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CAREN FISK
Interview Shemaiah Heckman Words Hannah George
Director of The Club New York and Director at Caren Agency who has worked with Burberry, La Mer, Chanel Beauty and MATCHESFASHION.COM with clients such as Thandie Newton, Adriana Lima and David Beckham, Caren Fisk truly an inspiration. Her agency is well known for managing artists and for nurturing young talent, whilst working with international artists in hairdressing, makeup and nails. Caren speaks with us about how the current pandemic is affecting her agency, what the future looks like for beauty and what everyone should be doing during this time.
Credit: Caren FiskThe Caren Agency and The Club New York felt the impact and the severity of the coronavirus pandemic pretty much as soon as the press started covering the beginning of the spread of the virus. “It was just after the Milan show and everyone was in Paris for Paris Fashion Week and I suppose it started as a ripple”. Immediately Caren’s business was affected. “Especially where we are working in such a promotional area so whether it’s a film or new album or press or products, they have contracts with brands. Cinemas were one of the first places to be shut down, especially in China. It is such a big market - it affected us straight away. It had quite a sudden impact for us. Last week, we had 2 people working as a whole across the whole agency doing like one job and that was it’ Caren continues. “It came with a lot of responsibility and whether you're going to a photoshoot or just going to meet a VIP, with make up, it's so intimate and you're in such close proximity to the next person. It got to the point where we realised that it wasn't socially responsible to be putting people into that situation. I think that clients were instantly concerned on the effects. From a business point of view, it's best to press pause as much as you can so that you can unpause when things get back to normal”.
Credit: @carenfisk“My biggest concern is my responsibility to the people that I am responsible for, the artists - the whole freelance thing, it's really tough. I know they've started to talk about it but there's nothing really concrete yet and there will have to be more talk”. With thousands of freelancers in the country, the chances of all of them surviving is an ambitious thought. Another concern that arose was whether clients would be able to pay. “It takes 1-2 months to get paid after a job, I was worried that clients may begin to not want to pay and keep the money in their business to survive which I can understand but that's not right”. Caren made sure that she had paid all of her clients and the assistants and because she knows how much everyone will need. She thinks it's important to keep that circle going. “The other side is my staff which has been the biggest thing, I want to do the right thing for them. Not wanting to make them redundant. I dont think I'm being too optimistic by saying that things will get back to normal and when they do, I will need all of the girls in the same way that I needed them 2 months ago”.
Credit: @carenfiskMany people have seen this lockdown as a reflective time, a time to reevaluate and have a look at their lives. “For me, in the madness, I do have a sense of inner peace, that we do have the ability to stop for a moment and think of everything around us in a good way and remember what is important and yeah perhaps look at things a little differently moving forward, obviously in a good way. Although it's terrible that people are going to lose their lives or perhaps get really ill and won't be able to get back to the state they were in, however, there will be some positives to come from it. I hope that people really do think of that and make whatever changes they can make for things to be better”.
Makeup artists and stylists certainly have more time to focus and develop their skillset now more than ever. It’s a great opportunity to build up an archive of content they can use. “It is important for them to pause and be inspired but it's important that we all do things because we can't all do nothing, can we? The interesting thing about this is that we are powerless. We have no choice with this, we are not in control of this, that is why it's better to approach it with calm rather than panic because there's no choice we can make to make it any different so it's really about riding through it and staying positive. This is our life and if it's 3 months and none of us are working then, that's 3 months of our lives that we need to make as relevant as any other 3 months of our lives”.
“it's going to be very difficult to go digital” Caren responded when asked what the future looked like for the Caren Agency and the beauty industry. “I feel a kind of respect for the situation and I just don't feel it's right to go on a major sales mission, I just think we just need to just relax for a little while. With people, everyone wants to be successful and as this goes on then who knows, maybe we will have to find new ways to generate work. Right now, we need to let it play out for a little bit, I am not comfortable with how I can make business from it. It is delicate for the moment. Long term yes, we would have to think and see. When you're doing hair and makeup, you need the people to make money, you kind of need to be in the place”.
Credit: @carenfiskWhen stressed or overwhelmed by the current situation Caren advises that we all start from the inside. “We can get bogged down in routine and we don't like routine. It is important to give yourself some kind of schedule during the day and make sure you get a good night's sleep, it’s great to not have the alarm going off but get up. It depends on what kind of person you are but do some exercise, try to get out of the building for a walk, look after yourself and eat well - I think that helps your mental wellbeing”. Moreover we should make the most of it, as much as you can” Caren continues. “Try not to be negative or worry too much because we are not in control, we cannot be in control and therefore, we should manage our days and don't think too far ahead but take it day by day. I am lucky to have a garden where I can get outside”. The beauty firebrand also highly recommends staying connected to people. She suggests FaceTime as a great app to use during this time. Caren stays connected with her employees whom she calls ‘her girls’, once a day using the Houseparty app - which is one of the apps everyone is talking about right now. “You don't have to hold long conversations, but just reach out to people so you do feel connected. I just signed up for that NHS volunteers thing. I am happy to do this. If I can use my time to help others, whether it's with medicine or food - whatever it may be, it's good also for you because you're doing something, you have a purpose. With volunteering, you can actually talk to people so if there is anyone out there that needs to talk, they can. I believe we need to support the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic. We are all sitting at home and I just feel, like I have a car so if I can do some good, I will”.
