend (he later became my new and improved second husband) inviting me out for some fun. I felt like crap and looked even worse, but then, I remembered those ladies from my youth who made it clear that when you look good you feel good, so I got it together cleaned hair, slayed face, and was ready to be in the place.

During our outing, I knew I wanted to feel like this again I missed this girl, so I prayed and asked God to reveal to me what my next steps were for my life. I wasn’t ready to give up and I knew this next chapter had to be different. My prayers were immediately answered and I was led to attend beauty school. Which was somewhat comical and met with strange looks from my family, in particular, my mom. You see because although I loved the beauty all those years, I hated the idea of standing up all day and having people tell me what to do to them, which was my response every time someone suggested I be a hairstylist, crazy right.

A few short weeks after that day 1 of beauty school was the absolute best and the rest is really history. I fell in love in a way I never imagined with the wonderful world of beauty and completely understood this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Has it been a smooth road?
Heck no the road hasn’t been smooth but which road in life is? Struggles have definitely come along this journey, the ones that stand out the most and have somewhat affected other areas are comparison and self-doubt. Social media is a gift and a curse. I love it for all the amazing stylist and beauty influencers who share their transparency and their work because it inspires and motivates and at the same time I’ve hated it for those reasons as well.

You see people posting and it looks like they are living their best life and It’s extremely easy to get discouraged. Especially when something goes wrong or when you’re not growing as fast as you’d like. You start the comparison game then self-doubt creeps in, and you feel like giving up.

Whenever I have felt like throwing in the towel, I have found that the best thing to continue to move forward has been my perseverance, strong faith, and have an amazing support system. Having family and friends who are not only their to cheer you on in your good times but to kick you in the bum and remind you in the bad times that you are wrong about these opinions you have made of yourself, and that you are still doing a great job progressing toward your goals is very helpful to your success.

Also, I keep a vision board and breaking the goals down to task for the year, quarter, month, and day to day. This helps to visually see when I’m down and lack motivation, that the tasks I do today are contributing to my life goals. By doing them, I’m one step closer, and I can rest assured that I am, indeed, on the path to success so there is no need for the self-doubt. Simply put stay in your lane and become a member of the mind your business ministry there will be no time to play the comparison game and no room for self-doubt.

Most importantly keep in mind you aren’t the first to struggle with whatever is challenging you and pray about it all.

We’d love to hear more about Crys Art Beauty Bar.
I am a hair artist and source for healthy hair and innovative beauty. I specialize in cuts, color, and curls. My brand is committed to reminding women that we are not limited to the “norms” the world so quickly use to label us as beautiful and that our beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and curls. I want women to know that the dream that lives inside of each of us has full permission to live out loud. Thinking outside of the box is where life really begins, and because of this I am most passionately determined to create lives filled with beauty.

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Break the ice! If you see someone with what you want or like talk to them. Ask questions and you will be surprised where that leads you. No joke a year before I even ever had the thought to start beauty school I saw women in the galleria whose hair I admired she told me her stylist name and I made note of it kept moving along. A year later, I’m at school, the guest speaker is the stylish lady told me about. After his presentation, I tell him the story and how I admired his work he invited me on the spot to apprentice with him and from there I was able to glean and learn from some amazing stylist in the industry. All because I broke the ice with a complete stranger in the mall.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://crysartbeautybar.com
• Phone: 281-948-4480
• Email: info@crysartbeautybar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystheartist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrysTheArtist/
• Other: https://www.styleseat.com/CrysTheArtist

Image Credit:
Crys “Crys The Artist” Vaughn

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