Do art teams matter for every salon?

Are art teams essential for all salons? Two experts weigh in.

Yes

Would there be an Artistic Team of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Awards if art teams didn’t matter? I believe the art team is the vision of your business; the centre of your brand. The creativity and purpose of an art team is to not only to visually inspire your own team, but the industry as a whole.

Hairdressing is built on creativity and I believe that we keep this alive. This is why hairdressers around the globe look to British hairdressing for inspiration.

Would there be an Artistic Team of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Awards if art teams didn’t matter?

It is a crucial part of your team’s career development plan. It gives them direction, opportunities to express themselves, to find new techniques, discover trends and stay inspired.

These opportunities are, of course, not exclusive to art team members, but one of the roles of an art team is to develop passion and creativity.

For some an art team may seem a luxury, or an unnecessary expense.

As someone who has been in every position of an art team, from auditioning to leading, I believe we have a duty to offer individuals the opportunity to come together and represent their vision. Yes, it is a balancing act to have a successful business and an art team, but building and being part of an art team brings new perspectives, new ideas and enhances the performance of all individuals, the salon and the industry.

SAM BURNETT, OWNER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, HARE & BONE

No

“I have moved from having a formal art team to a more open invitation for anyone in the team to enjoy making art. It is a subtle but important difference.

With just 12 employees, everyone can be in the creative think-tank if they want and it is less formalised.

For creative projects, at least three of us will join together but they aren’t always the same people. There is always space for people to be involved in these artistic projects. There are roles for everyone and especially for apprentices, trainees and graduate stylists who learn so much from being involved and observing. We can't involve everyone in every project, so it's not a problem if any particular member doesn't want to be involved.

I try not to underestimate the ideas of the less experienced members of the team because their mind is not bogged down with rules on how to do or not do something. They don't have the knowledge yet on how to perform

With just 12 employees, everyone can be in the creative think-tank if they want and it is less formalised a task, so they may think outside the box or have really fresh ideas and I like this fluid approach. I like the team to be involved with art, but I don’t like to label it as an art team as creativity should be the ownership of an art team.

I believe it shuts down creativity for other members of the broader team and creates an environment where they don’t believe their creative voice is heard, welcome or relevant.

ANNE VECK, DIRECTOR OF ANNE VECK, OXFORD