Annie Leibovitz oversteps on her shoot with Queen Elizabeth II. Ooops.

Yesterday afternoon I had my hair done. I went to a relatively new salon and this was the first time the stylist had ever worked on my hair. I met with her last week for a consultation ahead of time, mostly because I’ve had a really bad history of not-great (some terrible) stylists since moving here to San Diego, and she impressed me during that meeting. She listened and gave what sounded like her honest opinion on what we could and should do and, without sounding like a jerk, came across as competent and confident that she could make me look good. Hesitant as I was to spend a significant sum on my hair (again), after so many past disappointments, I booked the appointment.

Yesterday, during the (long) process, she continued to impress. She was totally prepared when I arrived and remembered exactly what we had spoken about the week before. She was friendly, positive, and listened at least as much as she spoke (which is a good way of treating clients in any service industry).

At one point, I asked her the most crucial question (and I should have asked this on the first meeting): Why do you do hair? She replied that she had to do hair–she had always done the hair of her friends and family, for as long as she could remember, and she just loved it–the creativity, challenge, etc. It was what she always wanted to do. She went on to say that there is always something new to learn and she takes classes whenever she can even though she’s been doing hair professionally for years now.

Ding! We have a winner! She exuded passion for what she does. I knew at that moment that I was at least safe in her hands. Later, the results proved that she was, in fact, a talented pro and I’m very happy I found her. After years of hair frustration and disappointment, I finally have found a great stylist: Sarah Salt at Disconnected.

But what else she said is important for us in our creative businesses: she has a second job working in insurance. Why? Because she has worked at the insurance company for years, including when she went through beauty school, and the salon won’t be offering benefits for a little while yet. She put herself through beauty school by working in insurance and working that job now permits her to follow her passion. She has no love for insurance, but she is respected by the company, does her job very well, and could, in fact, have made that her career (a nice, stable career)–but her passion is hair and she is doing whatever it takes to follow that passion. It’s been a long haul for her, but she is very close to achieving her goal. For now that means working 12+ hour days, but she isn’t selling out her industry or herself in the process.

I’ve had photographers (and a few other creatives) complain when I have said that rather than give away rights to get a project, or lowball, it would be better for them to wait tables or get a temp job to pay their bills and to work on their business (targeting the right clients) at the same time. Sarah’s story proves that not only can it be done, doing the right thing pays off in the long run. Is it a lot of work? You bet your dupa. But it is the best way to achieve your goals without compromising your vision.

Carol Dweck, a Stanford professor, has a new book out that I intend to read very soon. It’s called Mind Set: The New Psychology of Success and I’m simply fascinated by the theme. Dr. Dweck posits that there are essentially two different mindsets in the population: the fixed and the growth.

Someone with a fixed mindset assumes that his/her intelligence, abilities, etc., are, essentially, pre-determined. That is, either you have the potential, smarts, whatever to do something or you don’t. If you say to yourself “I can’t do math” you may have a fixed mindset.

A fixed person also hates to make a mistake and sees any level/type of failure as a serious negative. So, if, for example, the fixed person thinks she can’t do math, she won’t even try to learn math because she might not be able to do it well right off and that would, in her mind, prove her point–”I can’t do math–I tried and I failed–period.”

This mindset causes fixed people to be risk-averse and, in the long run, limits their potential for success.

The growth mindset person, however, accepts that failures aren’t fun, but what they do is give a person an opportunity to learn and to grow. Growth people take risks, make mistakes, and keep trying. Because of this attitude, growth people are more often successful.

A growth person might say “I’m not very good at math” but, knowing that math will help her career goals, she would take classes to get better. If she struggles, she’ll seek out other sources for help (tutors, etc.).

Dr. Dweck, according to the reviews and interviews with her I have read/heard, offers help to change. If you’re a fixed person, you can become a growth one. Even before reading her book, I can believe that because that is what I have done in my own life.

So, which are you? If you’re a fixed person, are you willing to take the first risk and try to change?