Tell us what you did before image consultancy?
I am a lifelong professional musician, and I work in the Slovak Philharmonic. As a singer in the choir, I have performed concerts all over the world, including at the Vienna State Opera, BBC Proms in London, Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, the Royal Opera House in Oman, Paris, Istanbul, Prague, Monte Carlo, and more. I am also involved in cultural marketing and work for theaters, festivals, and cultural media. I write about music, host radio programs, and record podcasts about art.
What made you choose to become an image consultant? What drew you to it?
I have always been fascinated by all forms of visual arts – photography, interior design, and fine arts. I gradually studied them through various courses. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many predictions from university scientists warned that society could find itself in isolation, staying at home for several years. As a musician and someone from the cultural field, where I have always worked in large collectives and engaged in “contact activities,” I began to ponder what type of “one on one” activities I could pursue during this time of isolation when collective artistic activities would not be possible.
It occurred to me that years ago, I had a color analysis done by US company Beauty For All Seasons, I received a color swatch, and realized that such a thing was not common or well-known in Slovakia. I saw it as a good combination in these COVID times—a safe individual consulting activity that involved visual arts and also something beneficial for women, with interesting financial potential.
What made you decide that it was time to do your training and take up this new career?
For some time, I explored education in this field, conducting research on where and under what conditions color analysis could be studied and practiced, as well as how distribution would work. I looked into options in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, but one stood out to me more than the others. It was AOPI in Melbourne. Looking back, I consider it the strategically best decision I made. None of the systems I encountered are as comprehensively developed as the one I use thanks to AOPI.
What are you passionate about?
What fascinates me the most is witnessing the transformation of a person in a white shirt or a white apron, without makeup, feeling somewhat uncertain about what suits them, and then witnessing the change when we find the right fabrics, colors, patterns, metals, makeup, and take a final photograph or video. Sometimes, I can spend hours looking at photos of my satisfied clients and marvel at the power of colors they possess.
Who do you most enjoy working with? How do you love to help them?
Since I work in the field of art and culture, I often encounter many artists, celebrities, and people from the entertainment industry, and I have provided my advice to several of them. Now, when I see them in the media, looking impeccably dressed, color-coordinated, and stylish, I secretly take pleasure in it because I know the secret behind their fantastic appearance.
I also thoroughly enjoyed preparing a lecture on colors and appearance for students studying media communication and marketing at a local university. This field could easily be taught in an academic setting, and there is great potential for conducting meaningful scientific research in this area as well.
During my studies, I came across intersections with Gestalt psychology, the artistic movement of Bauhaus, and even physics. It is a fascinating combination of multiple disciplines.
How does having a good image help people in their lives?
Recently, I had the pleasure of working with an outstanding musical theater singer. She is very young but incredibly talented, starring as the lead in musicals such as Les Misérables, Whitney Houston, and Queen Show. She took my advice to heart, started following all the guidelines, and after a month, she messaged me saying it was unbelievable, but her surroundings suddenly started taking her seriously. Until then, they saw her as an exceptional singer, actress, and dancer, but being young, she felt that her personality wasn’t being taken seriously by those around her. Everything changed when she refined her wardrobe. With her, I saw the tremendous impact that clothing and the right colors can have on how people perceive someone.
How can you help people create a more impactful and relevant image for themselves?
We live in a time that puts extreme pressure on how people look and present themselves. We are constantly being photographed, filmed, and active on social media. Whether we like it or not, we are constantly observing and being observed by others. It seems that society as a whole places more emphasis on looking good, and that’s why I enjoy helping people in this particular area. Whether it’s conscientious moms at home, ambitious entrepreneurs, or celebrities from the entertainment industry, we all want the same thing – to look our best, in the best way possible.
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
One thing that pleasantly surprised me was how much image consulting has evolved since I had my first analysis done 20 years ago. It was with a now non-existent company called Beauty For All Seasons. I received a color swatch, and they correctly determined my color type, but that was all. Back then, nobody taught us about neutrals, colors, value contrast, color contrast, or color combinations. The advancement of the entire industry since then and its ability to provide personalized advice in great detail is fascinating.
