Mighty Wigs with Siobian Jones

March 18, 2022 Artist Spotlight

Clubhouse Conversation: Siobian Jones

Have you ever considered sprucing up your wardrobe collection with a fancy wig? Read on to find out why that is such a great idea!

In the latest episode of the Portrait System Podcast: Clubhouse Edition, Kevin Conde and Ashleigh Taylor chat with Siobian (Sha-von) Jones, master wigmaker and owner of The Mighty Wig, currently based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Previously, Siobian lived in Las Vegas, where she built headpieces and hairpieces for Cirque du Soleil. You might have encountered her work there, or on The Portrait System website, at WPPI, or at The Portrait Masters Shootout.

Siobian sat down with Kevin and Ashleigh for a conversation about working with wigs in portraits and also what it’s like to work with Siobian specifically. Be sure to listen to the whole podcast to hear pro tips, like how to get a wig to lay flat (SPOILER ALERT — hairspray on the scalp and a blow dryer can be a big help!), what materials to use for diy wig construction, and things to consider when working with a custom wig maker.

In this blog, you’ll find images of some of Siobian’s incredible wigs, links to her websites, and answers to some bonus questions.

Here are links to some things mentioned in this conversation:

Join us live every Friday for Clubhouse conversations and get answers to your questions! Just search “The Portrait System” in the Clubhouse App and follow us there.

Get to Know Siobian Jones

Q: When did you first come across Sue Bryce Education, and how has it affected your career?

A: I was introduced to Sue Bryce when I collaborated with Saray Taylor-Roman on SBE Live and at the Phoenix Shootout. Being involved in the Sue Bryce community has given me a supportive community to collaborate with, be inspired by, and lean on when I have questions about my business. It has affected my confidence massively. For the first year of my business, I felt alone and like I had no one to go to when I needed advice. Now I can hop into the Facebook group, post my question, and have 10 answers by the end of the day.

Q: When first starting out, many photographers hit roadblocks on their journey to start their business — whether they feel their equipment isn’t good enough or need a studio to start a business. What roadblocks did you encounter, and how did you get over them?

A: Having a clear direction. Starting my business wasn’t something I had planned on. When Covid hit, I was working as a contract wig designer for theaters all over the country. And then suddenly, like most of the world, I lost my career. So I took advantage of the opportunity. I knew I had a set of skills that were valuable and profitable, I just didn’t know where to start or how to start. The best advice I got at that time was to look at my business as an experiment and just start doing it and getting it out in public. So I started posting on social media, joining networking zoom conferences, calling businesses I wanted to work with, and sending out mailers. I tried as many things as I could. And it worked! There are times I still find myself overwhelmed and paralyzed in many aspects of my business, but I just remind myself to have fun and be curious.

Q: How do you feel about your current work/life balance?

A: Currently, I feel like I have finally figured out a scheduling system that allows me to have balance most of the time. My business had a very quick shift in momentum when I started working with the Sue Bryce community. I did not have any scheduling systems set in place yet and found myself working 7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day to keep up. After 6 months of this, I was burnt out and started shying away from the success. I took two weeks off to reassess how to handle it. I decided to cut things out that did not feed my soul and set scheduling boundaries. I felt so much relief and fell back in love with my business.

Q: What (beyond money) has owning a business given you?

A: My business is still very young and has a long way to go, and I love dreaming about the
possibilities. At this point it has given me the ability to follow my dream of being an artist. I have time to be with my family, create art that feeds my soul, and be a part of my community.

Q: What is your favorite advice that you’ve been given along your journey that has helped you the most?

A: When I am tired, don’t give up, just take a break.

This quote saved me when I was feeling so burnt out and questioning my path. If I had not taken that break, I’m not sure I would still be in business.


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Transcript

Click Here to Read the Podcast Transcript

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Please note this transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors.

00:00:01:04 – 00:00:26:11

This is the Portrait System podcast, a show that helps portrait photographers and people hoping to become one, navigate the world of photography, business, money and so much more. We totally keep it real. We share stories about the incredible ups and the very difficult downs when running a photography business. I’m your host, Nikki Closser. And the point of this podcast is for you to learn actionable steps that you can take to grow your own business and also to feel inspired and empowered by the stories you hear.

00:00:01:04 – 00:00:26:11

This is the Portrait System podcast, a show that helps portrait photographers and people hoping to become one navigate the world of photography, business, money, and so much more. We totally keep it real. We share stories about the incredible ups and the very difficult downs when running a photography business. I’m your host, Niki Closser, and the point of this podcast is for you to learn actionable steps that you can take to grow your own business, and also to feel inspired and empowered by the stories you hear.

00:00:27:16 – 00:01:02:01

Hey, everyone, it’s Ashleigh Taylor, and I’m excited to introduce you to this week’s clubhouse edition of the podcast. This week, Kevin and I spoke with Siobian Jones, who is a wig artisan and designed the wigs used at the 2021 Portrait Masters Shootout. She also created wigs for many photographers in our community, including Saray Taylor Roman. In our chat, we talked with Siobhan about why photographers might want to consider adding wigs to their studio to elevate their work, the logistics and how to use a working with wigs.

00:01:02:03 – 00:01:15:14

If you are a beginner and the process of collaborating with a wig maker to achieve your aesthetic vision. It was a really great episode and we can’t wait for you to listen. So let’s get started.

00:01:16:12 – 00:01:44:20

Welcome everyone to the Portrait System Podcast Clubhouse Edition. My name is Kevin Conde. I’m here with my co-host, Ashleigh Taylor. If you are not familiar with The Portrait System, we are a portrait photography podcast that is powered by Sue Bryce. Nikki Closser hosts our Monday episodes and Ashleigh and I co-host our Clubhouse Edition, which is live here on the Clubhouse app every Friday at noon Pacific. And then our episodes are released on Thursdays. You can tune in on your favorite podcast app by searching for the portrait system. Ashleigh How are you doing.

00:01:45:13 – 00:01:51:21

I’m doing good. It’s been a week of recovery since WPPI. I don’t know if anyone feels me on that.

00:01:51:23 – 00:01:56:15

No, I do., So I mean.

00:01:56:29 – 00:01:58:17

I really grew there the whole time.

00:01:58:28 – 00:02:00:14

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:02:00:19 – 00:02:05:26

And I was jumping three time zones, so it’s a big, like, sleep adjustment.

00:02:06:14 – 00:02:09:03

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I didn’t even have it that hard, so I should really.

00:02:10:28 – 00:02:12:26

No, no, don’t. Not to invalidate.

00:02:12:28 – 00:02:13:13

You,

00:02:15:13 – 00:02:16:10

but, yeah, I’m so.

00:02:16:12 – 00:02:35:19

Excited to be here. I’m back on schedule and I’m so excited that our guest is Siobian Jones, who is a wig maker. And many of you may know her from the Portrait Masters Shootout where she helped do wig styling and from all her amazing work with Saray Taylor Roman.

00:02:37:12 – 00:03:04:16

But I just want to say, before we jump into the interview, that for the first 30 minutes, Kevin and I will interview Siobian. And then we love to open it up to the live audience for questions. So if you come up with a question early, just jot it down in advance, and when the time comes to ask your question, you just want to go ahead and hit that hand icon in the lower right hand part of your screen so that we know you want to ask a question and we can bring you up on stage.

00:03:05:14 – 00:03:07:28

Thank you, Ashleigh, and welcome to the podcast, Siobian.

00:03:08:16 – 00:03:10:16

Thank you. So cool to be here.

00:03:10:18 – 00:03:13:09

This is my first time doing this on Clubhouse.

00:03:13:11 – 00:03:14:24

So it’s exciting.

00:03:18:07 – 00:03:50:03

Ashleigh and I wanted to have a talk with you to talk about your process and the types of props that can help in a photo shoot. Because as photographers, it’s important that we network with other artists and have a symbiotic relationship where we can help each other as business owners. But before we get into that process, let’s talk about how you got to this point. So Ashleigh pointed out that we know you through Saray Taylor Roman and being with, I believe, on one of Sue’s lives.

