Thursday, November 17, 2011
More Hair-inspiration
While browsing Tumblr and the like, came across some pics of cool hair I just want to save here for future reference...
Graduation
This post isn't about hair-cutting techniques... It's to announce that I had my official "graduation ceremony" at the Hogwarts School of Hair Wizards on Tuesday of this week. I won't get into what the graduation ceremony consisted of, or how my peers and I perceived it, as this is a public forum and I should best keep negative opinions to myself... However, I am happy that this phase of my life is soon coming to a close and I can get started on the rest of my career. I know there are some aspects of cosmetology school I'll miss, but I'm really looking forward to thinking outside of a set of given parameters, if that makes any sense. My last day of school is scheduled to be December 3rd.
Anyway... my graduating class got majorly short-shafted on class-time and final projects we were promised (oh, look, I guess some of that negativity managed to creep in after all...). The final project was supposed to consist of bringing a model in to the school, and styling them (including cut/color, style, makeup and wardrobe), then having a professional photographer take pictures of the final result for use in our portfolios. I'd already planned what my theme was going to be, picked out inspiration photos and wardrobe, and was merely waiting for the assignment date to be given so I could book a model. Alas, the project was called off, so I made a decision last night to take it into my own hands. I'm putting the specific idea I had for that project on hold for now, as it was rather ambitious, and I really need a salon environment and a professional photo setup to do it justice, but there's no reason I can't plan my own "final projects".
So, I put out a public service announcement on Facebook asking my friends if anyone wanted some funky hair for free. My plan is now to do one "final project" per week until I'm employed again full-time. This is still quite ambitious for me, but I feel like it's something I can commit to, and it will keep me busy working on hair. Plus it will be really useful for my portfolio. I intend to gather up some willing victims, do either cut, color or both, style them, do makeup, and then take pictures using my own digital camera. I took a portrait photography course at NYU a couple of years ago, so I think I'm up to the challenge. (Yet another skill I get to practice! Huzzah.)
I'm hoping my first project will take place sometime during Thanksgiving weekend. I have a model at the ready, and some photos for inspiration...
I'm super psyched to see how this idea will pan out! Stay tuned...
Anyway... my graduating class got majorly short-shafted on class-time and final projects we were promised (oh, look, I guess some of that negativity managed to creep in after all...). The final project was supposed to consist of bringing a model in to the school, and styling them (including cut/color, style, makeup and wardrobe), then having a professional photographer take pictures of the final result for use in our portfolios. I'd already planned what my theme was going to be, picked out inspiration photos and wardrobe, and was merely waiting for the assignment date to be given so I could book a model. Alas, the project was called off, so I made a decision last night to take it into my own hands. I'm putting the specific idea I had for that project on hold for now, as it was rather ambitious, and I really need a salon environment and a professional photo setup to do it justice, but there's no reason I can't plan my own "final projects".
(one of my original inspiration photos... I'll come back to this one day!)
So, I put out a public service announcement on Facebook asking my friends if anyone wanted some funky hair for free. My plan is now to do one "final project" per week until I'm employed again full-time. This is still quite ambitious for me, but I feel like it's something I can commit to, and it will keep me busy working on hair. Plus it will be really useful for my portfolio. I intend to gather up some willing victims, do either cut, color or both, style them, do makeup, and then take pictures using my own digital camera. I took a portrait photography course at NYU a couple of years ago, so I think I'm up to the challenge. (Yet another skill I get to practice! Huzzah.)
I'm hoping my first project will take place sometime during Thanksgiving weekend. I have a model at the ready, and some photos for inspiration...
(a new inspiration photo... let's see how this goes!)
I'm super psyched to see how this idea will pan out! Stay tuned...
Friday, November 11, 2011
And Then That Happened...
That artist lady who earned herself an entire blog post came back to the salon today to get her haircut redone by another student. Apparently, my instructor had only managed to texturize it on one side, and it was really lopsided, so she came in to "finish it up." The lucky student who fixed it just so happened to have the station right next to mine. Awkward.
Also, as I had another situation today with a client who suddenly realized she had to fly like a bat out of hell in the middle of her service... here's a friendly public service announcement reminder: DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL TO GET YOUR HAIR DONE, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO SPARE. That is all.
Also, as I had another situation today with a client who suddenly realized she had to fly like a bat out of hell in the middle of her service... here's a friendly public service announcement reminder: DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL TO GET YOUR HAIR DONE, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO SPARE. That is all.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Resolutions in Creativity
I have a month left of school. Graduation cannot come soon enough! The last phase of school has been nonstop clients, with few breaks and only one actual lesson day (in which I learned how to do the "perfect ponytail"...among other things). It's grueling and only somewhat rewarding. I don't feel 100% confident in my abilities yet, but I definitely feel a lot more comfortable putting my hands in hair...
