100 Years of Hair

We made it...

2007-09-12T06:23:00.001-07:00

Yes indeed, we made it... the first published spread by team Byu-ti. How does it feel? It feels great. Not only for the prestige of being published but for the opportunity to let our team shine. And shine they did! Excellent work, Ladies!

Andi, Tara, Luciana, Lesley, Suzanne, Lupe - I'm SO proud of you! Brigham and Meghan, you rock! Alicia, thank you for believing in our vision before we even had photos!

It's interesting, accomplishment always feels a little different than I expect. You push, you push and then... your result arrives... and then? For me, I always think my ego is going to be fed somehow. I think I'm going to feel like hot stuff or something. It never seems to work out that way. Instead, it feels like a satisfying smile from the inside. Like, yes! we did it. We can do it. We can do anything.

I guess that's really the point of this whole project. Our intention was to share with other stylists the idea that, whatever you set your mind to you can achieve. Most times however, we give up before we get there. We lose hope. We get distracted.

If only we could all learn to hold out and hold on to the vision. If the 100 Years Shoot could say anything, it would say: GO FOR IT!

Whatever your IT may be. Whether it's opening a salon, making a move or organizing a photo shoot. Do it! Don't sell yourself short. Make your goals and dreams a reality.

Success is not about how much stuff you have, it's about giving yourself the gift of accomplishment. Allowing yourself to know that you can do, be or have anything. There is nothing greater.

Keep your eyes out folks, we have another shoot in the making. Always, more to come.

Stay updated with Byu-ti happenings by joining our newsletter at: www.byu-ti.com/Screen/Newsletter.html

WOWSERS!... AND MORE ON THE WAY!

2007-09-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

September it is, folks, and the Modern Salon issue is out! It's official! We've been published!

I know this isn't the website I promised. Sit tight. It's coming.

The days since we began getting phone calls of congratulations and finally got the magazine in our hot little have been surreal. Who'd -a-thunk it? Excitement IS contagious, and NOTHING is impossible when you put your mind to it!

The article is beautiful and generous. Thank you Modern Salon. Alicia, we are so happy were sparked your imagination and captivated you with our early developments and brainstorming. We thank you for believing in us!

Thank you to all of our amazing team. We did it Girls! Thank you Natasha, for pushing us through the last leg when we were tired, and for holding us to professionalism to the end!

There were a lot of people that contributed a great deal of planning and artistic talent. Dawn Stafford, Gina Pickett: Thank you for your initial research and shared vision on the project. Thank you Daniela, for letting us wrap you up in our crazy ideas!

Thank you to our assistants Tara Forman and Lupe Hall for your research, support and skill. We saw a hint of the full bloom of your talent on this project and we thank you.

Thank you to the wicked nail diva, Nettie Davis. Your attention to detail and donation of your time gave our shoot the polish of professionalism.

Thank you to the menagerie of other beautiful people there on set that made this happen.

Thank you Kevin Calloway.

Thank you Brig. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Is it true?

2007-07-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Our pictures are finally coming out!! I've been stalking Modern Salon magazines, in hopes it would have come out by june or july. Boy have I been out of the loop. I guess thats what I get for moving back to Arizona! I'm terrible at keeping in touch these days! But I'm stoked its all falling in to place and I cant wait to see what becomes of this amazing project I got to be apart of!! I miss all you Byu-ti ladies!

Much Love
*Tara*

Then What....

2007-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

So it's been a couple months since our last post... but don't let that fool you... we've still been working hard! And for good reason!!

Modern Salon has approached us about running the 100 Years of Hair project in their (June... August...) SEPTEMBER issue!!! WAHOOO!!!!

The crazy thing is, that's been just the beginning! We've had a few other interested parties inquire about publishing the photos as well!!! See what a little creativity and a some elbow-grease can accomplish???

There is a great deal more involved in all this than simply turning over a disc of images!

We've been double checking release forms, crossing "t"s and dotting "i"s, and making a bona fide story out of this whole process.

We've been writing analysis of each decade -- naming the "look", capturing what our inspiration was for each decade, and detailing how we accomplished each look. We've even RE-searched our research to make sure it's accurate.

