Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Fernandez.
Lauren, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been into drawing since I was real young, I was that kid that would never pay attention in class and always be drawing on herself, papers, desks, anything I could touch my gel pens to. I always was fascinated with henna art, I thought the designs and patterns were just beautiful and I began drawing them at a young age. Now, skip forward eleven years and this is where my career began, 22 years young. I was working at an old job and my manager asked me where she could get some henna done? I said “well, if you buy some I can do it.” So she did, and I did the henna. As payment she gave me the rest of the product and that’s when I took to my social media and let everyone know “I do henna now.” Eventually everything started to snowball, my work was getting better, I was getting more clients, my social media platform was growing, and I began to really start getting noticed. A year into me doing henna I quit my day job and decided I wanted to put all the time and effort I was giving to someone else’s business into myself and my craft. Once I did that everything leveled up. I was working on Melrose at this nail salon called Kandiland, my clientele was growing, as well as my exposure. I started dong celebrity clients and parties, big events like Vidcon, grand openings for stores, and of course many personal clients. Now, here I am almost two and a half years later and I am so proud to be able to say I do what I love and am passionate about for a living. If you would have told me 3 years ago this would be my job, I would have never have believed it. But its real, it’s happening, and I couldn’t be more happy and thankful that this all played out the way it did.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is ever really smooth sailing, without the contrast between hills and valleys we wouldn’t know how great it feels to finally make it to the top of that hill we’ve been staring at from the bottom of the valley. Art is always a struggle, it’s a hustle that can be difficult for people to really respect and take seriously. My biggest issue is people who just want to take advantage of me. I think it’s easy for people to “forget” this is my real job, they think because it’s just me drawing on them in henna that it’s a hobby but in reality its how I pay my bills. The hardest thing for me was learning to say “no.” Luckily I have reached a point in my career that I finally feel okay saying it, standing up and speaking up for myself was difficult to learn but I’m very glad I did. If I don’t feel comfortable doing what a client wants and it’s out of my element, I’ll kindly decline, If a client is being too difficult or trying extremely hard to negotiate a price rather than accept what I have given, I’ll kindly decline. I’ve learned you really have to find a respect for yourself and know its okay to decline if need be. Henna is a very peaceful experience so if there’s any sort of conflict or negative energy it will affect the work and experience.
Henna By Blu – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Henna By Blu is just a one man show, me, myself, and I. I’m known as one of the Los Angeles based henna artists. I have many people who find me through social media, or even some out-of-towners who google “best henna artist in LA” and I pop up. I think what sets me apart from others is just the full experience of getting a henna from me. I love being able to capture someone’s personality and vibe and turn it into a custom piece of art for them to wear. I enjoy meeting all the different walks of life that cross my path and being able to take such a traditional and beautiful art and putting my twist on it to customize it for my client. Henna is so much more than just an art form for me, it’s an energy exchange. I pride myself in making sure my clients enjoy themselves to the fullest and always leave feeling energized and in love with their new henna.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It’s honestly kind of hard for me to pinpoint my proudest moment in my career, I’ve hit a few milestones on the way to where I am now that were proud moments for me. Every time I felt I was moving up or getting noticed in my career was a proud moment, every time I’ve paid off my rent and bills with money I earned from doing my art was a proud moment, and still to this day, every time I hear my client say ” I love it” or ” I’m obsessed” and I see the joy in them, that’s always a proud moment.
Pricing:
- Hand/Foot Piece $45
- Quarter Sleeve Piece $65
- Half Sleeve Piece $85
- Neck Piece $100+
Contact Info:
- Website: Hennabyblu.com
- Phone: 7144015802
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @hennabyblu
- Yelp: Henna By Blu
Image Credit:
5th image shot by @krishphotos, 3rd image shot by @yesmikedanger
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
