If you have a business, one way to keep ahead of the curve is to always learn new skills. Monica Smith, owner and chief artisan of Luxor Couture knows this all too well. She considers herself a life-long learner and one of the skills that she has developed is learning the art of henna. Here is her story.
I always want to improve on my business. You should always be looking for ways to improve and learn new skills. Motivational Speaker, Brian Tracy stated that all skills are learnable and that we are probably one skill away from doubling our income. I took this information to heart. I was just thinking one day that I should do henna; then it dawned on me that henna is not offered on the infamous Euclid Ave. in Little 5 Points, Atlanta. This is when the light bulb went off. There is a market here that no one has tapped into. "I'm going to do this", I told myself. During my Thanksgiving break I decided to take a henna class. I called around and I finally got in touch with an Indian lady. She said she would teach me for $50. I went to her home and she showed me how to do basic designs. When I created my first designs, I was not please with what I saw on the paper.
My instructor told me that It would take about 2 months with practice. After my first lesson, I was determined to make this work. I learned the history of henna by buying books, I even made my own henna paste. I was ready to go. I watched Youtube after Youtube studying how they make their designs. I practiced and practiced, but I still wasn't happy with my product. I put down the henna for 4 days and when I started again, my drawings were looking a little better. I felt confident enough to at least draw a flower on someone. I decided to even make a few Youtube videos myself.
I wanted to let the world know that I was doing henna art and I needed some willing bodies. I posted to Facebook, Instagram and in our shop that Luxor Couture was offering Free Henna. People came and I was able to get in some practice. I also decided to spread the word of my henna art, by having a henna party. Buy having this party, I would surey get the practice I needed. I wanted to experience of doing henna back to back and working on my speed and designs.
I still have a lot of work to do. Each country has it's own style and I would like to master all of those while incorporating my own style. I truely love henna. It is a beautiful art form.
I always want to improve on my business. You should always be looking for ways to improve and learn new skills. Motivational Speaker, Brian Tracy stated that all skills are learnable and that we are probably one skill away from doubling our income. I took this information to heart. I was just thinking one day that I should do henna; then it dawned on me that henna is not offered on the infamous Euclid Ave. in Little 5 Points, Atlanta. This is when the light bulb went off. There is a market here that no one has tapped into. "I'm going to do this", I told myself. During my Thanksgiving break I decided to take a henna class. I called around and I finally got in touch with an Indian lady. She said she would teach me for $50. I went to her home and she showed me how to do basic designs. When I created my first designs, I was not please with what I saw on the paper.
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| First Henna Customer |
My instructor told me that It would take about 2 months with practice. After my first lesson, I was determined to make this work. I learned the history of henna by buying books, I even made my own henna paste. I was ready to go. I watched Youtube after Youtube studying how they make their designs. I practiced and practiced, but I still wasn't happy with my product. I put down the henna for 4 days and when I started again, my drawings were looking a little better. I felt confident enough to at least draw a flower on someone. I decided to even make a few Youtube videos myself.
I wanted to let the world know that I was doing henna art and I needed some willing bodies. I posted to Facebook, Instagram and in our shop that Luxor Couture was offering Free Henna. People came and I was able to get in some practice. I also decided to spread the word of my henna art, by having a henna party. Buy having this party, I would surey get the practice I needed. I wanted to experience of doing henna back to back and working on my speed and designs.
I still have a lot of work to do. Each country has it's own style and I would like to master all of those while incorporating my own style. I truely love henna. It is a beautiful art form.
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| Moroccan Design |