Davines, manufacturers of hair care, styling products, and MASK hair-color (and staples of the Byu-ti shopping experience) kindly sponsored our shoot and supplied us with product, so we made sure to detail what items were used, and how we unitlized such yummy products each look.

Now that we've worked so hard to compile all this incredibly useful and insightful information, we think we may put it all down in a book!! That will give us a way to showcase not only the talent of all of our amazing artists, but to show you all the way this comes together. These girls, with ridiculously beautiful, do not show up looking the way they do in the shots, and the process takes more than a few minutes, and sometimes, some serious trial and error. But this was our learning experience, and we are thrilled to be able to share it with you all...

So look forward to Fall! September means 100 Years of Hair in Modern Salon Magazine, the launch of the official 100 Years of Hair.com website, and (hopefully) a bound copy of all this information available for your very own collection!!!

Stay tuned!!!

DAMN YOU HOTEL DIAL UP.

2007-04-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

So here I am, in NYC... frantically hopping from internet cafe to internet cafe trying to find somewhere that will let me plug in and download the FINAL PICS!!!

OMG... I'm ready to WALK home to get a internet connection big, strong, and tough enough to let me view these pics!! Where is a Panera Bread when you need one?

AT THIS RATE, IT'S GONNA TAKE 100 YEARS!!

ARRRRRRRGHHHHHH!!!! The anticip-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-ation is KILLING me!!!

At this point I've had WAY too much coffee, clearly.

FINALLY!!!

2007-04-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow!! The finished photos look amazing! Brig is such a rockstar!! It only took him 3 weeks!!! And there were a ton of pictures to choose from. WOW! Thats all I have to say! Now....what comes next?

The waiting process..

2007-04-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so its only been like 2 weeks since the shoot. But waiting for the pictures to come back is driving me crazy!!! We saw a few of the pictures as Brig was taking them (only because we were all so excited to see how they looked, we ended up hounding him on it)...but I'm soooooo excited to see the final outcome of them all!! As soon as I get my pictures downloaded on to my computer I'll post some "behind the scene" photos. *Whoop whoop* Hows that for short and sweet?!

*Tara*

Of course it's not OVER!

2007-04-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Well, yes the shoot is done but, over? Not even close... We have yet to see the finished photos. We have yet to present the finished photos. The real work is actually just beginning. Ahh, the road of self promotion. Before getting into that, I just want to take a moment to commend our incredible team. They really are a priceless group. Each unique, special and pain in the butt in their own way. Maybe that sounds derogatory? Maybe. Maybe it is in some moments. But the truth of the matter is that everyone's greatness and everyone's quirkiness and pain in the butt-ness is what make us who we are.

I mention it because we ran into some challenges along the way: Who wants to participate? Who is intimidated by the task? Who doesn't want to "work" on their off time? That sort of thing. Well, guess what? That is life. And it's all part of the package. And what the heck else are we going to if we're not working towards something, trying to improve something or striving to better anyway? Yes, we had our challenges and I relish all of it (and yes, it's easier to appreciate in retrospect). And yes, working in a group is not always easy.

But I'll tell you this, I have worked on MANY group projects and I have never seen one roll out as smoothly. I have never seen such honesty when it comes to openly confronting fears. I have never seen a bunch of hairdressers come together with as little ego and as much passion as our group did. I think I'll shut up now but not without thanking each one of our team for being the unique gem's that they are. Good work, Ladies!

Well, I guess I won't get into the self promo stuff after-all (I hear from readers that our blogs are a bit long). I'll get back to you when we've actually landed the cover that we want so badly or the ten page spread that we're striving for.

Bye, for now friends.

Wait.... it's not over is it?

2007-04-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

Yep. After two days of shooting, we're done... FINIS! Now we wait for our phenomenal photographer, Brigham Field, to sort and process thousands of beautiful images. Call me if you need more chocolate, Brig. ;)

But, alas... Tara only touched on the frenzy that occurred on and after the call date of the 19th. Though the few girls that came to our open call were beautiful in their own right, we have all so been so present in this design and conceptual process that none of us could settle for less than the perfection pictured in our originals designs. The hunt was on.

