Meet Kori Jackson | Hairstylist, Braider

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kori Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kori, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
What makes me the happiest is being able to express myself in a way that inspires and reflects in others. Being a hairstylist and braider, in my eyes it is a form of art. I’ve always been a creative perfectionist and when it came to anything I did, I wanted to create the most original yet flawless work I could. Starting my business was the gate to showcase my talents and creative side. Before starting it, I was nervous and did not have nearly as much confidence as I do now. What kept me going was the feedback I received and knowing that my clients are a walking showcase of my work. Having them be stopped by family, friends, strangers to be informed that their crown is beautiful not only brings them joy but it reassures me that what I am doing is great work. Even when I have followers of mine tell me how inspired they are brings me so much happiness and joy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
In the beauty industry, there is so much to offer and doing hair has been something that’s always been an outlook for me to express myself and my creative side. What sets me apart is my consistency. I’ve always been a perfectionist when it comes to anything I put my mind and heart towards and when giving a service like hairstyling, that to me is others trusting me and my work. With every client, I bring the utmost of respect, personality, timeliness, and overall treatment because not only are new opportunities always hiding within the clients, but staying consistent insures that everyone is treated the same and they know the quality of work they are receiving for not only themselves but for others they recommend to me. Being consistent has not only benefited me while building my clientele, social media has played a huge role in getting my name out in the world. In return I’ve been able to receive a larger following, brand deals, and many other amazing opportunities that are getting me closer and closer to my life goals. Although everything hasn’t been sweet all the time, the only real difficult times were when I got a little overwhelmed and it caused me to lack in consistency. I began to lose sight of what I was to become simply because I saw so many things I needed to accomplish and did not seem to be motivated by the workload. I’ve learned to grow past this though, if I didn’t have a million things to achieve I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I’d be the one to always take the easy route and I pledged to never do it again. Everything that I do and achieve is for the world to see the good things in my profession. Hairstyling takes hours or even days to achieve a desired look and if it wasn’t for the long days and nights of dedication, no one would be satisfied. When you can be creative and have a walking showcase of your work, it becomes a different feeling. A feeling of satisfaction and power.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of my favorite spots to go when I have friends visiting is Tempe Town Lake. There’s always something going on over there and there’s always a diverse crowd that go. Walking around the lake and looking at the lights of the bridge when it’s a little darker outside have always been my favorite part. You can rent scooters and bikes. to ride around the lake and area too. But even better, walking up “A” Mountain and seeing the city lights by far is an experience I’d recommend to everyone visiting. Sunrise and sunset are definitely an experience everyone should check out. Not only that but Tempe Marketplace is not very far and they even have a little shopping center with amazing restaurants. My favorite is King’s Fish House because I love fish but for the non fish lovers they have a huge menu full of other options too.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout goes out to one of my first clients. In 2020, the world had shut down and many lost their jobs; including me. I had just graduated high school after our spring break turned into our summer break and I was stuck at home with no job. I delivered food on door dash to get a little money but I had really gotten into doing my own hair at this time because if I messed up, I didn’t have to leave the house or have much contact with people. For the next year and a half, I was able to practice and perfect every hairstyle I would later offer. But for the time being I started doing natural hairstyle to hustle a little money with no real intent of taking it serious until I met one of my first clients who had never had braids before. I had eventually did his hair about 4 or 5 separate times until the last time I did his hair. On June 31st, 2021, I was doing his hair and he expressed that he had started a business in training athletes and within a year of him starting, he was already making a 6 figure income. Our conversation inspired me because although they are two different professions, they both require clientele and to me that was all the advice I needed. I got this immediate feeling of “I know what I am meant to do”. I saw myself in that moment and took the opportunity. I would make social media accounts for my business that same night, started taking more pictures of my clients, promote myself daily, and become the successful person I am today all because of this one conversation that changed it all. Thank you Jordan.

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