As I finish week 12 into this year in barber school, I just:
- Got my own mobile barber chair.
- Got onto Booksy for online booking
- Got a custom phone number: (773) 676-BUZZ (2899)
- Touched up the website at cut.buzz :)
I'll follow up with details on the mobile barbering business, and some pretty fun plans for the summer to get your (cut) buzz on ;) I'll also follow up with a post on the site revamp because obviously, if you aren't reading this in your email inbox, the site looks like a real barber's website now and less like a musically inclined divorced dad's writing project, and the process of revamping this site brought some new learnings of their own, in terms of working with Claude.
I digress. Let's talk about barbering growth. On Good Friday, I worked with six clients between 10am-3pm, which is a record, so far. With no breaks, the effort on Friday was the most real barbering I've done to-date. A mix of kids, women and adults; I did a taper, a medium fade, a couple of razor linings (one for some really nice braids done next door at the beauty school), a shape-up with shadow fade.
These feet, ankles and hips have been feeling it in the evenings, especially with the up-and-down-and-up weather we've been having in Chicago. Otherwise, I've had some great opportunities to get to know some folks these last two weeks.
The week before Good Friday, it was super duper slow in the shop, and with Ari about to go on vacation, it felt like a good time to learn more about tinting (by experimentation). Very much a fun experiment and a great learning experience. It takes a solid amount of time and patience to do a quality shop of developing the hair to take a new color.
The exercise got me thinking a lot about how deliberate it is to do barbering. Everything has to be intentional. Also, a little bit goes a really long way. As I give my hair a break over the next few weeks, I'm thinking about exactly how I want to use color next. I dig this color for my mustache... it's about what it was all through college and my younger beards, and it stands out against a very grey beard with a few of those red/blonde undertones still there.
I think I might play with a metallic/silver tone next time to get my hair a little darker so design work pops, but gets me closer to how my hair is naturally colored. Maybe a streak of midnight or blue for some subtle funzies.
1. it's great color work -- the mustache and soul patch this color are keepers; 2. design work really pops when it's not light grey and white; 3; I love that we're getting better and better at color.4. It's ok if you see Russian Asset Steven Segal in these pictures, I also can't unsee it.
I'd like to recognize my man, Thomas, as my first House Call last Saturday. I got invited to a happy hour a few weeks ago by my boo and we instantly clicked, and after he's been surviving on Sports Clips the last couple of years out in the suburbs, now he's got a guy who comes to him. We tapered that gorgeous hair and lined up that beard with a little bit of razor work. In-and-out in about 90 minutes. A fun way to spend his birthday morning and kickstart Spring Break.
Keep Doing
Part of the excitement I have in barbering is how dynamic it is; how very much it is based on the ability to develop a community of clients one supports. That this is a business of building enduring working relationships between a barber and his/her/their patrons. Thomas is my first truly earned client. The Hustle (as I'm calling it) that is the work to develop that community is real and I'm pumped to be doing it already.
Less Of
I didn't pass my shaving test this week. I performed a great shave; the client had no idea it wasn't perfect, but I made three mistakes and any mistake is a fail. Just how it is. That's ok. I went out of order and by the time I caught it, once you're out of order you know you can't undo it. I at least kept composure and the client in the chair had no idea. I recall how when I first started barber school in October, I was Ari's client and she was the only barber to pass the exam that day. All of that is... fine.
I clocked how much time I spent beating myself up about not being perfect on the first actual shave on Thursday... it was 2.5 hours. Which is probably better than it could be, but I could also just not be beating myself up for not being perfect at everything the very first time attempting something.
More Of
I was feeling the flow on Friday with all the cuts. Mindful and present for each one, not rushing or even thinking about any clients waiting in the lobby, and still paying attention to processes and sections and standards of service. I want more clients ready to go so I can keep my focus on what's to be done in the chair. I'm not overthinking things nor am I rushing from step to step because of adrenaline. I want to stay in the zone.
Stop Doing
I'm not sure why I'm so achey this last week other than weather stuff, but the amount of ibuprofen I'm taking daily to deal with it has me really rethinking sugar and salt intake more strictly than I've been.
Start Doing
I think I'm going to need to seriously take up swimming again so I have low friction resistance to moving my hips, legs, knees and ankles (and shoulders, I guess) and rebuild some strength and flexibility that seem to be escaping.