00:03:50:19 – 00:03:59:07

Prior to working with Saray, were you already making these elaborate wigs and for other photographers?

00:04:00:12 – 00:04:28:14

I was already making these elaborate wigs, but Saray was really the first photographer that I worked with where it was a part of like a theatrical production. And we were doing like, you know, promo shoots and stuff like that. So yeah, she was the first one who kind of introduced me into your guys world. I had no idea that your world existed. And when I met.

00:04:29:20 – 00:04:30:10

I just knew.

00:04:30:12 – 00:04:37:15

About promo shoots for, like, video productions and and stuff like that. And yeah. So when I met her, I was like, Really?

00:04:37:23 – 00:04:39:27

This is the thing? And she’s like, Oh, yeah.

00:04:40:05 – 00:04:51:20

And I mean, she was not lying. That so incredible until like, get to know this world and be welcomed with open arms into this world. It’s been awesome.

00:04:52:05 – 00:04:52:29

Yeah, well, I.

00:04:53:09 – 00:04:54:05

Oh, sorry.

00:04:56:09 – 00:05:28:22

I was just going to say, like, I think, too, I’ve been, you know, in this Portrait System community for a long time. And I remember like years and years ago when Sue was first starting and it was, you know, Sue Bryce Education back then. And she had even like this Marie Antoinette style shoe and she had a wig herself. So like this community has been talking about wigs and how to either find someone to collaborate or how to even like hack a wig yourself as an artist.

00:05:28:24 – 00:05:58:01

And for me, that’s always been really hard because I’m I’m not really a lover of crafting the way some people in our community are. And so I was just wondering, like, do you have any tips for for people starting out when they’re finding someone like you to collaborate with? Like, what is the best process? Like, is it straight up buying a wig or is there a way to collaborate where it’s like mutually beneficial if someone needs a wig, you know, photos of their work for their portfolio?

00:05:58:21 – 00:06:31:11

Well, I mean, they can go in so many directions. I’m always open if somebody is not at a point where, you know, they’re like, you know, I’m just not ready to buy a wig. That’s not an investment. I’m, you know, ready to make. I will always sit down with somebody. And troubleshoot with them and give them ideas on ways they can do it themselves and walk them through it and give them more, you know, something that might fit into their expertise, their skill level, and their financial budget.

00:06:31:13 – 00:06:54:27

So like, there’s always that as an option. I’d never mind to do that. I love helping people out. Also, if somebody is like, you know, I need I have this certain budget that I need to stay within, but they also don’t really love crafting and don’t want to go down that path. You know, I can tell what anybody, you know, like, okay, well, this is your budget. This is what I can do within that budget.

00:06:56:13 – 00:07:14:14

You know, so there’s many avenues we can take. It’s always about having the conversation. And I’m pretty straightforward about, you know, what I’m willing to do, what I’m willing to help you with. And, you know, just just trying to, like, work together as artists in any way we can.

00:07:15:16 – 00:07:30:26

Now, when you recommend potentially something to someone else where they could potentially be crafty themselves, are they going to some hairstyle or some hair wig where you say you can put a potential sorry, I.

00:07:30:28 – 00:07:32:02

Don’t even.

00:07:32:04 – 00:07:32:25

Have the words.

00:07:34:05 – 00:07:35:00

I have no.

00:07:35:02 – 00:07:35:18

Clue on that.

00:07:35:24 – 00:07:36:19

Yeah, no.

00:07:37:02 – 00:08:08:29

I, I would normally probably send people to like some of the online stores that I like to use. I have a lot of stores. I have like a wide array of places that I go to buy a lot of my supplies, and some of them are for only licensed professionals, so I definitely wouldn’t send them there. And then there are some that like it would be way too overwhelming for somebody who just is brand new to the world. So I know like my beginner level, I mean, there’s so much on Amazon that you can get.

00:08:09:27 – 00:08:19:17

So like I know my beginner level like, like, okay, these are the things you can do at Hobby Lobby. These are the things you can get at Amazon, you know, things like that.

00:08:19:19 – 00:08:21:04

So yeah.

00:08:21:06 – 00:08:40:18

Actually, I’m glad you brought that up because it’s funny, I’m planning a creative shoot right now, but I like the model has really short hair and I wanted to do this like cool ponytail. So like last night I was on Amazon just looking for a cheap ponytail like wig extension, you know. So.

00:08:40:27 – 00:08:41:13

Yeah.

00:08:41:20 – 00:09:11:24

Do you do all the weaves I’ve seen you do. They’re very, you know, elaborate, beautiful art pieces and themselves, but like is a nice beginner level, something like an extension, a ponytail up. There’s fake bangs, there’s the drawstring. I had a client actually bring like a drawstring thing that kind of went over a little bun that she made in her hair. And then she had this, like, beautiful curls and things like that.

00:09:11:26 – 00:09:12:11

Like.

00:09:13:01 – 00:09:15:01

Yeah, sure. Yeah.

00:09:15:03 – 00:09:22:18

I think that can definitely be at beginner level. If you’re somebody who’s good at following direction,

00:09:24:10 – 00:09:37:15

then yes, I think there’s so many helpful tutorials on YouTube for some of those kind of things that yes, I absolutely think those can be for somebody who’s never even touched hair before.

00:09:38:05 – 00:09:39:24

Yeah, they called it.

00:09:39:27 – 00:10:08:26

The cool thing about you guys is you have so much not that you want to spend a ton of time in posts with Photoshop and stuff, but there is a lot of room for error for for those that are, you know, doing some of these hacks. Well, I don’t want to call them hacks, but newer, newer, crafty skills that might not be so seamless that they can can fix some of that in post. So there is a little bit of room for error there.

00:10:09:10 – 00:10:23:04

So like a cheaper wig, for example, but not like an extension piece, but like a true wig that would like cover the hair those can sometimes be fixed in post-production to look like a more natural hair line. Is that kind of what you’re saying?

00:10:23:16 – 00:11:05:10

Yeah, yeah. I have seen where people have done I mean, like some of the stuff I’ve seen that Sue has and even that Saray I did before I met her. Like she definitely had to fix the hair line in post for it to not look for it to like look like a little more natural. And what ends up happening is that she just kind of like, blurs that line. So that can happen. I mean, that’s that’s one of the well, there’s many differences, but that’s like probably like one of the biggest difference differences between my wigs and like something like that is, you know, all my wigs are hand tied in the front, meaning they, you know, my goal is to make it look like it’s growing out of their head.

00:11:05:17 – 00:11:08:24

And so that way it takes away from some of that post work.

00:11:09:11 – 00:11:26:13

So can you educate us? Is that technically called like a lace front wig? What does that term lace front wig mean? How do you actually get it to lay flat like it’s growing out of someone’s head? Like, what is that like? How do people. And it’s all one of these wigs.

00:11:27:06 – 00:11:27:24

Yeah.

00:11:28:03 – 00:12:03:19

Well, okay, it it’s pretty easy. And if anybody buys one from me, I find a tutorial on how to put it on and install or get it to stay. So there’s, there’s plenty of options. Like some people just have like really great shaved heads and you put the wig on them and it lays perfectly and you don’t have to do anything other than pin it in place so it doesn’t fall off. And then there’s some who, you know, there, the leaf doesn’t lay is flat. So you have to use like a little bit of hairspray and a hair, a blow dryer just to kind of be kind of like, you know, adhere it to the skin.

00:12:03:27 – 00:12:34:18

And then I have had a model that she had a very skinny for head, she had a more narrow face and I could not get the leaf to lay flat on her. There was nothing I did that would get the belief. It just had this one area that kept buckling and and everybody just had to go into it knowing like this is this is the spot that in post you’re going to have to do a little bit too. But the majority of it was good, you know, so like it is a little bit tricky in that way.

00:12:35:14 – 00:12:48:06

I wouldn’t say thank God, because the fact that you send like information of how to for someone to put it on properly because I’m, I I’ve I’ve never dealt with a wig. I’ve never touched a wig.