We scoured online agencies and forums all day long. Model Mayhem (http://www.modelmayhem.com/), Next Models (http://www.nextmodels.com/), LA Models, Willamina Models turned us onto some amazing talent, and some came and sought us out after catching wind of the project. All and all, the line-up filled out better than we could have dreamed, and our designs and finals plans shaped themselves around each model to fit her perfectly.

We shot 12 girls in two days, seeing 6 models each day, with 7 hairstylists and assistant stylists, 1 rock star make-up artists and assistant artists, and our most favorite manicurist ever.

These were long, full days. Thank god for chocolate, pizza and coffee. We also had some groupies on set, boyfriends and girlfriends and friends and photographers photographing the photographer taking photos. WHEW. I’m telling you, it was CRAZY! By the second day we got our rhythm, and despite some last minute changes in our concepts and crew, we flowed through the entire shoot with no breakdowns, boxing matches or dead bodies. Quite the accomplishment; somehow we managed to streamline all that creative juice into one divine purpose. And boy are these beauties divine.

It will be a few weeks before we see first sets of the final images, and we’ll e blogging about the aftermath as well --- there are toys to be put away, loose ends to tie, and next steps to make to keep pushing this and future projects to the next level.

While waiting for photos, we’ll be compiling and scanning and listing resources and procedures for our styles. Soon, 100Yearsof Hair.com will be up and will be such an intricate dissection a project like this that you will be begging for more.

The blog was only the beginning!

Thank you Natasha, for pulling this all together and holding us accountable for the quality you knew we were capable of. Thank you Brig, for making us look like rock stars.

Its time!

2007-03-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've been a complete slacker when it comes to blogging. The thing is though, I never know what to write!

I guess I'll just start where Andi left off, right before the model call. Lets just say that that didnt quite go as planned. I think we had 40 models confirmed to come in, and only about 6 showed up. *SIGH* That was just lovely. So we picked who we could from the few that showed up, and are actually only using about 2 of those girls. So for the next whole week we scattered and used every connection we could to find some decent models. AND WE DID!!!! Somehow we've managed to scrape together 12 gorgeous decade appropriate models! I couldnt believe it had all come together!! What a relief!

Our ideas are finished, everything is all set in to place, I'm excited to see how everyones decades turn out!!! And thats all I have to say for right now. :)

*Tara*

FORMS!

2007-03-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

At last! Here are a couple of those documents I promised.

The first, a photography/filming release for the models, which will allow us to showcase these images on our websites, print them in ads, or just make poster size prints for the salon. Courtesy of the Unnamed-Legal-Document-Fairy. Thank you. ;)

click to view and download: http://100.getadamnhaircut.com/downloads/standard_release_of_film_video_footage_or_stills.pdf

The second, an audition form that will let us know all the pertinent information about our prospective models. They will also be answering standard new client questions (allergies, hair history, etc).

click to view and download:
http://100.getadamnhaircut.com/downloads/model_audition_form.pdf

I will also post the completed "model call" schedule and auditioning process... once we've figured out how that world works. :)

We're up to about 45 confirmed models for our casting call next Monday. Not bad for a big idea with a nonexistent budget. :)

Stay tuned for more hot-and-hairy updates!

XOXO

Andi Scarbrough

FINAL LINE UP!

2007-03-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Annnnnnnnnd Here's the Line up!

We can't wait to get our fingers into this...

Here's the breakdown for who's hatching these sure-to-be genius concepts.... :)

1900-1910 : Gina

1910-1920 : Natasha

1920-1930 : Natasha

1930-1940 : Tara

1940-1950 : Lupe & Andi

1950-1960 : Luciana

1960-1970 : Suzanne

1970-1980 : Lesley & Dawn

1980-1990 : Dawn

1990-2000: Andi

2000-2010 : Luciana & Tara

2010-2020 : Natasha & Andi

12 girls... 12 decades.... WHAT WILL COME OF THIS?!?!? ha! just you wait and see...

OH. And those forms are on their way!!

XOXO

MODEL CALL!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-02-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

The gears are turning...

lots of smoke...

a little sputtering...

but we are rollin' and ready to crank out some wicked work.