It's been a long and strange journey... I was never quite the best beauty school candidate, because I've never been interested in things being "pretty." It was hard to get used to doing a "pretty" blowout, or a "pretty" haircut, because I've always had a more... eclectic?... view of hair. (I swore I wouldn't say "punk rock".) Basically, I've always had multicolored hair, dark roots have never bothered me much, my own haircuts are always choppy and asymmetrical, and i like lots of texture. I also never blow-dry my own hair, I barely use product, and with all the Special Effects/Manic Panic in my hair, I'm lucky if I wash it more than once a week... It was hard to retrain my brain to think in terms of what is expected at a more corporate, mainstream salon environment.
The problem is... now that I've done that retraining, it's hard *not* to think that way. Yesterday, I had a client come in with hair that went halfway down her back with no layering, who wanted a "funky" hair style. She liked my own asymmetrical style, and wanted something chunky and highly textured. And she was willing to cut off a LOT of hair.
"I'm open," she said. "I want you to use your own creative vision. It can be sculptural, or whatever, just get crazy. I'm an artist."
My initial reaction was panic. I've been fighting off a flu for the past month; I can't take any sick days because I am determined not to postpone my graduation any further, so I've been attending school heavily medicated on TheraFlu, echinacea and whatever painkiller I can get my hands on. I'm in a fog most of the day, my muscles ache and I feel fatigued and slow. That is not the optimal state of being for someone to "be creative". And, on top of that comes the above-mentioned dilemma: I've been trained to do by-the-book, "pretty" haircuts. We rarely get to experiment, and I don't necessarily feel comfortable doing so on a real person (who I don't know) in a salon environment. It would be different if it were a friend of mine who said "go crazy" and I wasn't being graded, and if a hair is out of place it would be no big deal... But I don't know this lady, and I don't know what will happen if MY idea of "creative" is her idea of "what the fuck did you do to my hair?!"
I hate this feeling. It's crippling. I've always been trapped in this in-between world of being a generally creative person, but also being someone who's really nerdy and kind of an overachiever, who generally operates within the parameters of wherever I happen to be employed or studying. I'm frequently torn between being rebellious and artistic on the inside, and a perfectly passive service provider who just wants to please you in practice. Artist lady done freaked me the hell out with her request.
What ended up happening is I gave her an extreme concave bob, where the back started at the nape of her neck, and the front ended at about boob-length. Then I gave her round layers to eliminate a bunch of bulk and add movement. From there, the idea was to give her even more choppy-as-fuck layers and texturize the crap out of that. Of course, at that point, artist lady decides she's running really late to her next appointment (DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL TO GET YOUR HAIR DONE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO SPARE!! Just don't. Save yourself and your poor student stylist the stress.) So, I do what my conscientious student-mind tells me to do, and I call over one of my instructors to ask him to show me real quick how I can achieve the look that's in my head in 5 minutes flat. Artist lady is freaking out because she has to leave NOW and "I'm an artist, and I just can't deal with this boring housewife haircut..."
What?! Boring housewife. Ouch. I almost ran out of the salon crying right then and there. That is just about the complete opposite of who I am... I think?? My instructor was cool and did exactly what I told him I wanted to do in no time (while still trying to squeeze in some instruction to me on how to achieve it next time), but it was a total missed opportunity. Lady had no time, therefore I didn't get to experiment, and my instructor had to step in and do my dirty work. Artist lady did apologize: "I'm sorry, I was right there with you. I know what you wanted to do, and that was totally right, and if you would have had more time I'm sure we would have gotten there." Thanks.
In the end I didn't even have the chance to snap a picture, but I wouldn't feel right calling it my work anyway, since I'm not responsible for the absolute final result. BUT, I suppose it was a valuable lesson learned... I don't ever want anyone to refer to anything I do as "boring" again. I need to trust my instincts and allow my ideas to materialize. The hardest part for me to deal with is getting things "wrong", but in the end I guess it's better to make mistakes and learn from them, than be too afraid to try new and fun things that I want to do.
Anyway... because I don't feel right not posting any photos at all after all that blabber -- here a couple of pics of my trusty model, Bertha, showing off some recent examples of my cut and color experimentation. She never gets to complain about my timing or taste.
