Conversations with Kalie Clunk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kalie Clunk

Hi Kalie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
April 2024 marked 14 years that I’ve been the industry, but I’ve been doing hair for friends and family at home for as long as I can remember. As an early high-school graduate, I had my heart set on majoring in Art Therapy in Early Childhood Education. I had never even considered cosmetology as a career until a friend sparked my interest while I was styling everyone’s hair before a high school football game one Friday night.

I never knew how many avenues this industry offered, and never in my wildest dreams would ever imagine being where I am today.
In cosmetology school I attended a job fair which landed me an assisting position in one of the biggest high-end salons in the Cleveland area. I had only been there nine months before I met a distributor rep for a product line, who launched me into an entirely different avenue I had no clue even existed.

I worked for product lines, memorizing styling techniques, ingredients, test marketing, and traveling all over the US to help teach salon staff add how to build revenue. I even got to sit front row at New York Fashion week, working directly with designers and their runway looks. It was the best unforgettable experience; my ultimate dream job- and it didn’t stop there.

I then branched out to Marketing for larger brands, then Manufacturing and Distribution, and then became a platform artist teaching my very own specialty techniques on stage at hair shows all over the country.

I was happy with where I was in my career, but craved more behind- the-chair experience, and wanted to get my hands dirty. Im an artist at heart, and I felt like it was the missing a key component to my end goal. I had always been working as a stylist, even with my full time salary job’s demand, but in 2018, I made a terrifying decision to quit my job and put my head in the game 110%, working for myself.

In 2018 (and 5 months pregnant) I started contract teaching and test marketing products for a color line and my heart was officially FULL . I found my groove, and I was on FIRE.

But it wasn’t too long until I needed to challenge myself yet again. In 2021, and with a very stern push from my husband, Bryan, (Barber and Permanent Makeup Artist), and our long time industry friend and owner of West Park Barber Shop, Pat, Blank Canvas was born.

Bryan and I built the shop from the ground up, literally. I taught myself how to create a blueprint, how to navigate permits and city- standards, and we both put our elbow grease into physically building the place ourselves. It was quite honestly a labor of love, but the most exhausting and life-sucking 8 months we had ever experienced in our lives. And we did it while working our full time jobs, and parenting a two year old. I’m extremely proud of myself for making it out of that on top.

Six months after the grand opening of Blank Canvas, we reached our artist capacity, with a wait list of about ten people just patiently waiting for an opening . We expanded within the back area of the salon, but those stations quickly filled, and the demand was still there. So as crazy as we thought the first build out was, we decided to do it AGAIN when the stars aligned and a storefront became available in the same plaza, four doors down.

Fast forward to 2024, just three years after opening our first location, we’re getting ready to celebrate our one year anniversary of the expansion, Elite Suites.
I am in awe at what we’ve done in the last few years but all the blood, sweat, and tears excites me for what’s to come in the next few.

And yes, we still have unfinished business .

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are physical, mental, and emotional struggles that create hurdles all the time, but the biggest struggle I face is imposter’s syndrome . Although most days I’m proud of all my hard work, I still struggle with feeling like I could always do better.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Dimensional color, corrections, and VIVIDS.

I’m known for having some of fastest transformative services, finishing even some of the biggest projects in just two hours.
I take pride in my skillset, most of which was self-taught but combined from absorbing every little thing I’ve ever learned in continuing education.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’ve recently become hyper-focused on learning how to teach my homeschooled son, and in doing so I’ve started to read books on slowing down with a term called un-schooling. It was completely unintentional to use knowledge from this research for my own life, but it has saved me from burnout many times now .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blankcanvashairstudio.biz/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blankcanvashairstudio?igsh=MTRocW91MmJjZ3Z4MQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://www.blankcanvaselitesuites.com/artistsandbooking