Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Leal.
Ellie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a child, my aunt and Mother would always color and cut their hair at home. I found this so interesting as both my grandmothers preferred going to a “beautician”. By the age of 11, I was already painting canvas, drawing and sketching designs as well as always making style suggestions to my mother and anyone else who would listen. That year for Mother’s Day, my father paid for my mother to get her hair done in a salon, she arrived back home with tears in her eyes: rushed to the restroom showered and appeared out from the bathroom to say “I hate my hair, I hate salons and I am never going back.” I offered to fix her hair without any knowledge or mentorship relying on hope and faith. We both went to Sally’s Beauty purchased the color required and set off to complete the corrected look. I had her all foiled up with kitchen foil and color smeared on her face, I will never forget we allowed the color to process for 30 minutes and rinsed the color out. The results of the hair turned out to be beautiful. The look on my mother’s face and her response were priceless.
That day forward, I was set out to make people not only look good but feel good. I saw the confidence it brought to her once she felt she appeared the way she wanted in the mirror and that feeling was inspiring and almost liberating. Fast forward to 2006, I graduated high school and immediately enrolled in cosmetology school. The experience in school in my opinion confirmed my God given talents and brought new mannerism to my daily life. During this time of being in Cosmetology school, I began working for Glamour Shots. This was a portrait studio that provided complimentary hair and makeup before any photo session. Lucky for me, you did not have to have a license to perform the dry styling service as well as makeup. This is where I feel my aesthetic was formed and my love for editorial style photography. It became a adrenaline rush for me to transform someone with hair, makeup and wardrobe. Since then, I have worked in salons as well as had my own Salon Suite. Managing the same clientele for 11 years has been a rough and rocky path. I recently converted from the salon experience to house calls. I have been discriminated against for being transgender by multiple corporations in the past 11 years and I set out to create my own lane myself by nurturing my clientele and working hard.
In 2017, I lost my father to a senseless murder and because of this, I searched for self-acceptance and validation. During this healing process, I have begun to understand my strong passion and focus on fashion. I am excited to share my most recent project to date. It is a collaborative duo concept created with my cousin Larry Trae’von. Our mission is to bring substance back to beauty one “canvas” or person at a time. Often people are discriminated against and or not assisted properly in the industry and I want to change that idea. I am a firm believer it is 50% how I make you Look and 50% how I make you feel. Often artist forget about the service aspect of the Beauty Industry. We can do the most beautiful application but if we do not focus on inspiring and uplifting our clients energetically then you risk the chance of loosing a client. It isn’t all about the exchange of money but the exchange of purpose.
All clients can feel authenticity and honest connections. These are the relationships that people nurture and invest in, our concept can be implemented in not only salon or boutique settings but it should be mandatory that we start to spread this concept throughout the beauty industry. I want to see more Kind and passionate artist backstage and on editorial sets. I want to see more motivated and friendly stylist behind the chair. The only way I can contribute to this movement is to lead by example and I am honored to say I am in the beginning stages of making my “Beauty” dreams come true by sharing my story with you.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I am a transgender women and it definitely has been hard for me. I haven’t so much been discriminated against by the clients who patron me: but more so by the previous employers and sometimes corporations. I have left companies like Ulta Beauty, Nordstrom and Mac cosmetics in the early 2000’s specifically because of discrimination. I have also been not booked for fashion sets for how I choose to identify. This year I even had to part ways with a networking platform for beauty professionals called “Beauty Boss Network” and the owner as well as her Lead photographer due to them both using the wrong pronouns in reference to me in public and social settings. After bringing up my concerns and uncomfort to the owner, she then suggests, I was too sensitive and that I should just get over it and use to it.
My advise to any women in business particularly young women is to believe in yourself, stand your ground, defend your morals and be mindful of the company you keep. All money is not good money and everything that glitters is not gold. You must protect your self and your reputation. No one is going to fight as hard for you as you. So, don’t look back, don’t hold back and remember “To Thine Own Self Be True.”
What should we know about The Hybrid Canvas? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I think what sets me apart is our passion, the ability to style step to any personality and find joy in servicing them. I am a Makeup artist and Hairstylist full time. Catering to but not limited to production, photography, special occasion, bridal and salon services on location. I am most proud of the fact that we are not limited to a niche and that we can service all hair textures and skin tones with the knowledge of relevance and technique.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Never ride a coat tail, you never know who that coat really belongs to. I have been approached by many individuals for mentorship. I give the same advice my grandfather gave me years ago, “When it’s right: your intuition will let you know.” This means to not seek out someone else based on where they may be in social status or financial gain. Find someone who you have an honest connection with that wants to share their experience and knowledge with you. The key word to my advice is the mentor should see your potential and want to see your growth to ensure your success. They should have no financial gain to mentor you and they should not have any other personal motive to see you grow. It took me years to master this. The key is to never mix business with pleasure even if the business partnership turns into a business friendship. Both parties have to respect that each individual brings something unique to the table. This creates an open dialogue to accept and receive feedback.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 469-774-0403
- Email: bookthehybridcanvas@gmail.com
- Instagram: @TheEllieMaeDoll / @thehybridcanvas
Image Credit:
LUIS MARTINEZ, DIANDRA G. BURGOS, LARRY TRAE’VON
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