Daily Inspiration: Meet Carissa Espey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carissa Espey.

Hi Carissa , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been in the hair industry for just shy of 10 years and currently work at an award winning woman owned salon in West St. Paul called Foxface Studios. Cosmetology is my bread and butter, but that was taken from me for a short time because of COVID-19, we were shut down and I had to put my creative energy somewhere. I started hand painting custom mugs for people in my community and shortly after that I thought “why don’t I teach people how to paint!?” This was my ‘kill two birds with one stone’ solution for letting my creative juices flow while socializing. I did this virtually for a while and it snowballed into teaching in-person classes at senior living facilities, local farms and restaurants near me. There’s nothing better than doing something you love and sharing that love with your community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think anything we do in life has its challenges. The biggest challenge is overcoming your own self-doubt. There were days I wanted to give up because only one person would sign up for class. I would consistently market and ask people to help spread the word, sometimes it felt like I was giving a speech to an empty room and no one was listening. I still taught those one-person classes because I appreciated their support and that’s what kept me going.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As I stated before, I am a licensed cosmetologist but an artist at heart. Art has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. At the salon, I am known for my specialty hair cutting skills and my special effects makeup. The special effects makeup is a combination of my cosmetology knowledge and my painting skills – at the salon my client is my canvas. A lot of artists are told they won’t succeed or find a career in art that can support them financially but if you look at my story and many others, that’s not true. I get paid to do something that I love and hold so near and dear to my heart – art. For years I struggled to know and find my worth and here I am living it feeling it being it and I am so proud of that. My art has no limits whether it be a human face, a canvas or a slab of cement and a piece of sidewalk chalk.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I’m asked what My favorite childhood memories are a few things come to mind. I have memories from each stage in my life and ironically they are all art related. I first thought of Drawing with my dad and painting with my aunt, they always encouraged me on my art journey.

As a teenager, my dad gave me permission to draw on my bedroom wall which ended up being covered in every square inch of my art. I had such pride and joy creating something at that magnitude. During those years at school, my classmates would ask for my drawings and get them tattooed, again a human canvas – such sweet memories.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cespey24.wixsite.com/paintandsip
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ppaparazzi_mom_?utm_medium=copy_link