Head Strong Solutions: Year of Creative Scotland 2012

Year of Creative Scotland 2012 - Is the beginning of an exciting programme that will embrace London 2012 and celebrate Glasgow 2014. It's a chance to spotlight, celebrate and promote Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths on a world stage, and to position Scotland as one of the world’s most creative nations to audiences at home and across the world. Through a dynamic year-long programme of activity we will celebrate our world-class events, festivals, artistic and cultural heritage.

Find out more on the website - creativescotland.com

This got me thinking, how I would showcase my own creativeness for the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, with so many artistic genres being shown I don’t quite know were my talents will fit in? For me the concept is what represents Scotland to you the individual and what you think others should be seeing from a Scottish creative. I have a great love for Scotland, which has grown through years of travelling with work up and down the country; I never get tired of what a stunning country we live in. Steeped in history and beauty which leaves us dramatic and amazing scenes around Scotland to visit and story’s to match. My love for history and fashion goes hand and hand and I have brought all of these together for the shoots. The locations, tell their own story as well as giving us some amazing back drops to show case our final looks.

Princess Warrior

Princess Warrior Shoot at Burn’s Monument in Kay Park, Ayrshire

Head Strong by name and nature there has always has been a bit the Scottish Warrior in me and I have always loved the Celtic Warrior look. This was my instant thought to recreate a warrior look, which comes in many concepts; these are the first in a series of shoots I will be creating throughout the year of 2012 with the Scottish theme in mind.

Princess Warrior

The Princess Warrior look - Inspiration coming from Scottish flag

Miss Galaxy Scotland 2012, Jade Leigh Hunt was my first thought for this shoot, having worked with Jade before, she is a total delight to work with, she always gives 110% and brings her own creativeness to every shoot I have worked on with her, a true team player and nothing daunts her.

Princess Warrior

I have been a wig fitter for over 20 years, manly to recreate a natural workable style for those with hair loss and want a customised hairpiece. Session styling I have more recently moved into and want to use some of those skills on these photo shoots.

Princess Warrior

Jade at Kay Park

Jade’s dark hair transformed into long blonde curls with dip dyed blue ends with a wig designed by Head Strong. Makeup artist Stephanie Kerr from Peaches and Paint made her a crystal mask designed in a Celtic knot design to compliment the blue in the hair and Celtic Scottish theme.

Work is easy even on the long hard days if you have a team of team players and that brings in other talents and their own touch and flare to your idea’s. Working alongside Head Strong on every shoot is photographer George M Monaghan and Makeup Artist Stephanie Kerr.

Feastival Warrior

Keeping it in the family Karen my younger cousin has worked alongside me since a young age, now my right hand woman in my creative world. Here Karen and Lesley – Head Strong, are putting together the outfit for our shoot at Scone Palace.

Truly couldn’t have asked for a better day that we did on the day of shooting the Festival Warrior theme. One of the best days of the year so far, here is hoping every festival in Scotland had weather like that this year??

My attempt at making a tartan hair plait

Stephanie adding some body paint to Nika in the shop before leaving for Scone Palace.

We arrived on time to Perth to get ourselves ready at Markus Eagleton family run shop Scottish Sporrans. We were using Markus designs in the final look for the Festival Warrior and going on to show case some of his bags with a slightly different look later that day

Festival Warrior – To celebrate the Scottish festival culture and fashion

The site of Scone Palace and the Stone of Destiny is one of most iconic sites in Scottish history.

Stone of Scone also known as the Stone of Destiny and often to referred to in England as The Coronation Stone used in the early coronations of Scottish Kings, In 1296 the Stone was captured by Edward I as spoils of war and taken to Westminster Abbey, where it was fitted into a wooden chair, known as King Edward's Chair, on which most subsequent English sovereigns have been crowned. It wasn’t returned to Scotland until 1996 on St Andrew’s day were it will remain until it’s needed for the next Coronation.