Our people: Style and substance

My name is Kirsty Forrest. Although I don't like to admit it, I am 30 years old. I am the daughter of Mark and Kerri Forrest and I live here in my hometown of Clovis with my 8-year-old son Knox and my boyfriend Phil Smith. I am a licensed cosmetologist and I love my job. I opened my salon Dye Trying in May 2018 in the heart of downtown Clovis. It has been my dream to open my own salon and I consider it to always be a work in progress, from my boutique of clothing and accessories to local art pieces filling my walls. I enjoy spending time with my family, sewing and crafting, rewatching episodes of "The Office," reading and painting.

What would you do if you won $1 million?

I would take my son to Legoland. He is completely obsessed with Lego toys and often creates his own by using sharpies to customize his own pieces and people. He is extremely creative and can build and play for hours.

Tell us about your pets:

I am a proud fur mama to our dogs Caine and Sadie and our two cats Luna and Abel. While I love our dogs to no end, anyone that knows me knows my obsession for cats.

What do you collect?

I collect tattoos. I am a walking canvas and every piece expresses something about who I am or a point in my life. In a small town like Clovis having a lot of tattoos definitely gets attention, especially with the older generation. I hope that once people get to know the girl behind the tattoos it can erase some of the stigma behind them.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered as someone that followed their dreams and made a difference. I am always striving to achieve goals and making a difference in people's lives is one of those goals. One of the main reasons I became a cosmetologist is because you can completely change the way a person feels about themselves, just by changing their hair.

What's an accomplishment you're proud of?

I am very proud of the Silver Bells project I carried out this last December. With our community's help we gifted every senior resident at all nursing homes in Clovis and Portales with a Christmas gift. With the help of local businesses and people of Clovis and Portales we gifted a total of 405 seniors. The project started small and grew overnight to be the most fulfilling and emotional thing I've ever done. I am determined to make it even bigger and better this year!

Tell us about your favorite hobby:

I love learning new crafts. I have been sewing all my life and have dabbled in a little bit of everything. My goal this year is to learn how to do stained glass.

- Compiled by Staff Writer Jamie Cushman