Cassie Carey didn’t become one of the salon professional industry’s most important hair artists because she follows trends. She’s too busy competing with herself.
Carey’s work is singularly high-concept — and it demonstrates impressive technique and untamed creativity at every turn. In this interview, Carey opens up about her creative process and pushing past self-imposed limits. She also gets candid about peers needing to know all textures (“it’s the bare minimum”) and the distinction between “inspiration” and “recreation” among other things. Read on.
The Tease: Your work has a raw, fearless energy to it. What’s your creative process when you’re building a look?
Cassie Carey: “My whole creative process starts with something as simple as being inspired by something I come across, usually found in fashion. Some people tend to have a theme they go off of when creating collections and shoots, I tend to have one idea for a singular image in my head and start to dig deeper from there. I will build a whole collection off of the inspiration of one idea/image I have curated in my head.
This starts by always putting things down on paper. I am a visual person and I need to be able to see what I am thinking, in front of me. I will then come up with other looks that will support the collection and also draw those down. Sometimes I will draw 20 separate looks before narrowing it down to what I feel would fit best in a collection, this all happens before I even touch hair. This helps me visualize and find balance when looking at a collection as a whole because I am able to mix and match images to see what best fits together before spending the money to try and create it. This also gives me a repertoire of ideas to fall back on if I have a look that just isn’t working when I try to put it together.
I then will do as much prep as possible before the shoot day. This is one of my biggest tips especially since I am always experimenting. My goal is to always have a smooth shoot day with little stress if I can help it and that all comes down to the prep work leading up to it. There is nothing worse than having an idea in your head that doesn’t work out in person, especially on set, so setting myself up for a successful shoot day is always the goal.”
You’ve carved out a space that blends technical precision with serious edge — how did you find your voice as an artist in this industry? Do you intend to push limits or does it just happen?
Cassie Carey: “I think every artist that has ever pushed boundaries has been told somewhere along the line that they ‘can’t’ do something. That they need to do things a certain way in order to be recognized or seen. When I truly started to create for myself and not for what I thought others would like, I blossomed. When I put my first collection together with every dime I saved up, simply for the love of art, I found my passion and my voice. I stopped listening to the outside noise and listened to myself and what I was being drawn to create.
I would say I intentionally push limits for myself, not for outside perspective. I quickly learned that when you continue to experiment and try new things and bring an idea to life that you have been sitting on for a while, there is no room for disappointment if others don’t see the vision, because you created it for yourself and the love of the craft. If pushing the limits of my creative process inspires even just one person to do the same, that is an accomplishment within itself and inspires me to keep going.”
What’s been the most defining moment in your career so far—the kind that made you stop and go, “this is why I do this”?
Cassie Carey: “When I won 2022 NAHA Hairstylist of the Year. I remember in my ‘Thank You’ speech I mentioned that I was up there without being backed by a brand and did my shoot on a tiny budget and that I hope it inspired anyone in the crowd or watching at home to not be afraid of trying, even when you are up against industry giants. The amount of people that messaged me or came up to me afterwards thanking me for saying that on stage, was astounding. They all said they never entered or even tried because it felt so unattainable without the help of a brand or a big budget and I remember feeling like that too in the beginning. I have since continued to create my shoots and collections on the smallest budgets I can because I always want to help people feel like they could do it too.”
Hair is your medium of art, and you work with all hair types. What do you say to hairstylists that stick to one side of the hair texture spectrum?
Cassie Carey: “Knowledge is power. Living with fear of the unknown stops us from taking risks. Us artists are the backbone of the industry which means it’s up to us to make the change that we want to see. Expanding your own personal education and advocating for the ones around you is how we start to better the industry as a whole. It is easier now more than ever to find thorough education on any and all textures so there is no excuse for not knowing the bare minimum. It starts on a foundational level and we as artists are the foundation.”
For fellow hair artists looking to break the mold instead of fit into it, what’s your advice for staying true to your vision, even when it feels risky?
Cassie Carey: “The industry is massive and there is room for everyone. It never hurts to try something new because you always learn a lesson from it, good or bad. Whenever I am creating a collection there is always an element to it that is completely new to me, whether that be a certain technique, shape, color scheme, etc. That way no matter what happens with the collection, I have tried something experimental and learned from it which only leaves room for growth.
I also think it is important to remember the difference between ‘inspiration’ and ‘recreation.’ When putting a look together, ask yourself if you have seen it before? How could you make it different? The history of hair dates back to the beginning of time so we may never be the ‘first’ to do something but we could be the first to reimagine it in a certain way.”