00:12:48:14 – 00:12:49:29

Come on, you don’t wear wigs.

00:12:51:27 – 00:12:52:12

See.

00:12:53:13 – 00:12:56:17

I already have glorious hair, so there’s no need for me to put one on.

00:12:56:19 – 00:12:57:20

Oh, I thought that was the way.

00:12:57:22 – 00:12:58:12

That’s true.

00:13:01:12 – 00:13:11:19

So I was wondering, does one of the questions I was going to ask you is just do you have videos, YouTube videos, or is it just written instructions that you sent to someone?

00:13:11:26 – 00:13:44:25

So I do a video. I do. So I have a couple of like already made videos that apply to like pretty much anybody who’s working with a wig. And then I always send a special video that’s like with their wigs specifically, specifically showing how I handle it, how I like do a few touch ups because it is hair. So like, what do you do with flyaways? What do you do if like a hair gets out of place, like a few things like that in how I handle it, how to get it out of the box, how to put it back in the box, like things like that.

00:13:44:27 – 00:14:12:01

Just so because I understand that you most of you have never worked with wigs and even even if you guys are working with hair stylists, a lot of times they still have never worked with wigs. So I’m going into this like knowing like these people have not worked with wigs. It’s beneficial to me and you that you have a successful journey into wigs because if you don’t, you’re never going to want one again, you know?

00:14:12:03 – 00:14:13:05

So yeah.

00:14:14:17 – 00:14:31:29

That’s really cool actually, because I was wondering like how what happens if like, you know, I would imagine because I’ve seen how elaborate your wigs are that shipping it like maybe something could go wrong. I mean, I mean, I’m sure you pack them really great, but like, yeah, you know, like, how does that work?

00:14:32:26 – 00:14:34:06

Yeah, I mean, like.

00:14:35:00 – 00:14:48:05

Yeah. So I was just gonna say, even just like owning or having it in your studio, like over time, if it’s sitting there, like maybe it, I don’t know, gets dusty or like, I don’t know, how do you just care for these things.

00:14:48:07 – 00:14:54:18

And check them? Yeah, it’s a good question. So, you know, there’s there’s always you never.

00:14:54:20 – 00:14:59:06

Know what’s going to happen in shipping it. But I will say I do whatever I can

00:15:00:25 – 00:15:17:18

to make sure that I’ve covered all the bases. So I actually, um, so all the wigs come in on a Styrofoam head and I have this process where I basically glue the Styrofoam head down to the bottom of the box.

00:15:18:00 – 00:15:18:15

Oh, wow.

00:15:18:17 – 00:15:40:22

So that way. Well, I don’t glue it. I have, like, these zip ties that go through the bottom and, like, tie off and it makes it sort of like Styrofoam head is like the centerpiece. And when I put the wig on it, it’s I pin the wig to the head and then I have like the on the bubble, like the the big air not like bubble wrap, but the, you know, the things that come in the Amazon boxes.

00:15:40:24 – 00:15:42:24

Oh, the big air pouches. Yeah.

00:15:42:26 – 00:16:00:23

Air cushion. Yeah. Those and all around it. So like it should I have to get I’ve been doing this for a while and I have yet to have one, knock on any wood that’s around me. Have yet to have one, you know, not make it safely. But that’s also why I sent a video on how to get it out of the box.

00:16:00:25 – 00:16:01:13

Because.

00:16:02:25 – 00:16:13:01

Because that’s where I feel like the biggest like room for error would happen is because it is like, you know, placed in this box in a way that it doesn’t just lift out.

00:16:13:11 – 00:16:14:02

Um.

00:16:14:19 – 00:16:39:23

So. Yeah. And then as far as storing it, like as long as it’s not a you’re not in it, you’re in a controlled environment as far as climate and it’s not really humid. They shouldn’t every day should be completely fine, like nothing is going to happen to them at all. And then I also send a piece of sheer material that I recommend you always have sitting on it so that dust can’t settle on it.

00:16:40:05 – 00:16:41:27

Oh, okay. That makes sense.

00:16:41:29 – 00:16:56:04

Yeah. I try to cover all the bases for you, so that way, because I know you guys don’t know this. These things, you know, and, and you know, when you get it, you don’t want to have to go out and, you know, look for these things and purchase them. So I just send them with it.

00:16:56:21 – 00:16:57:06

Yeah.

00:16:57:08 – 00:17:02:18

And like, I mean, this is funny, but like one of my main points of like wig reference is Moira Rose.

00:17:02:21 – 00:17:04:02

I agree.

00:17:04:21 – 00:17:07:15

And she has the wig wall, it’s like.

00:17:08:01 – 00:17:08:16

Yeah.

00:17:08:22 – 00:17:14:12

One of my friends and I like joke that we want to like become Moira Rose and we’re like, we’re going to install a wig.

00:17:14:29 – 00:17:20:12

Wig wall. I love that. I only like one of my favorite shows.

00:17:20:14 – 00:17:32:06

That’s so funny, but I feel like your wig wouldn’t like work on Moira Rose’s wig wall because they’re so… Well, the ones that I’ve seen, I guess I would say, are so structured yet.

00:17:32:12 – 00:17:58:07

Yeah, my style tends to be more sculptural. Like I. I love, you know, things that look more like like a piece of art. And I have made wigs that are more, you know, like long, flowy hair with, like, a flower crown. And and I can do those. And those would those would work on a wig wall. So you would, you know, if that was your goal, we would just have to always make you long, flowy.

00:17:58:09 – 00:17:59:26

Wigs or short.

00:17:59:28 – 00:18:00:14

Flowy wings.

00:18:00:16 – 00:18:01:11

Whatever. Yeah,

00:18:04:18 – 00:18:06:06

I like I.

00:18:06:08 – 00:18:19:19

Brought up moisture in, I would assume humidity. Yes. What would that do to the wig? Are you using natural hair where it could potentially get frizzy or synthetic or.

00:18:19:27 – 00:18:27:13

Yeah. Yeah. So the unless unless I mean, hair, it’s usually going to be synthetic.

00:18:27:15 – 00:18:28:00

Hair.

00:18:28:22 – 00:18:59:17

And moisture. So for some for a wig that’s like long and flowy moisture can just like take out the curl. So it would just like make it a little more limp. It might still be beautiful, so it might not be as big of a deal unless you just really want it to hold those like curls, loose curls, tight curls, any kind of curl as far as, like the sculptural pieces, it shouldn’t do much to them. But there is the adhesives that I use in those.

00:18:59:19 – 00:19:29:27

It tends to be like a really strong hold hairspray. So when hairspray gets like moist, you know, it kind of can get sticky. It can the the hairspray that’s like holding pieces together. Like once that gets loose and sticky, it could start to let go of the the style. So but I would think honestly, like it would have to be really humid for that to start to happen. Like if you are just in, you know, a normal climated like studio.

00:19:30:06 – 00:19:46:27

It’s going to be totally fine. It’s not like if you live in Florida where it’s 100% humidity in the summertime, but your wigs in the studio, it’s still going to be fine. It’s more of like if your wig is sitting in a storage unit in Florida and there is no climate control, it’s probably not going to be fine.

00:19:50:00 – 00:19:50:15

Yeah.

00:19:52:18 – 00:20:15:22

Well, while you’re on the topic of your style, I one thing I love about your wigs is that a lot of them have a little story in them, like you have that blue kind of rococo wig and it has like a ship on top, but it looks like it’s like a stormy sea. Or then at the portrait masters shoot out, you had this kind of like, I don’t know if it was like Maleficent or what you might call it, but it was.

00:20:15:24 – 00:20:16:18

Oh yeah.

00:20:16:20 – 00:20:34:09

Horns and mask. And then I saw that this week with that portrait masters and also saw I won an award at WPPI with an image with like a wig that almost looked like like it was red hair and she had like little deer ears or something.

00:20:34:11 – 00:20:35:15

Coming out of the.

