I was never very good at school. I turned up late to most of my exams and spent more time in my head of house’s office than I did in the classroom. I was so uninterested, and just wanted to be making money.
As soon as I left school I looked into getting an apprenticeship. My mum suggested hairdressing; she had been a hairdresser when she was younger and knew how creative I was.
Fast forward two years and I became the first to graduate from ‘Inspire Hair and Beauty’ at East Riding College with a distinction after they introduced a much more comprehensive end point assessment.
I went on to work at multiple award-winning salons, although I never stayed happy in one place for too long. I always wanted more.
To fill my time in the first lockdown I got a part-time job in Morrisons, to which I spent most of the time hiding in the toilet or in the freezer rooms. This was a wake-up call for me. Working for someone else didn’t make sense to me, and it didn’t motivate me.
After that, I set my sights on owing my own salon and being my own boss.
We’re now coming to the end of the pandemic, but I’m just at the start of my career as the youngest salon owner in Yorkshire at 20.
Photographic Journalism 