Now. Let’s go down the checklist:

We’ve got solid artistic concepts and intentions, an amazing photographer, a group of truly inspired stylists, and ever expanding possibilities. What else do we need?
Uh… models?

Sure, we’ve all wrastled up a hair model for a class here and there again, but this is no seasonal-how-to. This is serious stuff, man.

So… we’ve destroyed craigslist with dozens of strategically placed
Ads, and Natasha has utilized her ninja-like connectivity and gotten the word out through several big modeling agencies. We’ve bulletined. We’ve blogged. We’ve emailed and forwarded. … and forwarded and forwarded.

Set the date, and they will come. March 19th.

(email me for details if YOU happen to be interested in modeling for the 100 Years of Hair project)

We are now faced with the actual task of DOING a model casting call.

For some of the crew, this is old hat. For the rest of us, well, I’m downloading audition templates and and trying to put together an order-of-business- for the day that does not resemble a three ring circus… I’m gathering a nice little system for our creative selection process.

I’m aaaaall over it. I’ll post them for ya when we’re done. ;)

XOXO
Andi Scarbrough

meeting results and pics!!

2007-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

The meeting was great! Sorry for the delay in getting the goods up here. Being that it IS show season around here (and we're all frenzied in the joy of tax-season-meets-self-employment) it took me just a bit to get this stuff up!

We came to a few solid conclusions:

1. We are going to optimize the mad skills of our photographer, and make the focus of each shot the girl and not what she is wearing. We will be shooting from the waist up and strategically placing period appropriate accessories over the girly parts. For example, our 50's girl may just be wearing gloves and pearls. Fun huh? It's definitely gonna help us keep to our budget!!

2. We will be shooting against either black or white backdrops, using large black or white empty frames to isolate the model in the shot. The the frames will give the models 'business' to play with, and the sharp lines will give a comtemporary surreal effect to the finished image.

3. MODELS MODELS MODELS: The casting call is set for Monday, March 19th! We've started recruiting individually... this was my craigslist ad:

::MODEL CALL:: High fashion models needed for photoshoot!

We are doing a shoot called 100 Years of Hair. We are looking for 12 Girls. Working with fantastic creative team, this is not your run-of-the-mill photo shoot. ********************************************************************************

In particular, I am searching for

SUPER ANDROGYNOUS FEMALE UP FOR HIGHLY STYLIZED CUT AND COLOR.

********************************************************************************

Serious models ONLY please. Please respond by sending a minimum of three images. www.getadamnhaircut.com + www.byu-ti.com Deadline March 1st

MODEL CALL DATE: MARCH 19TH!

Byu-ti Hair Therapy 510 Wilshire Blvd (b/t 5th and 6th) Santa Monica

Pay $200 in salon services

4. The next meeting will be on March 3rd. We'll be discussing our FINISHED designs with the photographer and make-up designer!!

YAY!! It's happening!!!!!!!

More pics to follow!!

XOXO
Andi Scarbrough

MEETING # 2

2007-02-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

I am SO excited for our second meeting tonight!!

After two weeks of shows and classes and a million other things having leased space in our minds, we are finally free (for the moment) to get back to our little project.

Some exciting things to report back on tonight, no doubt, as we'll be sharing our three concepts for our decades. The three "concepts"--- are three simple aspects of the decade we wanted to reconstruct. Each persons presentation may be one magazine clipping, a poster board collage, or sketches for each look-- but it will all convey what we have to say.

We'll also be setting a date for the model casting call, and the next meeting which will involve the photographer and key make-up artist, where we'll have chosen and developed our one look for each model we've chosen. At this time, we should also have strong (if not final) concepts for the shoot style, backdrop colors, and general mood. We'll also be reviewing topics such as overall theme and the intentions of the project (and there are some exciting possibilities!).Hopefully my next post will include photos of some sketches and collages. I'll put mine up, for sure, but I'm not done with them yet. ;)

XOXO
Andi

PS. I know I started off thinking that the shots would be great on colored backdrops, but after seeing this new Regina Spektor video, I think I may be leaning toward the black and white!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGTDRztaCCw

I love Lace and Lashes!