00:20:35:23 – 00:20:44:02

Wig. So can you tell us like a little bit about how you come up with these story wigs? Like how do you come up with stories for your wigs?

00:20:44:22 – 00:20:48:00

Yeah, well, it’s a so.

00:20:48:06 – 00:21:18:29

When Saray and I have done work together, so like the red one, specifically what you were talking about, she knew she wanted to enter in to that specific category. So I think the category was wild. So that’s that’s pretty much what she told me. She was like, I want something wild. And so I was like, okay, how can I represent wild in here? So that was like how that one was developed. But say like the ship wig, the rococo wig, like. That’s always been like my favorite hair era.

00:21:19:07 – 00:21:52:19

And, you know, my business is called The Mighty Wig. And when I came up with that name it, I just immediately imagined this like, like ship in this like big rococo wig looking like it was like just tearing through the sea. And I at one point wanted to write like the mighty wig on that ship and decided not to because I knew it was going to be in like photoshoots and stuff like that. But like that was kind of like where my mind had gone, you know? And I, when I named my business and had always wanted to create a wig that looked like that.

00:21:52:21 – 00:22:25:17

So that was the inspiration with that one. So yeah, it can it can either be either been inspiration that came from like something. Like at the. Like, for example, like, you know, me working in theater, I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare all over the country. And so I’m really inspired by a lot of those like historical characters. And when you work in Shakespeare theatre, you know, everything is more it’s beautiful hairstyles, but they’re very like for the stage, they’re more realistic.

00:22:25:23 – 00:22:35:10

So I always knew that I was going to take some of my favorite styles that I used to do for the stage and just exaggerate them into this, like, unrealistic character.

00:22:36:18 – 00:22:49:24

That’s really cool. What do you? One thing I have a question about, too, with the the wigs that are so particular with a story is like if I as a photographer owned one of those wigs.

00:22:50:14 – 00:22:51:04

How could I.

00:22:51:06 – 00:23:05:02

Like then keep reinventing that story if that makes sense. Like to make it work with different clients or different styling. Is that just like is that just up to me? Because some of them just seem like so specific, you know what I’m saying? Yes.

00:23:05:16 – 00:23:08:26

We work together in creating

00:23:10:15 – 00:23:45:19

new concepts with it. So like if, say, I make you like that, let’s just keep using the ship wig, for example, as an example. Like say you own that wig and you’re like, you know, I’ve done enough with this. I want to change it up. How can we do that? You can one either send it back to me and I can kind of like add things to it or I can create some like say I created some extensions that you could clip in and then now it’s going to have this like long piece that comes over the shoulder with these, like, beautiful sausage curls that are the same color as the wig.

00:23:46:04 – 00:24:19:08

Or maybe we just took this ship off and, like, changed it to something else, you know, that fit, like, maybe a crown, you know, because, like, right now we’re seeing it as, like, the mighty sea in the ship, but it doesn’t have to be that, you know, it’s multi, multiple colors of blue. And once you take that ship off, you don’t have to see it as the ocean anymore. You could see it as like just this like, you know, royal woman that needs a crown that’s coming off the side or you know what I mean? Like, I mean, it could go in so many directions.

00:24:19:10 – 00:24:23:12

I mean, we could stick a Christmas tree on there if we wanted to

00:24:23:14 – 00:24:23:29

I love that.

00:24:24:13 – 00:24:56:04

I was thinking about the idea of like if you had like modular wigs where you can just basically have pieces that you can just, oh, pull that off. Let me just stick this new color or this new kind of hairstyle onto this base wig and then kind of fill it in or make it look as if I recall you told us on stage at WPPI that you’re able to add to make a wig. What’s the word? Voluminous, luminous. Like fill it out and make it larger.

00:24:56:29 – 00:25:35:21

Yeah, yeah. Voluminous. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can definitely I mean, it depends on what the the, you know, what wig we’re starting with a lot could do this and especially if I know going into it. Okay I need to build this to where it has this ability to have add ons. Then, you know, I’m going into it with that and I’m going to create those add ons as I go. If you already have a wig and you contact me like a little while later and we can kind of like think about it as we go, like what can we do to change this without having to create a whole new wig.

00:25:36:27 – 00:25:37:12

So.

00:25:38:27 – 00:25:50:23

The possibilities are endless like there is, there’s no I’m never going to just be like, nope, can’t be doing it. You know what I mean? I’m going to like put on, you know, go into my brain and be like, All right,

00:25:52:19 – 00:26:23:21

how can we do this? Because I want you guys to to love your wigs. I don’t want you to get tired of them, you know? And I want you to love them the same way I do, you know, like I have, even after I sell them at like I still am, I still, like, see them whenever you guys post pictures. And I like it. My heart just like, flutters and I love them so much and I love seeing them used and I love seeing people love them. So like, I’m going to do whatever I can to keep that going, you know?

00:26:26:03 – 00:26:49:29

So one thing I was wondering is like with the process of like, okay, someone’s listening to this or they’ve seen your work or whatever, and they’re like, okay, I’m ready to invest in a wig. And then do you are they like looking through an inventory that you already have or is it a custom, completely custom piece that they’re just like, this is my vibe, this is my style, this is what I’m thinking? Like, what does that look like?

00:26:50:15 – 00:27:22:18

Yeah, if I have an inventory, like when I came to the I think I brought nine wigs. So at that point I had a pretty big inventory and so a lot of people bought. Those wigs as an inventory. But then I had some people who approached me that, like, none of the wigs I had there were fitting what they wanted, what the vision that they had. And so when I came home, I created there were several people that I created custom wigs for because they had a specific photoshoot in mind.

00:27:22:23 – 00:27:59:24

So it could go either way. You know, like right now, my, my inventory is pretty low. I had to do my other I do real life wigs also. So I have been focusing on that part of my business for the last month, just working with women with hair loss. So my inventory is a little depleted, but I’m actually getting ready to start creating again to like build that inventory back up. And when that happens, you know, people will be able to shop that inventory. And even right now, just because I’m focusing on that part of my business, then I still have people contacting me about custom wigs and I’m like, Yep, let’s do it.

00:28:00:22 – 00:28:01:15

Oh, cool.

00:28:01:26 – 00:28:10:03

So yeah. Yeah. Are do people ever, like, look at the past styles that you’ve done and just say, like, I want this wig. Can you just do it again?

00:28:10:18 – 00:28:14:12

Okay. Yep, yep. I have. I’ve done that three times now.

00:28:16:17 – 00:28:19:20

That’s cool. Yeah. Yeah. Which wig?

00:28:19:22 – 00:28:28:21

And there’s a blue rococo wig, which is actually like the wig that got me into the industry where I didn’t even know I was trying to.

00:28:28:23 – 00:28:29:10

Get into it.

00:28:29:19 – 00:28:33:06

But I had posed. It’s just like blue rococo wig

00:28:34:23 – 00:28:58:18

and it’s like longer. You would have to look on my Instagram to to see which one I’m talking about. It’s like way back in the, in the feed, but Saray actually found that one. I saw that on Instagram and that’s how she contacted me. And we ended up eating, meeting up together and eating lunch and, and like that was the beginning of it all. So that wig I’ve sold three times.

00:28:58:29 – 00:29:02:21

Oh, wow. Yeah, it’s a very popular one.

00:29:04:09 – 00:29:08:13

For people like me. Can you. What exactly is a rococo wig? I don’t know.

00:29:10:01 – 00:29:12:10

I’m sorry. Yes, that’s a great question.

00:29:12:12 – 00:29:17:06

So rococo is like an era in time. It’s like the Victorian era.

00:29:17:18 – 00:29:18:03

Okay.

00:29:18:05 – 00:29:41:06

Yeah. So I think yes. Yeah, I think it’s specific to like like a French, the French style of that and the Victorian era. I think Victorian is more for like English. I could be totally like off on this, but I think when you think of Victorian it’s more towards like the British and when you think of Rococo, it’s more towards the French and that. But they both were around the same time.

