A Little Bit About Me
My name is Tracey Banks, I am happily married, have a son, 2 teenage stepsons, a mad cat and we live in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. On leaving school I worked in a myriad of settings and eventually discovered my passion for working with and empowering people. As a consequence, I left work at the age of 30 to commence full time education in order to complete an Honours degree and qualify as an Occupational Therapist (OT). I have since (14 years) worked in the NHS in a variety of physical and mental health settings, where I still work 3 days a week.
So how and why Image Consultancy...? Whilst investigating how I could further develop my OT skills, I was bought a voucher for a Colour Analysis, as a gift for a milestone birthday. This had been a long time ambition and little did I know that sitting in that chair would revolutionise my life. I had always loved clothes but struggled throughout my life to understand how to express my eclectic personality through them, and I had little concept of colour. Until then, I had no idea how much this impacted on me, my confidence and my self esteem. Understanding the 'colour thing' was a revelation that turned my world around. I went on to have a style analysis which truly liberated me, my confidence and self-esteem just soared. It all made sense, it just slotted together, why I was drawn to particular things and disliked others; reading about my 'wardrobe personality' was like it had been written for me but probably the most important concept was that it helped address the lifetime issues around my body image - actually, I wasn't 'fat' and I didn't have a 'big bum', it was all down to learning about and understanding my 'body shape'. I learnt how to best complement the shape I have, whilst also considering my lifestyle and personality. It may sound cliché but it was truly a revelation that has helped me project a confidence and to learn to love the way I am.
It was at this point that I realised how well my OT skills would fit with this other empowering profession. Having experienced some difficult times and coming through the end of a debilitating illness myself became the main catalyst for deciding that life was for living and that it is down to ourselves to make things happen. I knew I could successfully combine my skills to provide a life changing opportunity for both myself and clients alike.
After months of investigation and thorough analysis of a multitude of companies offering Image Consultancy training, I finally completed this with 'First Impressions' who are recognised by the International Federation of Image Consultants, (now known as Federation of Image Professionals International (FIPI)) as one of only a handful of accredited training organisations in the UK. With my professional background, it was essential that the company I chose matched the stringent professional standards I was used to.
Not only do I work with individuals undergoing various life transitions (divorce, weight loss, marriage, bereavement, purely for learning and enjoyment, to name but a few), but I also work with people who have experienced illness both from a physical and psychological point of view. Wearing clothes that you like and feel good in does wonders for improving confidence and self esteem and actually understanding why we choose what to wear and the impact that this can have, can be tremendous. My OT skills have provided the opportunity to fully understand the frustrations that can result from shopping for clothing if you have an illness or disability. I have frequently found significant limitations in the specialist clothing available and have also seen the impact on clients who have had no choice but to either go with these and lose their outward identity or struggle on. As a result we have established a problem solving service to look at ways of overcoming these issues by altering and adapting your own clothing so that choices and preferences can be maintained. Clothing is very much about reflecting you as an individual and your personality, by offering this service we aim to preserve identity, confidence and self esteem. The impact of an illness can be devastating enough without having to fit into a 'mould' of unfashionable items.
My principles are to provide a friendly, professional and down-to-earth approach to individuals, small and large groups, taking into account that we are each individual and no one has the same characteristics, lifestyle or personality. Wherever possible I also aim to support Fair Trade organisations and to be as eco-friendly as my business allows. To this end, I supply a range of Fair Trade and locally crafted accessories and have recently launched a Mobile Clothing Agency, collecting, delivering and selling a range of good quality, excellent condition pre-loved mid to high end High Street or Designer clothing, shoes and accessories.
My aim, therefore, is not only to help you shine but to increase your confidence and self esteem, allowing you to nurture and learn to appreciate your own uniqueness. All this at the same time as saving you valuable money on a wardrobe that will work for you, even making you some money with those 'old' you outfits whilst doing a little bit for the environment...
Tracey Banks
Professional Image Consultant
01665 570 323
0789 653 4461
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