As a fashion designer, hairstylist, or nail tech, I would have been told what to create.

I remember after finishing cosmetology school and applying for jobs, realizing something that stuck with me. Every salon didn’t specialize in everything. Some didn’t do color. Some didn’t specialize in radical or creative hairstyles. Some only focused on natural looks/simple styles.

The same goes for nail salons. Many only specialize in gel nails, gel polish, or natural nails. There are rules, limits, and expectations on what you can and cannot create.

Even in fashion, there are boundaries. You may be designing, but often you’re still creating for a brand, a trend, or someone else’s vision. And on top of that, in beauty and fashion, you have to be prepared for difficult customers, long days, and managing multiple people back-to-back.

But as a book author, I am not told what to do.

I can write what I want. I can say what I want. There are no creative limits placed on my voice. My story is mine, and I don’t have to water it down to fit into a salon, a shop, or a brand’s image.

Financially, it’s different too. Many hairstylists and nail techs have to pay booth rent or give a portion of their money to the salon. As an author, the money I earn comes to me through my work.

And here’s the thing about customers as an author: people simply buy my book. If they like it, they keep reading. If they don’t, they can stop or return it. Even then, someone else can buy that same book. I’m not standing face-to-face managing reactions, moods, or expectations in real time.

Yes, people can leave negative reviews. But one person’s opinion doesn’t stop others from discovering, buying, or connecting with my story.

In beauty and fashion, your energy is spent on multiple people every single day. It can be draining, even when you love what you do. As an author, multiple people can buy my book in one day—and I don’t have to be physically present for any of it.

I can literally be in bed while my work travels the world.

For me, being an author means freedom.
Freedom of expression.
Freedom of time.
Freedom of voice.

And that’s something no booth, salon, or runway could ever give me.