00:29:41:24 – 00:29:50:12

Mm. Okay. Yeah. I just wanted to be sure of, of definition. So there’s some listener at least one.

00:29:51:18 – 00:29:52:14

Definitely.

00:29:53:15 – 00:29:54:21

What the heck is a rococo wig?

00:29:54:24 – 00:29:57:02

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Well I can throw some.

00:29:57:04 – 00:29:58:28

More terms that out out of it if you.

00:29:59:00 – 00:29:59:15

Want.

00:29:59:17 – 00:30:08:22

That’s what I was, that’s where I was going next. If there are any other words or things that people should know when they’re talking to you so they know what to request or what to even look for.

00:30:08:24 – 00:30:11:11

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, you.

00:30:11:13 – 00:30:43:04

Know, I think most people like to have a photoshoot in mind. Generally, they have an idea, and I think a good place to start is like what era? If we’re even talking about a historical era, you know, what era in time are we talking about trying to recreate? Because most, I mean, all eras had like a specific style, just like the rococo era. So there is that. And then if there is no era in time, like we’re going to go completely fictional.

00:30:43:06 – 00:30:49:22

Like Ashleigh pointed out, the Maleficent, you know, I don’t think there was a time where women just walked around with horns. Maybe there.

00:30:49:24 – 00:30:53:27

Was maybe like Greek mythology that, like, just got.

00:30:53:29 – 00:31:19:26

Like, what’s the theme, you know, like 1920s, rococo, pinup fantasy, maleficent, Disney Princess. Like, just coming up with these these, like, theme words, because that’s where, like, the initial, like, okay, this is this is going to get my creative juices flowing because I’m going to start thinking in that direction, if that makes sense.

00:31:20:01 – 00:31:20:22

But I’ve also.

00:31:20:24 – 00:31:57:05

Had somebody I just work with somebody not that long ago, she just sent me a picture of a dress. It was like, I want something that fits this. And I was like, cool. And, you know, I was able to run with it because, you know, for me, I saw that dress and those kind of words started, you know, I thought antique, you know, old fashion, you know, southern. So, like, you know, and so we we traded photos back and forth until we finally, like, finally started to come to a similar style so that I could really envision where she was trying to go with this dress.

00:31:57:07 – 00:32:26:12

Because it, you know, to me it looked like an antique dress. And for her, it was like this. This high, like, high fashion antique, you know, so, like. So we just had to keep communicating until we. Came to the place where it was like, okay, now I’m on the same page as you. And and then along the way, I sent pictures like, Hey, this is where we’re going with this. And along the way, she gave me feedback. So it was a really cool collaboration.

00:32:26:20 – 00:32:27:25

Oh, yeah.

00:32:28:13 – 00:32:42:23

What advantage do you think there is for photographers to start playing in the realm of like experimenting with way beyond just working with a stylist, but experimenting with wigs and adding that to their repertoire?

00:32:43:13 – 00:33:16:09

Yeah, I mean, I think it if you’re wanting to like expand, you’re like your portrait portfolio and just show that you have a little that there is more range than just like, you know. Probably what you’re doing on a day to day basis. Also, I know for Saray it really is one of her big reasons for reaching out to me was because she she felt like she was getting to the point where she wanted to step up, what she was entering into competitions.

00:33:16:11 – 00:34:00:14

Because most people, you know, Saray, I know that she’s like won a ton of awards and like, that’s like one of her big goals in her business. And just like her is like a creative is that she loves winning competitions and entering competitions. And I think like, you know, Wigs just gave her that edge, that, like, extra step up and, and also helped her, like, create new characters. So, like, it’s, it’s that and I mean, I think just like getting those creative juices flowing because once you start adding things in that you’ve never worked with before and you have never really seen through your own lens and, you know, worked with and in post to like add different elements to it.

00:34:00:16 – 00:34:11:04

Like you don’t really know what you’re capable of until you start stepping outside of your box. And I think like wigs are a great way to step outside of that, that box and adding things in.

00:34:11:28 – 00:34:12:13

Yeah.

00:34:12:16 – 00:34:49:22

So yeah, yeah. And they, they, they compliment wardrobe. Well, because I know most portrait photographers have a pretty good wardrobe that they’ve invested in. And, and, you know, that’s another thing like, you know, you guys have asked a couple times like, you know, how do we change up the wigs to, you know, photo them multiple times? But think about it in the way you do it with wardrobe, too, you know. So adding a wig to your wardrobe or different wardrobe pieces to wigs is going to completely change the vibe and the message that you’re sending in your portrait in your photo.

00:34:50:09 – 00:34:59:12

Yeah, I love that. We do have Michael Padilla, my friend, here, ready. Any questions? So, Michael, if you want to unmuteyourself.

00:35:00:14 – 00:35:16:11

Hello, Ashleigh, Kevin and Siobian. Hi. Hi. I met you at the portrait master shoot out. And I love you. I hope we had a great conversation there.Yes, but I had two questions because actually have been asking all the questions I’ve been taking out. So,

00:35:18:10 – 00:35:18:25

so

00:35:20:13 – 00:35:34:03

so the first one would be, do you ever rent your wigs? And the second one would be like, if I were to contact you to create a custom piece, how long did it typically take for you to to get that finished?

00:35:34:26 – 00:35:40:18

Yeah. Okay. First question, as far as rental go, this is a very common question.

00:35:41:05 – 00:35:43:02

I have so far.

00:35:43:18 – 00:36:15:10

I’ve done rentals with people that have been like closer to where I live because I haven’t felt comfortable with like just letting a wig go and, and without me going to it or with it. Sorry. So like when I rent it around here, it’s been like, you get me and the wig, you know? So I come in and work with it. So but I am getting to the place where I’m like, okay, this is the question I keep getting asked.

00:36:15:18 – 00:36:42:07

I need to create some pieces that this will work for. And when I say that, I mean pieces that are just like, I know for sure that you’re going to be able to work with it and send it back to me in the same condition to where I’m not having to like completely restyle it. Not to say that, you know, you guys couldn’t do that. And I so yes, I’m going to.

00:36:42:12 – 00:36:42:27

The.

00:36:42:29 – 00:36:44:06

Simple answer is yes, I’m going.

00:36:44:08 – 00:36:44:23

To.

00:36:44:26 – 00:36:56:08

Get to that point. I think like here I’ve had to get to a point where I’m not feeling like attachment to them, but if that makes sense. So,

00:36:58:23 – 00:37:36:12

so and I think, you know, the last couple year, I guess that I’ve been working with photographers, it’s been shown to me like, okay, Siobian, you’ve got to get past that. This is about you and not anybody’s abilities. So yeah, I’m going to get to that. And then as far as how long it takes to do a custom, that is a tricky question because it depends on what I’m doing. If I’m doing something a little more simple, say like a pinup or like a 1920s something that’s not going to require me to create like a wig cage where I’m creating these, like, giant sculptures.

00:37:36:22 – 00:38:06:23

I can usually get that out in, like, say, 4 to 6 weeks, depending on what I, what kind of things I already have going on. When we’re talking about some of the bigger sculptural pieces, like the Marie Antoinette or the ship wig or any of you seen my big yellow Hartwig? Those probably are going to be more around 8 to 10 weeks. But I always will let you know when you reach out to me. What kind of time frame I’m looking at.

00:38:07:01 – 00:38:19:26

And if you have a time frame that you’re trying to get it within, I’ll do what I can to work within that time frame. And I’ll tell you what I know I’m capable of doing in a specific time frame.

00:38:20:12 – 00:38:53:01

And you know what? Your first answer kind of raised another question. Yeah. I was thinking, like, as I’m starting to do like a personal project and get that started, would it be more cost effective or smartto they realize that, you know, you would come out to some of them, especially the ones they’re close to because I’m from Vegas. So would it be more to be like, let me just fly you out here with some wigs? So that way I can work with multiple people and, you know, doing a scene or whatever, kind of like theater or something like that.

00:38:53:03 – 00:38:56:11

But yeah, for portraits, would that be more cost effective?

