The entries have been submitted, judging has begun and on April 30, 2014 the Finalists will be announced for NAHA 25.

Have you ever attended a show like NAHA and thought, “ Ok self… this is your year… this year I am going to win a NAHA, give up alcohol and lose 10 pounds…”. Ok well let’s not get crazy, but the NAHA part.. that was good stuff!

Anytime we have a question about NAHA shoots we reach out to Hair Nerd Bestie, Steve Elias. Not only is he uber talented and has been nominated for TEN separate NAHA’s in FIVE categories with TWO wins, but he is also super open and giving with knowledge.

We may have discovered the secret location of his NAHA shoot this year and totally crashed the party. We couldn’t tell if it was surprise or terror on his face as we peeked through the window.

Steve’s first mistake was letting it slip that he was giving the models some super sweet Number 4 Haircare gift bags…. you can’t divulge that type of information and expect the Nerds to stay at home and not find you hidden in the mountains. You can run Steve… but you can’t hide…. (Hand over the Number 4 and no one gets hurt…)

During the month of prep that went into this shoot, Steve shared some teasers of how he was creating his newest technique called Vintage Pastels. If you were a smart nerd, you attended his ISSE classes and know all his secrets!

NAHA or any competition, really… can be a super scary because you are putting your work out there to be judged. We have found… if it isn’t uncomfortable; you aren’t growing.

When we weren’t bugging Steve and his team, we asked for him to give us advice for stylists who are considering taking the leap and entering NAHA.

Steve Says: It’s ok to have a broad vision of your initial NAHA entry. You will find as you go along your vision will become more focused and that comes from giving yourself time to EDIT and prepare.

With that being said… don’t be afraid to EDIT your work. So many stylists want to add every element of their idea to the shoot and sometimes it too much. More can be fun but usually the adage rings true, less is more.

Really give yourself time to prepare, I can’t stress this enough! You don’t have to go gun ho on your entry once you start.

Give it a couple of months … spend 1 hour a week looking for inspiration pictures. Practice some hairstyles twice a month, photograph them with your phone, revisit them a week later and see if you feel about them the same way.

Time is the best ally for this sort of thing. What inspires you now, might completely change 3 months from now. You have to give yourself time to go with your inspiration, I find that working in the “inspired moment” yields the best results.

Always remember you are shooting your NAHA entry FOR YOU not what you think other people might like. At the end of the day, you spent the money, took the time to realize your vision, found the team and models.

Do what makes that top part of your brain tingle when you see your work all come together, you know what that is..that is your brain having an orgasm. It’s true… look it up on science Fridays on NPR!

So there you go… Now watch the NAHA Finalists being announced LIVE on April 30th and start thinking about your NAHA 2015 entry!

You can follow Steve Elias at:

facebook.com/steveeliashair

instagram: @steveeliashair

TantalumMag.com

Journey to the NAHA Entry