2007-01-27T22:55:00.000-08:00

Hi all.....it's Gina. First off I missed the meeting...(I was getting my ear talked off from my tax man about how I am going to owe way too much money,) Anyhow I didn't get a binder or any sheets ANDI!!!! Please don't leave me out of the loop (lol). I honestly wish I could travel back in time and observe everyone. Wouldn't that be so much easier? For my next move, I'm going to look into films for inspiration. I'm sort of worn out from my Internet searching...(who would have guessed lol). However, I have learned some interesting things while researching. The early 1900 hairstyles had an abundance of ringlets due to Charles Nestle's invention of the first permanent wave in 1905. Many women in that time were making there own hair products from household items such as petroleum jelly, Castor oil, and Gallic acid. Also, I found out that a French chemist named Eugene Schueller created Aureole, the first of many hair colors on the market. You might be using this company today actually, they were later renamed L'Oreal. L'Oreal was also at one time supposed to be called " The French Harmless Hair Coloring Company". (could you imagine how well that name would fly now a days? ) Surprisingly, coloring the hair was not well looked upon, but that didn't stop many women from using it. Also, for those who could not afford to color their hair would make their own mixtures, using things such as herbs and rust. For the shoot, we are also supposed to look into a theme for our clothing, so I want to go with lace! White frilly lace, but with a modern twist on it. I also want high tight collars, with very minimal makeup. It was reported that even the women who could afford makeup used very heavy powder to appear pale to match everyone else. (That was because of an outbreak of TB)..I guess history can be fun lol....hope I could enlighten you!

Meeting Minutes

2007-01-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

WHEW! What a week.... wait.... it's only Wednesday...?!

Excuse the delay in posting notes on our first meeting. Both Tara and Suzanne nailed it: this is one hefty side project. This is no restore-a-dresser-in-a-weekend job. Oh no.

Remember: all of us are new, in a new salon, still in the getting-to-know-you pleasantry, just getting into our groove. For lack of better words, this was a big bite to take, and we already had our mouths full.

And yet, no matter how amazing the side project is, sometimes it must be set aside, with focus on the task at hand.

Oddly enough, just like a wine, if you leave it stand a minute, it blossoms.

The meeting went very well; though we were short a few members, marked as excused. ;) I made everyone copies of the same points I posted to discuss so we could keep each other on track. I also set up a ‘production binder’ for the project. It’s a nice way to keep it from taking over my life/kitchen table. It’s also great for housing magazine clippings, stray papers, or notes. I know, Suzanne, it's Organizational Addiction, I think.

I thought I’d open the meeting with a few things Natasha and I had brainstormed about. Our initial thought was to make the shots in colored background with era suggestive wardrobe that would blend and make the hair and make-up pop. Suzanne saw it another way, in fact, she saw it several other ways. She had pulled several magazine pages that showed the results of dramatically different backgrounds. I just sat amazed while she explained the benefits, and focus of each style. I was thrilled and thankful to her for showing us what a statement changing the shade of a backdrop can make. That Suzanne, she's so smart. We all chatted back and forth about the pros and cons of each style. What it came down to was budget.

Really, we’re starting off with a $0 allowance and seeing how that works out for us.

Naturally, we know we’ll have to spend a little money to make this thing happen, but so far, all artists have come together for love of the game. We’re trying to be open to possiblity, broadening our spectrum of thinking and watching this project branch out in directions we never dreamed of.

Still, we’re on a try-and-budge-it. We can make this happen, it’s just gonna take a little resourcefulness, and a little elbow grease.

After spending all that time on style choices, we snapped back to our agendas and moved on to finalizing decade assignments… not that I’m posting those yet, those are for later.

We continued on brainstorming ideas (it WAS on the agenda, after all). Thoughts like looking for a set designer flew around for a bit, and then wardrobe came up.
Natasha said she heard that some of the big studios have donation departments, but we’d have to be doing a little more than a photo shoot.

Simultaneously (eyes bulging like cartoons) we all thought the same thing.

Why the hell aren’t we doing more than a photo shoot?

The Byu-ti creed is Give Goodness. Of course. That’s what was missing.

Quickly we began a whole new subject of discussion. WHO? Immediately we all rattled off a few charities close to each of our hearts. Still, the answer was right in front of us.