00:38:58:12 – 00:39:32:06

It could be, yes. It would depend on it would depend on how many wigs I were bringing and how big they were. So I when I fly with the wigs, if they’re bigger, you know, it just it means more luggage checking, checking, more luggage. And so, yeah, it would it would just kind of depend. But I think that, you know, it could be and we could talk about that. We can talk about, you know, what fits it, what fits in with what budget you’re trying to stay within.

00:39:33:03 – 00:39:35:02

Perfect. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ashleigh. Thank you, Kevin.

00:39:35:04 – 00:39:35:19

Yeah.

00:39:35:28 – 00:39:36:29

Thanks, Michael.

00:39:37:16 – 00:39:42:23

Yeah, thanks, Michael. It’s good. Good to talk to you. I really hated missing you at WPPI.

00:39:43:23 – 00:40:06:21

I know. I saw him for a brief a brief moment at WPPI, but it wasn’t enough. So thanks, Michael. I’m so Siobhan that when Michael was asking question, it kind of brought up another question for me, which we had talked a little bit about how you send a tutorial and how to install the hair and everything. So maybe this is just covered in that, but.

00:40:07:04 – 00:40:07:19

Do.

00:40:07:26 – 00:40:22:05

The models have to like have their their real hair like braided down in some special way to like fit under the wig? You know what I’m saying? Like, how do you get your hair to go under a wig?

00:40:23:02 – 00:40:56:06

Yeah, so that’s a great question. So, so there’s multiple ways I do send editorial on wig prep and it can depend on how much hair and the model has. Most of the time I usually recommend doing like some kind of pin curls because those are really great anchors to pin the wig in with. So now I have had this and this only works for photography.

00:40:56:08 – 00:41:10:14

This would have been a nightmare for theater, but I had a model show up and she had like dreadlocks down to her butt. And I was like, These are never going to fit under a wig.

00:41:10:16 – 00:41:43:00

But the good thing about photography is you can hide things behind it. So we just pulled it her hair into a low ponytail and we were able to fit the wig over the dreadlocks. It did kind of have it still have a little bit of left. So I at that point had extra hair with me and just kind of whipped some little braids to add in the areas where it didn’t look right. And so we were able to save it and it was totally fine.

00:41:43:06 – 00:42:25:07

And then we wanted to do some more shooting with her and make it like add some variation. And I ended up just using her, brought her dreads in with the wig. So we actually and luckily her dreds, you know, the wig was like black and her her hair was black. So so it was easy to incorporate that. If the wig had been like peach, it might not have looked so good, you know? So it worked. It totally worked out. So yeah, I mean, wig prep is really important. Especially say like the, the, the ship wig, it’s actually kind of front heavy because it has that where it kind of looks like there’s a wave coming out of the front of the wig.

00:42:25:11 – 00:42:56:02

So it likes to kind of tip forward if it’s not pinned in properly. So that’s one you know, when I send it out, I like send out the proper I send out these little clips that you pin into because it needs something stronger. So I try to prepare you as much as possible for those kind of scenarios when when you get the wig, I send that kind of video. And if you’re ever in a pinch and you know, I’m around my phone, you can always call me and be like.

00:42:56:19 – 00:42:57:04

What do I.

00:42:57:06 – 00:42:59:08

Do? And I will always do what I can to help out.

00:43:00:16 – 00:43:01:22

Now that’s customer service.

00:43:01:24 – 00:43:03:07

Yeah. Yes.

00:43:04:24 – 00:43:19:17

Yeah. What I’m realizing, too, like listening to you, is, like. It’s not like just because you have a way, you probably wouldn’t have your hairstylist in the studio for the day. You probably need your hair stylist like Jon Hamm said. I recommend it. Yeah, I, I mean, because.

00:43:19:19 – 00:43:20:14

Even if they.

00:43:20:16 – 00:43:23:03

Even if they haven’t worked with wigs, it’s.

00:43:23:05 – 00:43:23:22

Still.

00:43:23:24 – 00:43:32:12

I think like they still are in the realm of like, okay, this goes on the head. This is like it might make more logical sense.

00:43:32:14 – 00:43:33:01

To them.

00:43:33:20 – 00:43:38:28

Just because it’s in the same a similar realm that they’re used to, if that makes.

00:43:39:00 – 00:43:40:15

Sense. Yeah. Yeah.

00:43:40:17 – 00:44:13:18

And then as far as like. The wigs as well. I’m thinking, too, that now that I understand that all that goes into like installing them and prepping the hair, it’s not like or maybe you could maybe you can answer this like, can you do a photoshoot with a client where you have their hair like fabulously styled, their real hair and then efficiently still be able to totally change the look up by putting a wig on them? Or is it just too much production, getting the hair prep to get into the wig? Or is it just totally dependent on how much hair that client has?

00:44:14:06 – 00:44:25:06

Um, I mean, I think that how much hair the client has can definitely on. Change the change on how you know, how much work it is to change it out.

00:44:25:08 – 00:44:26:11

But honestly.

00:44:26:13 – 00:44:57:20

Like, I’ve never had any trouble with just being able to go from like whatever style they have and throwing a wig on, especially for photos, because you don’t have to really, even if you just like pull the hair into a low ponytail and you’re not, you know, you’re not going to be taking any photos of the back of them. It’s all going to be from the front. Then you don’t really have to worry about a really good wig prep unless it’s like a really large wig.

00:44:57:27 – 00:45:20:19

That’s the only time that it’s going to be a little like a different story as far as like it being a little more complicated and you needing to really focus on how the pins are going in so that it doesn’t fall off or hurt their neck. I’ve had some models where the wings are really heavy and if they’re like always trying to lean to one side, then, you know, it’s probably going to put a little crick in their neck.

00:45:21:15 – 00:45:22:00

Yeah, that’s.

00:45:22:02 – 00:45:29:15

Another question I was going to ask is like, how how heavy are these wigs and how much of. Yeah, what do the.

00:45:29:17 – 00:45:30:03

Models all.

00:45:30:05 – 00:45:31:14

Put up with? Yeah.

00:45:31:26 – 00:45:32:19

Yeah, yeah.

00:45:32:21 – 00:45:41:14

Do dancers wear them. Because I remember seeing I feel like Saray has the dancer shots, but the wigs are like the big sculptural ones. So how does all that work?

00:45:41:25 – 00:45:49:10

Yeah, so? So some of them are. I don’t know if you remember my pink one that had all the flowers on it.

00:45:49:12 – 00:45:54:12

Yes. I love one really tall one. Yeah. That is my. Yeah.

00:45:56:09 – 00:46:02:12

I also love that wig. That’s like my probably my favorite wig I’ve ever made. I no longer own it,

00:46:04:01 – 00:46:26:09

but all of those flowers were made out of hair, so that added quite a bit of weight. And so I think that one weighed around 4lbs, which is really heavy on your head. But if I knew somebody was going to be dancing in it or wearing it for a long period of time, I would have never made all the flowers out of hair,

00:46:28:12 – 00:46:44:09

you know, because, like silk flowers are a lot lighter than hair. Hair is light, but it adds up. And I also like, you know, glued little beads inside all the flowers, which added to even more weight. So, so yeah, I like that one was really heavy. But then like.

00:46:44:29 – 00:46:45:15

The ship.

00:46:45:17 – 00:46:55:02

Wig isn’t that heavy at all. It’s like, you know, it’s mostly hair and a little bit of padding inside in the boat. The ship is actually made out of

00:46:56:19 – 00:47:00:00

modeling wood. It weighs like, I think like an.

00:47:00:02 – 00:47:02:25

Ounce that yeah.

00:47:03:08 – 00:47:37:29

Even like half an ounce. So like, you know, they all vary. So if you tell me like this is going to be like for a runway fashion show, she’s going to be wearing it or for a theatrical production or an all day event. They’re going to be wearing the thing for hours. They’re going to need to dance. Like, I’m definitely going to be taking that into consideration when I create my design and how much it weighs. So so these are definitely all things that are really also like good information to give me.

