My Henna Toolkit: Light

Before you begin reading this blog post, I must get some serious legal stuff out and into the open for our mutual protection…

‘Created By Connie’ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Today’s blog post is sponsored with affiliate Amazon links, which means that at no extra cost to you, I may get a small commission if you click through and buy an item.  Thank you for your support!

Yup. I signed up as an Amazon Associate. For a few reasons really. One is that I consider shopping to be one of my superpowers [ask anyone who has been out shopping with me. Seriously. Anybody.]

The second is that among the most popular of my social media posts are those featuring the various nick-nacks I have curated to form my henna kit(s) used for various conditions and situations so it seemed reasonable to be able to put my name and backing behind any recommendations for developing your kit as a professional henna artist. This way you will also know that I have extensively browsed All The Available Shopping Options and that I have personally tried or used the recommended product (or similar wherever the identical item is not available – which I will highlight).

Finally, I’m a Yorkshire born and bred shopper: I love a bargain and I seldom allow myself to really splash out on something extravagant (although I’ll admit, there are semi-regular points in the year where this policy is blatantly ignored – see below).

So, let’s begin: LIGHT

Hello everyone. My name is Connie and I am addicted to buying LED lighting solutions.

I currently have 5 portable light sources in my henna toolkit (and actually another 2 that I don’t think are really worth talking about *cough*). The usage of each one rotates depending on the working conditions and also my mood at the time. I shall start with the most expensive…

1) Petzl Mixed Actik Headlight, unisex, Actik, blue, One Size


So, here’s the thing with headlamps. Nobody really enjoys wearing these. They’re goofy and they squish your hair, and I know this very well. So WHY did I buy such a swish and fancy headlamp? My logic for this was that I know me; I know that if I bought a £3.99 headlamp for work, I would never wear it. It would remain in the kit bag, untouched. However, if I invested in a fancy, expensive headlamp I would feel obliged to use it in order to justify the cost. And so I am the proud owner of a Petzl Tikka XP Active Yellow Outdoors Sports Lighting Headlamp Head Torch which cost me £44.95 at the time, similar to the one pictured above. It is AAA battery powered and I have to say, as goofy as it looks when I’m wearing it, I feel immensely smug when I am able to light up my working area without having to adjust my positioning for shadows! I use this for poor lighting condition when applying foot henna and also bridal henna – it’s particularly useful when tackling the tricky ‘bermuda triangle’ space on the side/backs of the arms.

2) E-Plaza 2-in-1 Portable Power Bank and Foldable LED Desk Lamp 2 Lighting Modes Eye Protection Foldable USB Table Lamp for Reading

Okay, so this isn’t the exact LED Lamp/Power Bank that I have (this one actually looks better than mine, and is cheaper than the one I bought as well – boo). I have a similar lamp made by a brand call ‘Samson’, and is no longer available to buy. It is a rechargeable LED Lamp which also has USB outlets so it can be used as a power bank for recharging your phone – Genius! And as it’s white, I stuck my business sticker on it, and voila! A branded lamp. I’m crazy about sticking my name on All The Things. Just ask anyone who has seen my kits IRL.

LED power bank lamp in use at HennaCon 2017

3) OttLite LED Mini Clip Light

I have one of these OttLite mini clip lights in WHITE inside my festival/corporate party henna toolkit. I’ve used this in a pub, clipped to the top of a pint glass for extra light (because who on earth will wear a Petzl headlamp in a pub, for goodness’ sake?) This is AA battery powered, and switches on as soon as you flip it open. The catch to this is that you need to carry extra batteries incase they run out mid-application. But saying that, my batteries haven’t run out yet and I bought this 2 years ago. However, I have been super conservative about using it. I prefer to use the rechargeable light options where possible. I keep this permanently in my festival kit as it’s always super handy. As far as I am concerned, you can never have too much light for a henna situation!

Clip light providing lighting in a pub!