It's been a long and strange journey... I was never quite the best beauty school candidate, because I've never been interested in things being "pretty." It was hard to get used to doing a "pretty" blowout, or a "pretty" haircut, because I've always had a more... eclectic?... view of hair. (I swore I wouldn't say "punk rock".) Basically, I've always had multicolored hair, dark roots have never bothered me much, my own haircuts are always choppy and asymmetrical, and i like lots of texture. I also never blow-dry my own hair, I barely use product, and with all the Special Effects/Manic Panic in my hair, I'm lucky if I wash it more than once a week... It was hard to retrain my brain to think in terms of what is expected at a more corporate, mainstream salon environment.
The problem is... now that I've done that retraining, it's hard *not* to think that way. Yesterday, I had a client come in with hair that went halfway down her back with no layering, who wanted a "funky" hair style. She liked my own asymmetrical style, and wanted something chunky and highly textured. And she was willing to cut off a LOT of hair.
"I'm open," she said. "I want you to use your own creative vision. It can be sculptural, or whatever, just get crazy. I'm an artist."
My initial reaction was panic. I've been fighting off a flu for the past month; I can't take any sick days because I am determined not to postpone my graduation any further, so I've been attending school heavily medicated on TheraFlu, echinacea and whatever painkiller I can get my hands on. I'm in a fog most of the day, my muscles ache and I feel fatigued and slow. That is not the optimal state of being for someone to "be creative". And, on top of that comes the above-mentioned dilemma: I've been trained to do by-the-book, "pretty" haircuts. We rarely get to experiment, and I don't necessarily feel comfortable doing so on a real person (who I don't know) in a salon environment. It would be different if it were a friend of mine who said "go crazy" and I wasn't being graded, and if a hair is out of place it would be no big deal... But I don't know this lady, and I don't know what will happen if MY idea of "creative" is her idea of "what the fuck did you do to my hair?!"
I hate this feeling. It's crippling. I've always been trapped in this in-between world of being a generally creative person, but also being someone who's really nerdy and kind of an overachiever, who generally operates within the parameters of wherever I happen to be employed or studying. I'm frequently torn between being rebellious and artistic on the inside, and a perfectly passive service provider who just wants to please you in practice. Artist lady done freaked me the hell out with her request.
What ended up happening is I gave her an extreme concave bob, where the back started at the nape of her neck, and the front ended at about boob-length. Then I gave her round layers to eliminate a bunch of bulk and add movement. From there, the idea was to give her even more choppy-as-fuck layers and texturize the crap out of that. Of course, at that point, artist lady decides she's running really late to her next appointment (DO NOT GO TO A SCHOOL TO GET YOUR HAIR DONE IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO SPARE!! Just don't. Save yourself and your poor student stylist the stress.) So, I do what my conscientious student-mind tells me to do, and I call over one of my instructors to ask him to show me real quick how I can achieve the look that's in my head in 5 minutes flat. Artist lady is freaking out because she has to leave NOW and "I'm an artist, and I just can't deal with this boring housewife haircut..."
What?! Boring housewife. Ouch. I almost ran out of the salon crying right then and there. That is just about the complete opposite of who I am... I think?? My instructor was cool and did exactly what I told him I wanted to do in no time (while still trying to squeeze in some instruction to me on how to achieve it next time), but it was a total missed opportunity. Lady had no time, therefore I didn't get to experiment, and my instructor had to step in and do my dirty work. Artist lady did apologize: "I'm sorry, I was right there with you. I know what you wanted to do, and that was totally right, and if you would have had more time I'm sure we would have gotten there." Thanks.
In the end I didn't even have the chance to snap a picture, but I wouldn't feel right calling it my work anyway, since I'm not responsible for the absolute final result. BUT, I suppose it was a valuable lesson learned... I don't ever want anyone to refer to anything I do as "boring" again. I need to trust my instincts and allow my ideas to materialize. The hardest part for me to deal with is getting things "wrong", but in the end I guess it's better to make mistakes and learn from them, than be too afraid to try new and fun things that I want to do.
Anyway... because I don't feel right not posting any photos at all after all that blabber -- here a couple of pics of my trusty model, Bertha, showing off some recent examples of my cut and color experimentation. She never gets to complain about my timing or taste.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Pink Pony
Because I don't have the time or energy for a proper post (been fighting off a flu since what feels like forever ago), here is a humorous little photo of an ad I encountered on the subway. Horse of a different color, indeed!
*though I must say... I've never been able to find pink hair dye at my local Duane Reade. (And my hair *is* currently dyed pink, so I would know). Nor have I ever seen one of those poor carriage horses with pink hair... they suffer enough as it is!
*though I must say... I've never been able to find pink hair dye at my local Duane Reade. (And my hair *is* currently dyed pink, so I would know). Nor have I ever seen one of those poor carriage horses with pink hair... they suffer enough as it is!
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