You don’t tell your surgeon how to hold a scalpel. She/he has spent a considerable portion of their life learning more about what they do than you’ll ever need or want to know. You trust them. The same holds true for graphic artists, marketers, public relations practitioners, lawyers, arborists, stylists, colorists, embalmers, and entomologists. Anything that can be done, there are people that specialize in it, they’re experts. Reach out and listen to them. If you’re a kick-ass stylist, colorist, or salon owner, there’s a good chance you didn’t have the opportunity to specialize in every other professional realm that exists. However, don’t soak in all this information blindly. Question it. Question everything you hear and see. The only way we have to move forward is by questioning how things are currently being done. There is a lot to be learned from the experts, we can’t exist without them…but there is always more to learn and new ways to do things. Without questioning the experts, life would be very different. Our lives would include bloodletting, lobotomies, fear of sailing off the end of the Earth, believing box color works like a visit to the salon, and thinking that stylists are just people that cut hair. Realize where your weaknesses are, reach out to the experts, and then pause and reflect long enough to make sure you don’t see a better way. Question things enough to know if the accepted method is what works best for you, or if maybe some adjustments are needed.]]>