00:47:38:01 – 00:48:04:09

And I generally ask a lot of these questions going into it when I’m, when I’m doing the consultation just so I know what I’m getting myself into. It also affects cost. So like if you, you know, if I’m building a wig cage, that’s going to affect the cost, you know, pretty significantly as to where if I’m just using padding so. Got it. And do.

00:48:04:23 – 00:48:10:06

Some of them just have like like something like cushioning basically underneath and some of them actually.

00:48:10:08 – 00:48:13:02

Structure to them is what you’re saying.

00:48:13:04 – 00:48:23:04

Yes at all. Yeah. It’s not. Yeah, it is. It’s it’s made out of millinery wire and I build it. So like, you give me a shape and I can build you a shape.

00:48:24:24 – 00:48:48:25

Yeah, that’s really cool. I have like one, I guess it’s a wig in my studio, but my like one of my hair and makeup artists actually made it for me, but it’s actually made out of flowers and it’s crazy heavy and we don’t really know what we were doing. And the way we like built it was we got we got a wig, a troll wig, like a troll doll wig.

00:48:50:16 – 00:48:53:29

Because it had the right size shape. And then we built.

00:48:54:01 – 00:48:56:28

Like we went to the hardware store. So this is like totally wrong.

00:48:57:00 – 00:48:59:11

Just, you know, we had a.

00:48:59:13 – 00:49:01:17

Hardware store and bought chicken wire.

00:49:02:05 – 00:49:02:22

And oh.

00:49:02:24 – 00:49:25:22

Like finagled the chicken wire on top and then and then stuck the flowers so well that she Camaro. But it’s very heavy. And like, sometimes it still sits in my studio. I’ve only used it like four times because it was for a creative shoot. And so, yeah, I’ve got a client who’s like, Oh, that’s really cool, can I wear it? And I’m always like.

00:49:26:04 – 00:49:33:14

I don’t know. Yeah, but you know. Can you sign a waiver for me.

00:49:35:07 – 00:49:38:12

I been told it’s really heavy. And I thought.

00:49:38:14 – 00:49:39:27

Like, yeah, I.

00:49:39:29 – 00:49:58:29

Just shot it though the other day because my client really wanted to wear it. I was like, okay, girls, the end of your shoot. Like, you know, your hair is not going to get messed up if you really want to wear it. And she loved it. But, and, and yeah. So it’s just like one of those things where I didn’t know how the proper way to do it was. And when we were doing the chicken wire, I was like, This can’t be right.

00:50:01:00 – 00:50:06:13

Oh, by the way, this is how I like me. I am having.

00:50:06:15 – 00:50:12:21

A hard time. I’m like thinking of a troll wig covered in flowers and chicken wire, just sticking out everywhere.

00:50:12:26 – 00:50:16:00

That’s so funny.

00:50:16:02 – 00:50:48:11

I’ll send you a picture. Yeah, like it was inspired because I. My favorite painter is Salvador Dali and he has yes I’m image of like and he’s use this motif a lot where it’s like a woman but her entire head is flowers and there’s no face or real head. And that was like what I was originally trying to accomplish. So it is just giant. But you do see a face, but it is like this giant flower head that is, I’m sure, like even more than 4lbs. It’s like it’s ridiculous.

00:50:48:13 – 00:50:49:12

Like that is.

00:50:49:23 – 00:50:51:19

I cannot wait to see this.

00:50:52:20 – 00:50:53:10

But yeah.

00:50:53:13 – 00:51:04:15

That was the extent of my somewhat supporting in the arts and crafts. But I didn’t fully do the crafts. I just was like I was like an overseer of the craft.

00:51:06:27 – 00:51:08:09

That’s fantastic.

00:51:08:27 – 00:51:12:27

But you know why? Like, I think, like, I hate to say anything.

00:51:12:29 – 00:51:28:18

Is the wrong way, you know, like it did its job. It was, you know, it was for a photo shoot. So, like, they don’t have to wear it for very long, you know. Now, we were trying to put that on stage where somebody is really dancing or trying to be some kind of characteristic.

00:51:28:20 – 00:51:29:10

We could maybe.

00:51:29:12 – 00:51:31:20

Say it was not the right way.

00:51:31:22 – 00:51:33:15

Just just based on the way

00:51:35:06 – 00:51:36:17

that we mean it.

00:51:36:26 – 00:51:45:25

Like it’s all about like did the finish result, you know, did you get what you wanted out of it? So yeah, I think it’s great. I love craftiness.

00:51:46:08 – 00:51:50:20

And it’s all your creative juices flowing. So yeah.

00:51:50:22 – 00:52:06:15

That was when I really realized that like, oh, maybe I do want to make this like investment in a way, because I mean, it would be cool to have something that that was a piece like that that could be versatile but wouldn’t have to be like this. Oh my gosh. Is the model going to be able to survive?

00:52:07:06 – 00:52:08:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:52:08:22 – 00:52:14:21

Is a piece of chicken wire going to pop out. And poke her. I mean, it’s so funny.

00:52:14:23 – 00:52:22:20

It’s like I feel like the way you described it sounds bad, but the chicken wire is hidden. It’s just that the chicken wire, I think it’s really heavy. It’s like adds to the weight of the wig.

00:52:22:22 – 00:52:25:03

Oh, for sure. Yeah, yeah.

00:52:25:21 – 00:52:27:20

Sure. Yeah. That’s why.

00:52:28:06 – 00:52:33:00

You know, a lot of the wig building we use millinery wire, which is the wire. They use it to make hats.

00:52:33:16 – 00:52:35:16

Oh, yeah.

00:52:35:18 – 00:53:08:26

So it’s it’s lighter weight. Oh, definitely. And you can get it in different gauges. So like, you know, if I know that I need to try and get something to be as light as possible, I’m probably going to try and get something in the lightest gauge that I can find that is still going to hold structure. And so and I did I learned the hard way that with actually that pink marie-antoinette wig that I had used the lighter millinery wire because I wanted, you know, I knew the flowers were going to add weight.

00:53:08:28 – 00:53:40:24

So I was trying to cut some of the weight. And and that millinery, that really lightweight millinery wire, didn’t do quite as well in a suitcase. Oh, man. Because I don’t when I when I bring my bring wigs with me, like, you know, the shootout, I’m not shipping on the way. I would if somebody bought one, you know, in a box all like padded out. I’m putting them in a suitcase where I can try and put two or three wigs in and pad it out. And most wigs they great that way.

00:53:40:26 – 00:53:44:12

But that pink one, I had ended up having to rebuild it when I got home.

00:53:44:22 – 00:53:48:04

Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I cried a little.

00:53:51:01 – 00:54:24:02

So. Siobian, I got a few. I’m bringing a little bit of Vegas back with us for the show. So when we were in Vegas, we did a kind of a segment where it involved a little more fun questions, a little bit more stepping away from the business and just kind of see what you as artists think about, you know, whatever it is that I’m asking. So to to ask you. What is the wig that you have in your mind that you wish that you want to create, but you’re just waiting for a photographer to kind of just, like, give you that that.

00:54:24:11 – 00:54:25:17

Oh, my God. Give it to me.

00:54:26:08 – 00:54:27:16

Yes. Okay.

00:54:27:18 – 00:54:28:03

So

00:54:29:29 – 00:54:42:28

I so I saw this picture once and I don’t know where I saw it or I don’t think it was a painting. I think it was like an actual photo, maybe even was an advertisement. I couldn’t tell you. But there was this.

00:54:43:00 – 00:54:44:17

Photo of this woman.

00:54:44:21 – 00:55:01:04

Dressed very like Marie Antoinette, like this, like very rococo, like big dress. And she’s sitting down and she has on a rococo wig like the like the pink one that we were just talking about, but it was like six feet tall. And there was.

00:55:01:06 – 00:55:03:29

A man and there was.

00:55:04:01 – 00:55:04:28

A man on a.

00:55:05:00 – 00:55:05:16

Step.

00:55:05:18 – 00:55:06:06

Ladder.

