Road to Becoming a Barber III

FIRST TIME IN FIRST CHAIR

I had a run at first chair. If you don't know, first chair is all about taking the most difficult cuts in the shop, from Burst fades to tapers to mohawks. This experience was eye opening. I have only been here for 3 months and they threw me to the wolves. Lol. Well what happens when you throw a wolf in with other wolves?  They survive and flourish. Well, I definitely flourished ya'll. The pressure was on and I was ready for anything they threw at me. They critiqued me with great scrutiny and I was grateful for the experience. Many students questioned why I was in first chair, but I had to take that and keep rolling, or cutting for that matter. This was truly a life lesson for me. When you are given the opportunity to be challenged, take it, use it, and make it work for you regardless of the questions from others or the lack of confidence you may have in yourself. You got it, just do it! I was willing and ready to be corrected in order to be better. This is all about becoming better and making all my God given talents work for good. They working, They are working!!

FEMALE TAKEOVER IN THE SHOP

This is a man's world, but women are definitely making moves in it. I am so happy and encouraged to see so many phenomenal barbers that just happen to be WOMEN. We are amazing. I already had one instance where a gentleman did not want his hair cut by a woman. That was fine with me. I brushed it off and went to the next client. The next day that same gentleman returned and guess what he said?? Yes, he wanted ME, the woman he just turned down, to cut is hair. He must have saw my finished work the day before. Lol! I politely said no and told him he would need to wait for the next barber. In the shop I definitely won't be so sensitive, but I had to have fun with this one. The minds of most that come into a barbershop is that a man will be your barber or stylist, but as I continue to follow women like @natalystyles1 and @staygold31, even my instructor @pinkkydamasterbarber, I see the positive impact women are having in the barbershop. I won't to be a part of that pack of women impacting the world of Tonsorial Art. We are built with a certain grace, touch, and passion that can only be derived through being us. Thanks for the inspiration ya'll! Keep up the great work. 

I INTRODUCE YOU TO "RARI"

Sometimes it gets slow in the school so what do we work on when there is no one to cut?? We work on our mannequins. I want to introduce you guys to my barber baby "Rari." She is my new love. With mannequins you get the chance to work on shear cutting, undercuts, pompadours, and various cuts that are done on straighter hair. So far, I am happy with her asymmetrical, long bob that I was able to complete this week, but now it is time to move on to the next style. We are never bored in the barbershop, well at least you should not be. There is always an opportunity to practice, learn, and grow. When you grab that mannequin, be ready to make magic because it is a lot harder than it looks. But, the benefit is that at least they can't get mad at you if you mess them up. Lol!! I love the chance to bless "Rari" when I can. Read the next few posts to see how she turns out the next time.  

ROAD TO BECOMING A BARBER- Part II

RAZORS RAZORS RAZORS...NO CELIE HERE.

As frightened as I was last month to even place a razor in my hand, today I am free of all fear. The 14 strokes I have learned have allowed me to perform a close shave (no nicks or cuts), Thank the Lord. The first few times I performed a face and head shave, my hands would shake and my palms were sweaty, but my heart was calm and my mind was alert to the task at hand. I always reminded myself, "You better not cut him." I took myself back to the shaving scene in the movie "The Color Purple." I did have my Celie moment, but I cleaned my client up nicely and sent him happily on his way. Traditional Barbering is where its at. I feel that razor shaving allows me to explore my talent and is a more intimate approach to servicing my clients. 

KEEPING UP WITH THE NBA FINALS...SIMPLE SMALL TALK.

My ability to converse with many groups of people and within many circles has truly freed me from the burden of boring my client to death. LOL. I found myself to be too silent when servicing my client, so I started watching the 2016 NBA Finals to try a find something to talk about with these gentlemen in my chair. If you truly know me, you will know I am far from a sports fan (other than my faithfulness to my Redskins #HTTR #FanforLife). But, I needed to talk and didn't really know where to start. Men like to talk too. Fortunately, no one has asked me any question other than, "Who am I going for?" My answer is Lebron, of course. LOL. But I don't think I could answer anything past that. Fortunately, I have had some very insightful conversations, some enlightening, some unnecessary, but all enjoyable.

CAeSARS, BALDIES, BEARDS!

So far I have had the pleasure of working on a variety of cuts. I am currently focusing on Baldies, Caesars, and Beards. Who knew a Light Caesar and Dark Caesar took so much practice, but they do. I love to finish my outlines with a nice razor. You better grab your optivisors for those Baldies; gotta catch that hair darling. As Instructor Chris Diaz would say, "I can braid that" if we see any extra stubble. But Beards are definitely the most scary, yet enjoyable. With a good consultation a beard can make your cut pop. I do not rush. I know with time I will become faster. Right now, my focus is skill. I like my clients to leave happy with each and every cut.