4) Auraglow Wireless Dimmable Desk Lamp USB Rechargeable Folding LED Reading Light – Gold

My most recent purchase [and favourite] lighting solution is this Auraglow reading light. I actually bought it for around £21 over on eBay, then signed up to Amazon Associates and found it for £14.99!! What! And it’s free shipping. I had to wait 2 weeks for mine to be delivered from abroad! Anyway, this lamp is super slick and sexy. It’s USB rechargeable and has 3 levels of brightness. The clever designs means that it can be positioned in a wide variety of angles. It also comes with a wall mount clip so you could hang it from a wall and extend the frame so that the lamp reaches out. When folded down, it’s basically flat packed and easy to store. My favourite thing about it is how it FEELS. It’s metal (aluminium, I think) and has a very tactile weight to it. Very strokable and touchable. And very elegant. This lamp attracts many compliments whenever it is used and is suitable for pretty much all henna situations.

5) Ultrabright 160 LED Rechargeable Cordless Worklight Garage Inspection Lamp – Mains and Car Cigarette Charger Included

And my final light for this blog post is this rechargeable garage light. I actually bought 4 of these to use around my festival tent set up. I searched for these based on a recommendation by Kendra at Crescent Moon Henna. Each lamp has a magnetic clip, but I fasten them to my tent frame using bungee ties and twist to position. They’re actually a little bit dimmer than I would personally prefer – but they are sufficient to work by as tested at an event at the end of Summer 2017. Plus, I top up with all the above lamps above, so, it’s not like I’m lacking in light sources.  I will still be looking to supplement this lighting with either more of these lamps, or possibly trying a brighter work light in the centre of the tent.

 

So there you have it. My top 5 light sources for use as a henna artist. Let me know if you use any of these, or if you click through and decide to buy one through the affiliate links. And I am ALWAYS interested in hearing in more suggestions to add to my Henna Toolkit! You can email me (bookings@createdbyconnie.co.uk) or comment on my Facebook or Instagram posts. I’m looking forward to hearing all your updates!


Awards & Validation

There’s something that’s been playing on my mind for a few weeks (other than the dreaded tax return, but let’s just pretend that doesn’t exist for now).

For the second consecutive year, I have had the honour of being nominated for the title of ‘Henna Artist of the Year (North)’ with the British Asian Wedding Awards. Last year’s experience in London’s Mayfair was certainly one to remember and remains one of the highlights of my business life cycle so far. When I received the phone call and notification of being shortlisted as a finalist again, I felt somewhat bemused and surprisingly ambivalent. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to accept the nomination/shortlisting and attend the glitzy affair in London again.

So, in true millennial style as befitting our current culture, I decided to throw it out to my social media (Instagram and Facebook Page) followers and asked them: Should I accept and attend again?

The results were extreme:

Instagram: ‘Hell Yeah’ = 83%; ‘Na, U don’t need validation’ = 17%

Facebook: ‘Yas’ = 97%; (22 ‘likes’) ‘Nah’ = 3% (including 1 thoughtful advisory comment)

So, it made me think. Overwhelmingly, my supporters and followers are very VERY much in favour of me attending the awards ceremony. A select few of you will be very aware of the moral dilemma I experienced following the awards ceremony. While it generated plenty of attention, including a radio interview, magazine feature and local press coverage, I was concerned about the judging process that assessed the henna industry; were they aware of the difference between imitation henna and natural henna, for example? I wasn’t truly convinced. And there’s a huge part of this process that doesn’t fully sit comfortably with me, nor does it fall in line with the integrity that I hope I have carefully nurtured and developed within the henna community over the years. Wouldn’t this just undermine my credibility?

Judging by the responses to my social media surveys: Apparently not. For the overwhelming majority of my friends, clients and supporters the awards are seen as a great thing for me and my business: A chance at recognition.

For business, it has been great since I jumped on all the opportunities it offered and took full advantage of the chance for exposure. For my personal sense of validation as an artist, my creativity and henna ability, it made little to no difference.  Which is where I currently stand, on the proverbial fence, undecided about the final decision. But with the statistics as they stand, it would be disrespectful to you, dear reader, the voters and all my supporters to decline the nomination. Fundamentally, this nomination and award is really a demonstration of thanks and gratitude to you all.

