So you want to be a colourist? lisa shepherd reveals all

Do you see the world in glorious technicolour? If you think a role as colourist could be for you, read on as we grill Lisa Shepherd about her life in colour. 1. When did you decide you wanted to be a hairdresser? OK, so I have to admit... I followed a guy I fancied in to doing hairdressing at college! Turns out that's where I found my real true love; hairdressing. 2. Where did you train? I trained at college to start with, but by far the most I learnt was while working with the great Umberto Giannini. He was the most amazing hairdresser to work with and the things I learnt through him have been invaluable during my career. 3. What was your first job like? My first hairdressing job was with Umberto, but I'd actually worked as a stable girl on a yard of 52 horses before that - so I’ve never been afraid of hard work. 4. When did you decide you wanted to focus on colour? I think colour chose me as much as I chose it. Working with colour just always felt completely natural to me. I was fascinated by it from the very beginning and that fascination has never gone away. 5. What is it about being a colourist that you love? I love that there’s a whole set of colour rules you have to learn, and once you’ve mastered them you can start to bend them. It’s great to be able to challenge yourself and push the limits. Colour really allows you to do that. 6. What is your average day like - if there is such a thing? For me it’s the fact that there’s no average day which keeps me loving my job. I still do clients (I couldn’t imagine not doing any clients!), I teach, I’m involved in shoots, I work closely with Redken on new ideas and initiatives, plan shows, work with my team... you name it I do it! 7. Do you still go on courses to boost your colour knowledge and techniques? Not so much courses, but I love being involved in industry events and there’s a super-exciting project coming up with Redken really soon which is going to be fantastic and which I've enjoyed being involved in. 8. What piece of advice would you give your student self? Never give up and never take no for an answer. Be respectful and helpful and always be prepared to go that extra mile - it will be noticed. Looking for your next career move? Take a look at HJi Jobs for all of the latest hair and beauty job opportunities! Lisa Shepherd has three salons in the West Midlands and is the pioneer of the Color Bar - a fast, budget-friendly alternative to colour which scooped her HJ's Innovation Award in 2014. She is a former British Hairdresser of the Year, was the colour queen on 10 Years Younger and is in the British Hairdressing Awards Hall of Fame for winning Schwarzkopf Professional British Colour Technician of the Year on three occasions.