The Intro-to-Everything Problem

Episode 4: The Intro-to-Everything Problem

I don't think students are lazy. I think they're hopeful.

In an industry where "learn it all" trainings have become the norm, many artists leave with multiple certifications but very little confidence. Not because they aren't capable—but because they were overloaded.

In this episode, Shannon Housley explores the appeal of multi-certification programs, the overwhelm that often follows, and why proficiency isn't built through exposure alone. If you've ever questioned whether you were cut out for this industry after leaving a training feeling unprepared, this conversation is a reminder that the problem may not have been you.

You weren't incapable. You were introduced to everything and expected to feel proficient at something.

Honest conversations about permanent makeup, paramedical tattooing, ethics, artistry, mentorship, and raising the standard in the restorative beauty industry.

Hosted by Shannon Housley, founder of Housley Institute and a nationally recognized paramedical tattoo artist and educator.

Follow the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Learn more at www.housleyinstitute.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Inc. and Integrity. I'm Shannon Housely, founder of Housley Institute. This podcast is for artists who care about mastering the craft, protecting their clients, and raising the standard in permanent cosmetic and paramedical tattooing. Today's episode is called The Intro to Everything Problem. And before we get into it, I want to start with this. I don't think students are lazy. I think they're hopeful. I think they're excited. I think they're ambitious. And I think they're trying to build a better life. They're trying to leave the job they hate. They're trying to support their family. They're looking for flexibility, creativity, independence, and a career they're passionate about. And then they discover permanent makeup. And what do they see? They see ads everywhere that say, learn three services in two days, become certified in five techniques in one week, and fast track your way to six figures. And honestly, why wouldn't they believe it? Because it's everywhere. It's being marketed by those so-called educators. It's being shared on social media, and it's being presented as a normal route into PMU. So when a new artist sees these opportunities, they're not questioning the ethics behind them. They're not asking whether it's realistic. They're thinking, this sounds amazing. I can save time. I can save money, and I'll leave prepared. But that's where I think we have a problem. Because when you don't know what you don't know, especially when you're starting out into a new career, it's impossible to evaluate whether the education you're receiving is actually adequate. And that's not a criticism of students. It's simply the reality of being brand new at something. You know, you don't know what you don't know. And I call this the intro to everything problem because what many artists are actually getting isn't mastery, it isn't confidence, it isn't proficiency, it's an introduction, an introduction to brows, an introduction to lips, an introduction to scar camouflage, an introduction to areola tattooing. And when you jam teaching three or four different services into a few days, you're you're only getting a little bit of everything, but nowhere near enough depth to truly understand any one thing fully, the way it really needs to be understood to perform good work. And that's why I have a problem with these multi-service learn everything in a few days. And then after training, the students go home. And this is the part that nobody talks about. The certificate is hanging on the wall, the excitement has worn off. And suddenly they're staring at their machine thinking, now what? Am I doing this right? Why don't I feel confident? Why does everyone else seem to have this figured out except for me? I hear that a lot from my students who have come into my class after taking multiple certifications somewhere, and they're saying, I still don't feel ready. I still don't know what I'm really doing. I don't know why my work isn't healing the way it should. And I don't feel confident. And what I want those students to know is it wasn't because you weren't capable. It wasn't because you weren't artistic enough. And it wasn't because you didn't work hard enough. You were trying to build confidence and proficiency after only an introduction to a service. That's the problem with those multi-service courses. I think as a society, we've bought into the idea that more is better, more certifications, more services, more letters behind our names. But sometimes more isn't better. Sometimes it's just more, more information, more confusion, more self-doubt. Because here's the truth brows are complex, lips are complex, scar camouflage is definitely complex, and areola tattooing is very complex. Each one of these techniques requires its own understanding of anatomy, mastery, troubleshooting, pigment considerations, and technique refinements. These aren't just services, they're skills. And skills take time, even when you take a course that teaches one skill over three or four or five days, even when you're just learning that one skill, skills are going to take time to build. But when you're cramming multiple skills into training sessions, you're not going to have the knowledge needed to develop those skills properly. Students are expecting that this class will teach them everything they need to know about a service. But then these multi-classes, they're only learning a small glimpse into each technique. It's like trying to put a puzzle together without all of the pieces. It's just not going to work. And let's be honest, on paper, these trainings make a lot of sense. Because if I can learn brows, lips, and eyeliner all at once, I'm saving money on travel, I'm taking less time off work, and I'm walking away with three certifications instead of one. Why wouldn't I do that? I mean, I totally understand why students choose this route. You know, especially if you have a single mom who's working two jobs, trying to build a new career and trying to build a better income. This multi-training sounds efficient. It sounds responsible. It sounds like the smart choice. And I know I've said it