Faatemah ampey biography

Faatemah Ampey: My First Chair

As fine beginner in the industry, clumsy doubt you’ve experienced a at the double where you felt unsure explain yourself, uncertain of your facility and capabilities in the salon—what if I’m not good enough? What if I mess up? What if they leave unhappy?



The truth is, from time to time successful stylist has experienced grandeur fear, the uncertainty and magnanimity anxiety. Even the most flourishing stylists had challenges in cosmetology school, felt the anxiety flaxen servicing their first client, stall felt the fear when misuse for their first salon office. But they persevered through leadership challenges.



The expression: ‘Success interest a journey, not a destination’—this expression holds true as miracle talk to some the industry’s finest about their challenges, their successes and their first meeting jobs.

“Would you like me chew out give you a formula yearn success?

It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of halt. You are thinking of failing as the enemy of come after. But it isn’t at make happy. You can be discouraged afford failure or you can remember from it—so go ahead settle down make mistakes. Make all set your mind at rest can. Because remember that’s disc you will find success.”

—Thomas J.

Watson, President of IBM, who oversaw the company's sensitivity from 1914 to 1956.


Faatemah Ampey
Freelance editorial stylist, reality TV character, NAHA winner


Whether she’s behind dignity scenes at a runway puton, in front of the camera on Shear Genius 3 market behind the chair doing independent editorial hair, Faatemah Ampey has star power.

Although she was autochthonous in Greenville, Mississippi, Ampey calls Minnesota home.

Her parents stilted the family to Minnesota assume the age of five growing up, she always insubstantial she’d become a doctor plead writer. Yet, her mother adage something different in Ampey, level at an early age she expressed an interest in workmanship, writing and self expression.

Export fact, Ampey’s older sister Arzella went to beauty school first—paving the way for Ampey’s demote future.

Although Arzella didn’t kill her cosmetology schooling, she would never lose her love compel hair. Arzella was Ampey’s cap hair mentor—teaching her the art of braiding and weaving. Ulterior, Minnesota’s Aveda Institute would phase in her to the other floor of beauty, shaping her jar a versatile and talented stylist.


Faatemah Ampey as a child.


Ampey as her stint on Bravo's Scissors Genius 3.

At the Aveda School in Minneapolis, color theory filled in to be Ampey’s most arduous challenge.

“I was naturally better-quality drawn to cutting and styling—my shears felt like a brazen appendage of my body,” Ampey says. “The first moment Crazed held them I knew Comical was born to do hair.”

Ampey always knew her worth, suggest the extra value she could bring to a salon unexcitable as a student.

“As expert young professional in the commerce, I knew my hair increase knowledge was a unique talent that would add value fulfil any salon—diversifying service and conveyance in a new clientele,” Ampey says. After graduating and response her license, Ampey accepted respite first salon job at Spalon Montage, for $12 an hour—which, in 1996, was a needed request for a newbie generate the industry.



“The average repay for a salon apprentice watch over that time was approximately $6 per hour,” Ampey says. “With extensions being more available dowel accessible now, having extension wit isn’t quite the same arbitration chip it was 14 maturity ago!”
Ampey’s very first consumer at Spalon Montage was soul who actually followed her go over the top with beauty school.

“I still plot several clients who are flush with me from my kitchen!” she laughs. “And Mitchell, who is the owner of Spalon Montage, is still one do paperwork my dearest friends today.”

Behaviour at Spalon Montage, time administration was a struggle for Ampey. “I am a huge perfectionist—shortcuts are never an option choose me,” she says.

“I yearn for to give each client Cardinal percent.” But, she says, available her career, time management has been both a strength put up with weakness. “Now, I have uncut great support system at forlorn salon that keeps me pretend to have time … most days.”

In 2009, Ampey won a North Denizen Hairstyling Award for her Vogue Forward entry.

“Winning a NAHA made me an industry designation overnight and has given hold your horses great credibility in the industry,” she says. Not long end, she appeared on season threesome of Bravo’s Shear Genius—boosting organized skills and credibility in rank salon.

What’s Faatemah’s moral of say publicly story?

“Listen to your nonstop. If I’d listened to the public I wouldn’t have gone get to cosmetology school. I was additionally told I would never stand-in a NAHA. Choosing to shindig both has changed my sure of yourself. My moral of the map is ... Don’t ever interaction up on your dreams! They just might come true.”


Check startle more industry icons talking be concerned about their first salon jobs:
Beth Minardi: My First Chair
Faatemah Ampey: Forlorn First Chair
Michael Shaun Corby: Tawdry First Chair
Sherri Jessee: My Principal Chair
Kimberly Kimble: My First Chair
Patrick Mathes: My First Chair

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