Sticking to a brief can be hard when you are creative and have ideas popping up everywhere. However, with years of experience styling for A-list celebs including Khloe Kardashian, Maya Jama and Rochelle Humes, Jay Birmingham shares his advice on sticking to a creative brief whether you are styling for a photoshoot, event or a celebrity...
Knowledge is Power
Firstly, Jay recommends that you give your input before the brief is signed off. You are the expert in the field so you will know more about the client's hair, what will and won't work and what will look best. Whether your ideas are taken on board or not, it ultimately shows initiative when you put your ideas forward.
Jay always ensures he digs deeper into the brief and asks as many questions as he can to understand the thought process behind the whole look; the story behind it, why it was chosen, which are the most important aspects and so on. This way, you will be able to create a look with enhanced knowledge and appreciation for the look.
Communicate
As always, communication is key, so if you have any concerns at any point of the process, make sure you communicate them. Jay believes that transparency builds trust, so as long as you update everyone during the process, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Stick to the Brief
Jay turns to the phrase ‘agree to disagree’ - sometimes you may get a brief that you don’t particularly like or agree with, but you just need to get on with it. You may have experiences where you want to do things in a different way to make the style look better. However, remember that you are getting paid to achieve the brief, not disagree with it, and sometimes you need to do things that you don't agree with.
Do your Homework
It’s easy to get carried away and start drifting from the brief when you are in 'the zone'. Therefore, it’s important that you study the brief with plenty of time before the big day and keep it on hand while creating the look so that this doesn't happen.
Most importantly, Jay concludes that you need to make sure you have fun and enjoy the experience. And, as with everything, practice makes perfect.
