1/2 (Vaguely) Personal. 1/2 Motivational.

The path to success is really just a long, bumpy road full of potholes, gridlock & terrible drivers. It's basically Dufferin Street during rush hour.
I have never been a patient person. Always finding where my mother had hid my birthday/Christmas presents weeks in advance, sneaking a bite of dessert before dinner had even been served. Heck, I even remember trying to shave my hairless, 3-year-old legs (and failing miserably.... My God! The blood!) because I "wanted to be a grown up".
When I want something, what I really want is to find the quickest shortcut possible. To cross through the tunnel instead of having to dig my own. Unfortunately, the older & more experienced I become, I begin to understand that isn't always a viable option. Sometimes the only choice we have is to throw on that crappy old t-shirt we found at the bottom of our closet & get our hands dirty (metaphorically speaking, of course).
I would be lying if I said that lately I haven't been discouraged. I chose to take a great professional risk with an unforeseeable payoff. I left an environment I was finally beginning to feel comfortable in, in hopes of greater future advancement. Which, in theory, would be a very smart, humble & strategic move.. But my greatest struggle seems to be adjusting to a new & undesirable timeline. The rational side of me understands that these situations take time to break themselves in, & that a positive attitude goes a long way. Yet the typical, impatient, only-child in me wants to 100 meter dash towards the finish line. I want to do anything & everything. Every project. Every client. I want to prove my capabilities & shine like the beautiful diamond I know I am. But the hardest thing seems to be surrounding yourself with people who won't hinder your development, who will instead work with you to push your limits & abilities. Someone who is genuinely interested in your growth, with no ulterior motives. No games.
So is it a blessing or a curse to want everything so deeply? Does being impatient do more harm than good or does it motivate us to work 10x harder? Lately I've had to remind myself that sometimes it's necessary to take a step back in order to propel ourselves towards our full potential; but I also understand that without that true, burning passion & drive to succeed, we won't ever get there. And if we leave it up to other people to make our dreams a reality, we may as well be wishing on a star or throwing pennies into a fountain. Failure is inevitable. You will fail many times before you reach success. But what's also inevitable is that with hard work & determination (& one Hell of a thick skin), you can have all the things you've ever dreamed of & so much more. You just have to keep reminding yourself. You are good. You are capable. You are valuable. You will come out on top.

I'm baaaaaack.

It has been 2 years since my last post. I will admit that since originally starting this blog, life in Toronto has proven itself to be more of a challenge than I had originally thought. As a young professional trying to break ground in this industry, I don't think you are ever fully prepared for the challenges you will face, most importantly finding the right fit. It has taken me some time and 2 different environments to develop the plan I have now set forth going forward in my career. I have learnt that branding is one of the most crucial aspects in building any business. It is of the utmost importance to identify and develop a brand that you are proud of. I have learnt that in any environment you will be placed in, there is always going to be opportunity for conflict & encounters with those of whom you do not get along. But in order to move forward, you must overcome these challenges & never lose sight of your ultimate goal. I have learned that for every negative influence, there will be 10 supportive ones, eager to nurture & develop your talents.  I have learnt that your attitude is literally everything, & most of all I have learnt that without passion there isn't much of a point. I've been broker than broke. I've eaten nothing but Sidekicks for dinner, for weeks on end. I've had moments where I've seen the light (and the cash). I've been torn down by those who promised to help build me up & my ego has taken more blows than a box of Kleenex. But at the end of the day, I am hopeful. I am determined. I am motivated. I am successful.

(and I'm blogging again)

Hair: Thoughts & Feelings by Vidal Sassoon

"Mary Rector asked me to write a page. She said, “Inspire those young hairdressers,” and it dawned on me that even we older ones have a youthful approach to our craft. So, let’s wander through time and I’ll share some experiences.

In the ‘60s, my colleagues and I inhaled the vigor of London where high energy was the norm, ideas were eclectic and elastic, and we stretched them to the limit. Inspiration owes much to a gut reaction to any given situation, and I am constantly elated by the efficacy of hair as an art form, and by the part so many of us have played in bringing this about. So, let me relay a few stories of the evolving excitement of the past 66 years.

