How old are your kids and how long have you lived in Westport/the area? My twin boys, Jagger and Bryceson, are 10 and are in 5th grade. I am not sure when that happened because it seems like yesterday I was getting them ready for kindergarten! I grew up in Westport, moved to NYC in my early 20s and then came back to Connecticut in 2020 when the twins were 2.5 years old. My salon, The Artist Loft, is on the corner of Riverside Ave/Post Rd.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job? I was “born into the salon business!” My mother had multiple salons in Westport and when I was 10 I remember helping her with the shampoo station – I had a step stool to reach the shampoo sink.
When I was 11, I completed my first set of foils on my own at sleep away camp. I did the foils on a camp counselor and when I took a photo and my mother developed the pictures, she was shocked that my foils were perfectly placed. She said she knew I would be a hairdresser because who goes to the camp kitchen, gets foil and cuts them to do color?
I even gave our dog hair cuts, and anyone who would let me practice on them!
While in NYC, I not only worked in a hair salon in Midtown, but I styled hair for photo and video shoots, which was a different type of creative experience. I would spend hours learning from stylists and seeing the connections the stylists had with their clients. I started growing my personal business with in-home one-on-one appointments, which helped me realize that when I opened my own salon, I’d want to provide the same exclusive one-on-one experience for my clients.
It’s a privilege to be creative daily with really cool people (my clients are awesome!) and make it my own.
What is the best show you have recently (binge) watched? Leanne on Netflix (it’s an easy show to watch)
What is one food you could not live without? Sushi
What is one product you could not live without?
For hair – Brazilian Blowout solution
For skin – Vitamin E
What is your greatest fear? Dying alone, and something not so morbid – losing all I worked so hard for
What is your greatest indulgence? Nighttime social media scrolling and zoning out for sure
Which talent would you most like to have? To sing; I bet my kids wish I could also because they are hard judges when I’m singing Disney songs!
If you did not live where you do, where would you like to live? Go back to South America and live in Colombia. It’s truly one of my favorite places out of everywhere I have traveled. I was born in Colombia, and my father still lives there so I have a connection to the culture.
If you weren’t doing what you are today, what might your career path might have been? 100% I’d be a therapist. I mean most people don’t listen to their therapist lol so I chose to be a stylist because who doesn’t listen to their hairdresser?! But seriously, it turns out my passion for listening has helped me acquire and retain my clients. It’s not hard to listen when you care about who is sitting in your chair. This industry is unique because I get to see my clients at all stages of their lives – happy events like a wedding, a baby shower, college graduation, new job, etc. Or at a low point, like after a break-up or a death in the family.
I hold space for each client individually as they grow in their lives and feel honored to make them feel and look beautiful. I help guide them into changes that make them feel more confident. My clients trust me with their hair, but also with their stories.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Who are your heroes in real life? Real life heroes – my grandmother. She was a singer and a real estate agent and truly a remarkable woman. She showed me what being a strong and loving woman looked like, and how to balance both.
And my kids. I was so scared when we found out they have autism. It was extremely difficult at first. I had 3 hours per day, 5 days a week of in-home therapy and lots of other therapies for them from age 2 to 8 years old. Now they are in mainstream classrooms and thriving. As hard as it was on me, I really honor all the hard work they put in. They teach me daily how to show up in life and be myself, and that’s heroic in itself.
QUICK THIS OR THAT:
At a movie: Candy or Popcorn? Kettle cooked popcorn
Cook or order in? Order in
Game night/movie night? Movie night
Ketchup or Mustard? Mustard
TikTok or Insta? TikTok
Stream a movie/Go to the theatre? Go to a theater
Text or call? Call
Sauna? Or cold plunge? Sauna
Sauce on top or on the side? On top
Beach or Mountain? Beach
Comedy or Drama? Comedy
To contact Bianca, you can email her here anytime: [email protected] or visit The Artist Loft.