Then a more profound line of thought began to manifest itself… Maybe, this isn’t really about validation for me (*gasp* shocker, whut?!) but about what I can continue to bring to the henna industry as a business-person – The message that Natural Fresh Henna is the only acceptable option; The high standard that needs to be set for henna professionals; The benefits of building a strong and supportive henna community; The honouring of the thousands of years of henna body art that has transcended colour, culture or religion; and the truly enriching experience that henna brings to us all. Maybe… THIS is the purpose of the awards and my nomination?

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Other News:

The online shop has temporarily been disabled due to technical issues. Your patience is gratefully appreciated while we work out the kinks behind the scenes.

The second ‘Intro to Henna’ workshop will be taking place in Manchester at 1pm on Saturday 27th of January. BOOK YOUR PLACE HERE.

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2018: The Year For Self Care

You may or may not have noticed that it’s been roughly 4 months since my last blog post.

Oops.

I can only explain that last summer was a very busy time for my 2nd year in business, and as veteran entrepreneurs will easily diagnose, I simply burned myself out. I continued through Autumn, Henna Con with putting one foot in front of another and providing the highest quality service in my capability, but I was lacking in emotional energy, never really truly replenishing.

So, over the holiday season, I took a social media black-out – unannounced. I’m not abandoning it, you understand. I was just taking time to re-energise, rejuvenate and replenish my energy stores. There are so many benefits to using social media, but it does come with substantial costs: Time; Mental energy; Emotional energy; Creativity. And all of these could be applied to other practical business activities. Large corporations and businesses have TEAMS of people who manage the social media accounts. I am currently working with a company where I have communicated with a regional manager, a website programmer and a social media executive. It highlighted that I am doing all three of these roles for myself in my business – it’s no wonder I burnt out!

When I slowly returned, I noticed a very similar theme among the accounts that I follow regularly: Social Media Fatigue. The very task of posting images, status updates, tweets, links and so on had become an emotionally draining chore. And the kicker is: Social Media Works. It kicks up your SEO for your website. It increases your exposure and credibility. People look to your social media to glean a more rounded understanding of YOU and your brand. It WORKS… and here I was taking a break from it… #insane.

So I begin 2018 with the resolution to practice better SELF CARE: To reconnect with my self and my ethos. To take better care of myself and know when to rest. To nurture and maintain the connectivity and authenticity in my business practices and in my social media interactions. To improve the quality of my activities as a result of better self-care.

My chosen image for today is this very special hamsa foot design for Georgina at ‘On the Lash’. As a fellow entrepreneur, she and I often connect over the mutual feeling of the insatiable passion to improve, the drive to provide quality service, the unending creative thought process, the difficult task of tearing ourselves away from work, switching off the phone/devices, and finally, the inability to take time for self-care. This photo symbolises one of those rare occasions when a hard-working, self-employed boss FINALLY took some time for themselves. Let me tell you, it is a hard task pinning this individual down for her regular dose of henna therapy! So when the occasion finally arises, I always, always ensure that it is an intention filled and beautiful experience for her, because dammit, it’s what we all deserve!

I challenge you all to have a think: When was the last time you took the time to take care of yourself? Switched off, and really indulged*? If it’s already been too long, maybe it’s time to schedule that time in now.

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Henna [therapy] Appointments available to book online

NEW Henna Workshops for 2018:

7pm-9:30pm. Thursday 18th January 2018 @ Fox and the Magpie, Shipley Bradford

1pm-3:30pm. Saturday 27th January 2018 @ Cass Art Manchester

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*The irony of the fact that entrepreneurs view standard self-care (eating, resting, exercise etc) as an indulgence.

P.S. I am currently experiencing technical issues with the layout of my website and have yet to fully comprehend the reasons for this. Please bear with me as we fix these issues -Thank you for your patience!