First things first: welcome to all the new subscribers to this newsletter/blog/thing. Y’all grew by 25% since last I wrote and it’s so great to have y’all on this journey. That my story or lessons learned resonate with y’all really fuels me to keep it going.
August was full; often a grind, but necessary and productive. Last month I got real about what it’s going to take to finish Barber School on a schedule. I calculated the delta, or difference, between the amount of practical exercises I’ve completed and the amount of exercises required to-date. I created a daily and weekly hit-list to get me on track, and that focus has really helped me make some headway. Last month the difference between the total amount of signatures required vs what I earned was around 90. Today, that delta is 25. With less than 90 days to the end of November, I’m on a solid pace to exceed the needed exercises well before I’d graduate. As just an example — at the beginning of August, I basically had to practice doing hair relaxers every other day. Now that’s down to once a week to stay on track.
In fact, now my daily list is down to simply getting two cuts a day and a some kind of thermal service (blow dry and style with a round brush or a flat brush, and/or style with a flat iron). September through November will introduce more required exercises but after a painful transition period to being more mindful/disciplined about the work in front of me, I’m approaching all my exercises with some vigor and increasingly mindful of the details as these hands are figuring out how to do this work themselves.
School by 9; off past 5
They work my nerves; that’s why i don’t sleep some nights
I come with a pretty strong service-oriented approach to everything and I might be closer to their grandparents age than to some classmates’ parents. When they ask for feedback, they’re wanting me to tell them what a good job they’re doing even when they’re not. I have to be mindful of how i respond because I’m just a classmate, and I’m behind them.
I wish their life experiences reinforced how important taking care of people is in barbering, but it’s feedback they’re not getting (or it's not landing). That kinda service attitude takes reps and discipline so that taking care of people becomes second nature.
I’m really glad I’m focusing on those details because I’ve seen even in barber school how those details build client relationships and loyalty. My day-to-day is easier with a higher concentration of constructive, if not positive, attitudes around me. I need the flow.
August was packed with a lot of activity that often was impossible to anticipate. This gauntlet run to the finish increases the need to stay open to whatever. I benefit a lot from being open to saying yes, but I'm not gonna pretend it's easy to keep that attitude going by shear (ha) will.
On that new vibration
Building my own foundation
Doing these nights at Cary's Lounge is so much better when my Boo is with me. She captures great looks so I focus on taking cuts.
August was pretty full of opportunities to cut hair outside of barber school. Once again, I had a great night of cutting hair at Cary’s Lounge. Having done this several times, it’s a lot like doing a one-person improv show with random audience members. It’s intense but I absolutely love it. It’s great practice for me to hold space for any request to come to me and a puzzle/challenge to figure out how to enter a cut, let alone how to get out of it successfully. It scratches a very strong performance itch and I feel very lucky to feel like I'm part of my go-to bar.
I’m now firmly a regular at Chicago Pub Mix Trivia Night. My team(s) regularly place in the top three; when I don’t, I blame the Malort.
I worked two Farmers Markets in August with TLC for Me, which both went very well. Terri is working on signage for me so I can solo Farmer's Markets into the Autumn, and her confidence in me definitely makes me want to do more Farmer's Markets. Through people booking haircuts online, I made ten house calls last month! I also did 43 haircuts at Barber School.
One Saturday last month found me performing an intense 14 haircuts in 3 hours at a Back to School event I supported with my classmate, Kenny, who took (we think) 17 haircuts in those 3 hours. Kenny set expectations upfront that we were only doing even all-over cuts or tapers – no fades or spending time picking out hair (and making kids cry), and after our first cuts, we had a minute to take a sip of water... then it was nonstop until it was time to pack up for the day.
You can have stress, and *not* take less
looking for something that lives inside me
I was super proud to move my freshman at Northeastern into the dorms last week. The very best part of moving back to Chicago has been being part of my kid coming into his own. In his first weeks, he’s making friends, going to shows and going on dates… I am so happy to watch this kid blossom into a fully realized adult.
My senior at Columbia College is starting her year super-strong, putting Columbia’s resource-starved Programming department on her back providing coding leadership through tutoring and club organizing. She’s got her mom’s patience and her own sense of drive. I couldn’t be more proud and excited for what’s coming her way.
My boo registered for school in the spring 27 semester to start massage therapy coursework. I love that the people closest to me are taking care of themselves and growing; that all encourages me to keep grounded, stay focused and lock-in.
I’m over 1200 hours out of the 1500 needed, and as soon as barber school sends the transcripts to the testing agency, I’ll be taking the state licensing exam ASAP.
In the meantime, you can book me for a house-call or catch me Thursday, September 17 at Cary’s Lounge for my fourth month in a row of giving free haircuts there, from 6-9pm.