I was apprenticed at 14 to Adolph Cohen. The address was 101 Whitechapel Road, in the heart of London’s East End. Above the door outside the salon were the words: Adolph Cohen, Hairdresser and Wigmaker. The year was 1942. World War II was on and the German air force was very busy rearranging the streets of London. People slept in bomb shelters supplied by the city, and each morning we would awaken and wash as best we could. I would often buy breakfast from the street vendors and make my way to the salon, joining other apprentices in training. The boss was a strict disciplinarian and would inspect our shoes, the creases in the boys’ pants, and our fingernails. I failed miserably to live up to his expectations. But he taught me that discipline was a very necessary inconvenience. It was a troubled time, which brought out the best of human nature and the quirky British sense of humor.

One day in the salon, I was assisting the boss with a perm, and in those days a portion of hair was wrapped in a rod and each rod was then placed in a machine that weighed at least half a ton. Once the customer was imprisoned in this machine, she could not move. In each cubicle was a notice that said: During an air raid, you are permed at your own risk. The air raid warning sounded and the boss ushered all the staff down to the cellar, including the clients that were not being permed. Eventually the “All clear” came and each of us went upstairs to look after those clients that were being permed. The golden rule was: During an air raid, turn off the electric switch. I had forgotten to do that. Panic set in. This lady who had come in for a long-hair curly look suddenly had very short hair. The rest of her hair was still in the machine, having been burned off. She looked at herself in the mirror with wide-eyed horror. The boss came in and tidied up the total mess I had made. She kept staring at herself, but said nothing. Strangely, the short look suited her bone structure. And as she got up to go, she looked at me and said, “Not bad for wartime, son.”

Many years later, in the ‘60s, I had what was for me one of the most pleasant experiences. A regular client, a businesswoman with the most gorgeous figure and bone structure, married a gentleman of means who would not allow her to work. A year later she came to see me with a very troubled look. She had put on much weight and was very unhappy about herself. She said, “Vidal, I think my marriage is in trouble,” and we discussed the situation. She said, “Please give me a different look.” I said, “No. What I am going to do is phone Weight Watchers and Mary Quant, the brilliant fashion designer who invented the mini. You’re going in to see Mary and she’s going to make you something not for now, but for three months’ time.” During those three months my client would come in repeatedly and ask, “Am I ready yet? Am I ready?” I’d say, “No, you’re not ready yet.” But Weight Watchers did a superb job of slimming her down. After three months, she came into the salon. I looked at her with a sense of satisfaction. “Now I can carve a shape into your bone structure. I can see those bones.” I cut her hair, Mary Quant gave her that new look, and I went about my business. A couple of weeks later, whilst working in the salon, I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned, and there was the husband of this once-again gorgeous looking lady. He said, “Vidal, I want to thank you. I lost my wife but found my old girlfriend.”

With all the extraordinary adventures that happened to me in the ‘60s, nothing was more gratifying than that moment. I don’t know if I could get away with that today. But for me, the working of hair was architecture with a human element. Even today I see people as shapes, bone structures, and as animated subjects for the scissors.

If there was a personal influence, it was Bauhaus. Bauhaus was a movement of artists and artisans that started in Germany in 1919, and was expelled by the Nazis in 1933. After the war, Bauhaus came back into prominence and still functions to this day. Its headquarters now is in Dessau, Germany, and was built by the great architect and teacher, Walter Gropius. I wanted my 50th anniversary in hair to be at the Bauhaus. In 1992, Gerald Battle-Walsh, who was, and still is, the manager of our German salons, met with the Bauhaus committee. They had to decide whether what we did related to Bauhaus principles. Because of our architectural shapes and the way we were cutting hair, we were accepted by them. And on my 50th anniversary, we did a major show with live models and videos for the European press. It was a day of enormous excitement, for philosophically we were being accepted by architects, artists and others. There were many more moments of pure passion. Hair became not just a way of making a living, but a way of life.

It must be obvious to you by now that I had a superb team, and we enjoyed every moment of the adventure. There is so much to tell about the great fashion names we worked with in Paris, Milan, New York, London, Tokyo…I could go on, and I will, as it will all be related in an autobiography that I am writing at this moment. In fact, I had to stop work on my book to write this article. My aim is to inspire the young—who have no idea how much creativity and strength they have within them—so they feel the pride of developing new ideas, for it is important that we all do credit to this wonderful craft."

Alternative Hair Show 2012

I have always been an avid enthusiast of fantasy hair design; so much time and meticulous planning goes into bringing these creative visions to life. 
In tribute to my love for anything "outside of the box", I've decided to post some photos from the The 30th Anniversary of the Alternative Hair Show, held during Salon International in London. Top teams from TIGI, Sassoon and more showcased the very best in boundary-pushing, awe-inspiring hair.
Take a look!