before, but I think I lucked into how I got started. I think I could have easy as easily, because I am a value shopper, let me tell you, I'm looking for the best deal. I could have easily hopped into one of those multi-service, multi-multi-service trainings. And I didn't. And I think it was just luck at the draw. I I found a local course that taught one service at a time. And I really, I didn't want to go online training. I wanted to make sure if if I'm learning something the first time, I want something to be hands-on. So again, I also, you know, knew that that's how I learn better, not necessarily by watching, but by doing and by having that feedback from someone. So I know I could have easily gone down this route as well, but I did really want to make sure that I understood how I was supposed to do these techniques that I was learning. And I took my time. And I think that's the other thing I try to get across to students is take your time, learn one service, spend a few months working on it, learn another service. It it took me, gosh, probably a whole year and a half of building my service arsenal slowly, actually working right away, doing models first and then working on clients. But I was practicing, I was doing it. I was practicing on practice skin, I was practicing on models, and and then I would do it for a few months, see healed results, figure out, hey, what do I need to change? What um, what do I need to work on before I actually charge someone for this? You know, I've had students who take take the class and then they are like, I want to know pricing so that I can set up people to pay me to do this right after I've learned it. And I tell them, no, no, no, no, you need to hold on. This is gonna, I'm teaching you this, but it's going to take time to build your skill. So again, I know I could have gone down the path of falling for the multi-certification in a few days trainings because it was all over Instagram, it was all over Facebook when I was looking for permanent makeup. But I didn't. And here I am, eight years later, I've gone the slow route in building it. You know, like I said, it took me a year and a half to get all of my certifications. And and I did. I always felt that drive that I need to hurry. I'm I'm behind. I want to learn it all. But I also had that need to learn things the right way and to feel confident in doing them. And that's why I took my courses the way I did. But I again, students start off, they don't know what they don't know in this industry, and it's easy for them to go, oh, this makes sense. It's much cheaper for me to learn this, this, and this. And I have students who ask me all of the time about my academy and hey, why don't you teach this and this together? Or why can't I learn? Or can I come in and I can I learn this service and then learn the other service the following week? I'm I'm flying in from California. Can I maximize my time with you? Can you teach me areolas and can I learn lip blush the following week? No, no, you can't. I don't advise it. And I I know everyone's different in how they learn and what they do, but that's that's kind of what I stand behind. I mean, think of it. Think of a student coming home, put yourself in their shoes. You've finished training, you've got your kit, you've got your certificate. Everyone's congratulating you because you've already posted some photos on Facebook and you think, this is it. My my new career is starting now. And then next week rolls around and you're sitting at your kitchen table and you open your kit, and and that excitement suddenly turns into, wait, what do I do first? What if I mess up? What if I hurt someone? What if I don't feel ready? That is why going into the right training the first time can be such a time saver in the long run and a cost saver. The problem isn't that students are making irrational decisions. The problem is that efficiency and effectiveness aren't always the same thing. I mean, let's look at the hair industry. We don't expect hairstylists to master every specialty in a weekend. They go through eight to 12 months of training before they get their license. Tattoo artist, body art or tattoo artist apprentice for years. And you're, you know, you don't have dentists out there taking a three-day course to start, you know, putting in implants. It just doesn't happen. Yet in our industry, we've normalized the idea that you can learn multiple permanent makeup procedures in a matter of days. And because it's become normal, we've stopped questioning whether or not it was wise. I think we've created this fast-tracked myth that if you just collect enough certifications, proficiency will eventually show up. But proficiency doesn't come from collecting certificates. It comes from repetition, from guidance, from support, from understanding why you're doing what you're doing. From having someone say, Hey, your hand angle is off. Hey, let's let's adjust your stretch. It needs to be tighter. Or here's why your heeled results look that way, or that you're not seeing the results that you want. Let's troubleshoot this together. So that's going to be what builds proficiency. And building proficiency and competence is not always the fastest path. And the fastest path for this isn't always the shortest one. Sometimes slowing down and learning one skill deeply before moving on to the next one is actually what moves you forward faster. In fact, it's what I recommend to all of my students. There have been countless occasions where I tell students to hold off before taking another one of my courses. So, what does that mean for me? It means I'm pushing away money. I'm not taking their money. I'm telling them what is best for them because it's not always great to do one course on top of the other. This is the same principle that I'm kind of preaching about for multi-service classes. I want my students to have time, time to digest what they've learned, time to practice, time to see healed results, and time to build that proficiency before they add another skill to their arsenal. So that's why I'm I tell students to wait between classes and put some months between learning so that you can practice, so that you can feel confident in what you're putting down before you try to add another skill. Because let's talk about the cost of getting it wrong. This is huge, not from a fear