00:55:06:21 – 00:55:13:20

Styling it like with, like, you know, combs in like like he’s like fixing it and she’s just like.

00:55:13:28 – 00:55:20:09

Like sitting there all glorious. Like it’s normal to have six foot tall hair. And I remember I like having.

00:55:20:11 – 00:55:20:26

This, like.

00:55:21:09 – 00:55:27:08

Imprinted memory of when I saw that and this was like when back before I really.

00:55:27:10 – 00:55:30:13

Knew how to build something like that.

00:55:30:15 – 00:55:34:27

How to build that kind of structure. And like, I just remember I was like, Whoa.

00:55:35:05 – 00:55:38:03

Is this something that could actually be done?

00:55:38:05 – 00:55:52:28

And so and ever since I’ve been like, been on this journey of, of becoming more creative and better at what I do and like understanding structure. I one of these days, I would love to recreate that.

00:55:54:05 – 00:56:03:27

Well, you did have a I was I was looking through your Instagram. You did have a white wig that you had made for a salon that looked fairly tall.

00:56:03:29 – 00:56:05:01

Oh, yeah.

00:56:06:01 – 00:56:06:16

Okay.

00:56:06:20 – 00:56:09:08

That’s my Christmas tree wig. Yeah.

00:56:09:26 – 00:56:12:28

I remember that from Christmas time. Yes.

00:56:13:04 – 00:56:14:16

Yes. I had lights.

00:56:14:18 – 00:56:15:18

In it that go along.

00:56:15:20 – 00:56:19:26

With Rockin Around the Christmas Tree. Yeah.

00:56:19:28 – 00:56:20:13

So

00:56:22:15 – 00:56:29:09

that if you were to take it off of the head, I would say it’s probably two feet, maybe two and a half.

00:56:29:25 – 00:56:30:14

Yeah. Yeah.

00:56:31:01 – 00:56:32:24

We’re building towards it. We’re building towards it.

00:56:33:07 – 00:56:34:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:56:34:09 – 00:56:35:14

It’s two and a half feet.

00:56:35:16 – 00:56:36:01

But then.

00:56:36:03 – 00:56:38:05

The mannequin head that it sits on is also.

00:56:38:07 – 00:56:38:25

Very tall.

00:56:39:02 – 00:56:47:11

So I think like if you were to take that whole thing, maybe you’ve got three feet of of a masterpiece there.

00:56:50:18 – 00:56:52:08

Yeah, so I’m halfway there. Right?

00:56:54:18 – 00:56:58:20

maybe you shouldn’t shoot higher. Maybe you go eight feet, then, my gosh.

00:56:59:28 – 00:57:06:19

Why limit yourself at six. You always held it up and we they can Photoshop the, you know, the strings holding it up.

00:57:07:12 – 00:57:12:25

Yeah. Right. Yeah. That it might be. What has to happen. I don’t know. Yeah. I was going to say this.

00:57:12:27 – 00:57:16:18

Is a wig that’s taller than me and Kevin standing on top of each other.

00:57:17:10 – 00:57:20:21

Yeah, yeah, it. It probably would have.

00:57:20:23 – 00:57:32:03

To be the kind of thing that, like, it was built on, like some kind of freestanding structure in the model. Just had to, like, sit under it. Like the model inserted herself.

00:57:32:08 – 00:57:33:06

Yeah, yeah.

00:57:38:27 – 00:57:39:12

Go ahead.

00:57:39:25 – 00:58:01:03

Oh, I was going to say one one more fun question before we have to wrap it up. So in Vegas, you told us that you worked it with Cirque du Soleil and you did a lot of wigs for them. So what was your favorite show to go ahead and watch in Vegas? Is it a Cirque du Soleil show? Is it a different show?

00:58:01:15 – 00:58:02:00

A little.

00:58:02:02 – 00:58:06:04

Man. That’s a great question. And it’s it’s a hard one. But I will say.

00:58:06:24 – 00:58:08:00

It’s Cirque du Soleil.

00:58:08:02 – 00:58:23:01

Is classic. Like if anybody were to go and visit Vegas and they asked me, I would say go to go to a Cirque show, go, you know, Mystere, that’s where all the acrobats like like it’s like a true circus show.

00:58:24:17 – 00:58:31:03

So, yeah, I would say that. But my next favorite is called Absinthe and it is not for the light hearted.

00:58:32:03 – 00:58:32:24

I thought I.

00:58:32:26 – 00:58:41:14

Saw an ad for that on a taxi and I wondered what it was because yeah, the poster looked very cool and I was like.

00:58:41:22 – 00:58:42:11

What is this?

00:58:42:16 – 00:58:47:06

But I think it was like the day I was leaving, so I didn’t research it. Is it? Yeah, I bet.

00:58:47:26 – 00:59:08:23

If you ever go back in, you are okay with, like, raunchy comedy acrobats and it like just chaos. It is definitely like of all the I’ve seen tons of shows on the strip. It’s my favorite line. And this show has been going on for maybe ten years now. And it’s.

00:59:08:25 – 00:59:09:18

Basically.

00:59:10:09 – 00:59:44:03

It’s, it’s, it’s like a variety show. It’s got a stage that’s like, I don’t know, maybe like. 15 by 15 round platform in the middle of this circus tent. And there’s just characters all over the place, like swinging on swings. And then there’s like a comedian in the corner just telling all kinds of, like, crazy, very inappropriate jokes. And then there’s like a miss, like a maestro, and there is, I think, a male and female.

00:59:44:05 – 00:59:56:21

And then they are in in in between all this, they have these like incredible acrobatic routines that happen. In this case. It doesn’t even make sense that all of this goes together.

00:59:56:23 – 01:00:00:03

But it it is done very well.

01:00:00:05 – 01:00:06:21

And you are never bored. You are always entertained. There’s something going on everywhere you look and you’re just like.

01:00:06:23 – 01:00:08:22

Oh, my, how did somebody.

01:00:08:24 – 01:00:16:08

Come up with this? This is incredible and hilarious and wow, these people might fall on me right now.

01:00:17:15 – 01:00:20:14

Well, I’m sold. I’ll probably go to that next summer.

01:00:21:03 – 01:00:21:27

Yeah, yeah.

01:00:21:29 – 01:00:23:23

I highly, highly recommend it.

01:00:23:27 – 01:00:35:02

Awesome. Well, Siobian, it has been an absolute pleasure having you on with us today. We have hit the one hour mark, but before we let you go, can you please share where people can find you online?

01:00:35:20 – 01:00:48:00

Yeah. So I am on Instagram and Facebook at the Mighty Wig. I also have a website, TheMightyWig.com and yeah, so those would probably be the best places to find me.

01:00:48:06 – 01:01:23:11

Awesome. Everyone, please be sure to go follow those different social media links and make sure to follow the Portrait System on Instagram and on Facebook as well. You can also check out our blog posts that are associated with our clubhouse interviews at SueBryceEducation.com/Blog. You can follow Ashleigh on Instagram. Ashleigh Taylor Portrait that is A s h l e i g h. And you can find me there as poplight_photography. If you are a member of the portrait system and have any more questions for Siobian, Ashleigh or myself, go

01:01:23:13 – 01:01:40:12

Tag us in a post at the Portrait System Members only Facebook group. And if you are not a member of the portrait system, if you are interested in learning more about how it can help your business succeed, reach out to Ella on our support team by emailing support@SueBryceEducation.com. Thank you again for joining us and hope you can join us next week.

01:01:41:00 – 01:02:16:18

Thanks again for listening today. And don’t forget, you can listen to either me or our special guests every Friday on Club House at 11:00 a.m. Pacific. Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System Podcast. Your five-star reviews really help us to continue what we do. So, if you like listening, would you mind giving us a review wherever you listen? I also encourage you to head over to SueBryceEducation.com, where you can find all of the education you need to be a successful photographer. There are over 1,000 on-demand educational videos on things like posing, lighting, styling, retouching, shooting, marketing, sales, business, and self-value

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