The "enhance a typical pet groom or breed profile groom" does leave out
an important part of the creative industry: creative competitions. With the
exception of the Abstract Design Runway, most creative competitions involve
transforming a cat or dog into something else. This is clearly not enhancing any
typical groom, which means the definition needs a part two.
‘A creative groom is any groom that does not conform to the breed’s standard
or typical pet groom.’ This includes those extravagant competition grooms that
sometimes leave dogs completely unrecognizable as dogs as well as potpourri-
type grooms.
Wait a minute. Are potpourri grooms really creative? Hm…I suppose it does
take quite a bit of creativity to put a yorkie in a Chinese crested groom. Potpourri
grooms also require understanding the standards of one groom while applying
those standards to a dog with a (usually) completely different coat.
In fact, I imagine that nearly every groom requires some amount of creativity
from the groomer. Let’s face it – how many times do the dogs on the grooming
table have perfect coats and conformations? Hiding those flaws or working with
a less than ideal coat does take style and creativity. I suppose that makes all
groomers creative groomers in some way or another.
The more I ponder this, the less surprised I am by this conclusion. All grooming
is an art form, and art requires creativity, does it not? So why bother trying to
define creative grooming? It is just in my nature to want to define things. After
talking to creative groomers though, I realize that I might be fighting a losing
battle. Creative grooming is something that takes heart and passion. Who am I
to measure or define the amount of heart someone puts into their work?
After all, it devalues creative grooming to include the ‘chop shop’ groomer who
slaps a cheap pair of bows in a dog’s ears for the sake of satisfying the owner.
Then again, excluding it would discredit the groomer who carefully chooses
which pair of handmade bows fits Fluffy’s personality and matches her colored
tail.
So, where does this leave the definition? I think I have decided that true creative
grooming depends more upon the groomer’s creativity than the final product.
Having said that, how on earth can you successfully measure or define someone
else’s creativity? Well, I am not sure that it can be done.
Perhaps that is what is so intriguing about creative grooming. It has no
boundaries or rules or standards that have to be followed. As long as you are
being safe and keeping your pet’s comfort as the top priority, you are limited
only by your own creativity!
Did you notice something I left out? Do you have other ways to be creative?
Do you not agree with my opinion? Or, would you just like to comment on the
article? Send me an email at Kelcie@thenapcg.com or visit the member
forum to let me know what you think.