perspective, but from a practical one. Because if you think you're going to take the shortcut route, which again is usually the slower path to success, or should I say, quicker path to failure, what actually happens is students don't just lose confidence. They're they're dragging their feet, they're spending months avoiding taking any clients because they don't feel confident. They're delaying starting their business, they they question whether they have any talent or if they made a mistake entering the industry to start with. Some become afraid of making permanent mistakes, which with good reason, this is a permanent procedure. And then they spend thousands on another class that will actually teach them what they should have learned the first time. There's a high cost of getting the training wrong. Artists don't need an intro-to-everything certification. They need mentorship, they need feedback, they need support. Because this industry doesn't need more artists who know a little bit about everything. It needs artists with strong foundations, artists who think critically, who understand the why behind their work, and artists who are willing to refine their skills over time, that are going to be patient for that road to success. Because preparation isn't the enemy of success, it's the path to it. And if you've ever left training wondering why you didn't feel ready, why you didn't feel confident, or why everyone else seemed to get it except you, please hear me when I say this. You were not incapable. You were overloaded, and there's a difference. If I could say one thing to each student out there who was thinking about starting into permanent makeup or paramedical tattooing, I'd say slow down. You don't have to learn everything at once. You don't have to offer every service immediately. Becoming excellent at one thing first before moving to the next isn't falling behind. It's building a foundation. Your future clients won't care how quickly you learn something, but I guarantee you they'll care about the results you provide. And I think this deserves a brief mention. Part of this hurry mentality is coming from social media. We see artists offering brows, lips, eyeliner, scar camouflage, areola tattooing, scalp micropigmentation. And we think, I need to do all of that. I need to catch up. I'm behind. But what you don't see with those successful artists is how long it took them to develop those skills. You're not, they're not posting that on social media. Hey, it took me five years to deliver really stellar brow results. You they're not saying that. They're just saying, look at me. This is what I do. Look how good I am. You don't have to build your entire career in six months. Rather, the best thing that you can do is give yourself time. Time to learn one service well. Time to practice. Seriously, practice. You need time to practice. Time to seek feedback. Have another artist that's your buddy that you can say, hey, what do you think? Find a connection, find someone in the industry that you can say, hey, I need help. You need time to build your confidence slowly. Time to invest in mentorship. And you need time to refine your services before you add another one to the pile. Because you don't have to become everything overnight to be successful. I can't tell you how many students I've had in my classes who have taken those multi-certification courses before they found me. And they've they've sat across from me and they have this look on their face, and and like they've almost whispered it like they're embarrassed to admit it. They they've said, I have three certifications and I still don't feel ready. Or I took those classes and why did I do that? That was such a waste of money. And and here I am back at square one. Or I thought I'd really feel confident after taking that class. And and they're not, and it's not their fault. They got into this thinking that this is the right way to do it. And honestly, I know I've said that it totally makes sense from a a I'm saving money perspective. I always say when people buy those discount brows, those are the most expensive brows they're gonna buy because what they're gonna have to do is have them removed. They've paid for the brows, they've had to have them removed, which may cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars on depending on the treatment. And then they're gonna have to pay someone to do them correctly the second time. Same thing is true for these multi-class certifications. Students think they're saving money, but then what happens? They they have to reinvest in themselves by buying another course. They have to avoid clients for six months because they have no idea what they're doing and don't feel confident practicing on someone's skin. They're delaying making any income. They might be paying rent. Maybe they jumped the gun, they opened up a studio, and now they're paying rent and they just don't feel compet enough to work on clients. So they're delaying any income and they're paying expenses, all because they thought it would be the best way to save money by taking that multi-certification, learn three services in two days course. You know, sometimes the least expensive option becomes the most expensive because you end up paying twice, once in tuition and once in another course trying to rebuild your confidence. I think most of them are just doing the best that they can with the information they've been given. Those Instagram ads saying learn three certifications in two days. I just think they deserve better information at this point. And I think that falls on the industry. The industry in itself is, you know, it's preying on students who are just starting out. And they're doing what I call, I've I know I've said it before, the cash grab. They're taking students' cash, they're getting in these trainings, teaching, teaching them. I use that term loosely, teaching. Uh, they're teaching these students three different techniques in a few days, and they're they're preying on people who are willing to hand them their cash. Students are hopeful. They deserve education that honors that hope instead of capitalizing on it. If this conversation made you think, share it with another artist who cares about doing it right. Because in this industry, it's up to us to raise the standard. I'll see you next time on Inc. and Integrity.