Each time we send a woman out of the salon, our art makes a statement about her and her lifestyle. What do we see then when we look at style icons like Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe? What was going on (or NOT going on) in their lives?

What does each decade say about the evolution of the women lived in that hair? How is that message still relevant today?

Now on a mission bigger than ourselves, we scribbled down notes of additional research to do on the evolution of women’s rights (and all civil liberties) and find several groups of people to both support and benefit from what we had cooking.

We hurried through the remaining topics of shoot dates, next steps, and logging resources for reference and moved on to the task at hand, but we were buzzing with a slightly more directed vibe.

Today I ordered a bunch of books from Amazon.com. Just hit a few keywords and read some reviews, next thing you know, I’m paying extra for expedited shipping. So much for the $0 budget.

XOXO
Andi

“Art for art's sake, with no purpose, for any purpose perverts art.

But art achieves a purpose which is not its own.”

- Benjamin Constant

Hi

2007-01-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

Hi there....my name is Gina. Id like to comment that this is my first blog. Ill start by saying I'm the new girl on the block (or salon if you'd like). I join the team a couple days a week and love everything about the salon so far! I actually have no idea what I'm doing or if this will even get to the page....lets say i'm not computer savvy. I've learned so much just talking to Andi about the importance of being connected online. This girl has got it going on. She whipped out her web page and blog and i was impressed. She made me realize that yes,,,even though i chose hair because secretly i did not want to be stuck in a cubicle...I guess its OK to sign on, once in awhile. (you'd be proud of me though i am now profiled on myspace lol, have a domain name and am now creating a website....thanks Andi). Lets see.... this project was very interesting because it shows initiative and drive to actually follow through on an idea. Its very easy to want to create and then let it slip back into the depths of your imagination. I'm very excited to be a part of this project and hope i can contribute my talents and creativity to the best of my ability. I also hope that what i will convey will meet Andi's expectations,,,,shes amazing folks and this is her project...so lets say for the record i will do my all to do a kick ass job. I am handling the 1900 to 1910 piece.I have ideas, but it is difficult to do research when there is mostly drawings floating around... considering not many photos in that time..I do love the dresses though and the big hats!!!! I am the extension girl at Byu-ti so keep a look out for really big hair. I think this show will end with a bang!!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME..........

...and another project emerges!

2007-01-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

Yeah, exactly Tara...”what have I gotten myself into?” A question I have asked myself on several occasions when the end result has always been something I can look back on and smile. I must emphasize the positive aspects which immeasurably overshadow the negative ones in this particular situation: collaborating with a wonderful group of creative minds; massive amounts of research – learning is always beneficial; inspiration; influential; an experience – to say the least; and most significantly growth – not only individually, but collectively as well.

Yet I wonder…do I really have time for another side project? *I look around my bedroom*…glue stick, magazines, magazine photos, folders and binders, papers, writings, spreadsheets, fabric, glue gun…I’ve already become a hermit with every single artistic excuse I can think of.

Well this will be just another one of those fabulous justifications in buying $15 magazines, spending evenings in bookstores, devoting hours on-line, using that amazing $0.99 glue stick that Andi gave me (I will soon need another), sketching/drawing, hanging out in vintage stores, and most importantly – drinking at Renee’s!

*I think about the shoot* It IS a brilliant idea…and ideas are just pieces of nothing unless you manifest them into something tangible…and…that’s exactly what we’re doing. But what makes this different? Because in all honesty, we’ve all seen a similar concept done before. But WE say, “it WILL be different”, because we will use every decade as inspiration for a modernistic version representing the “Byu-ti vision”. Fashion trends are always finding its roots in the past and adding a modernized twist to it. Vintage never goes out of fashion. Classic is timeless. Different is unique.

::suzanne::

Tap, Tap Is this thing on????

2007-01-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

What have I gotten myself in to?? Was the first thing that popped in to my head my this week, when i finally started realizing how big of a project this was going to be. Am i being negative here?? Nah, well on that note...I would be Tara, the "new-by" to the business, the baby of the salon, one of the "apprentices" at Byu-ti, I always seem to find myself in awe of the girls I work with. They are all so creative and literally AMAZING at everything they do! They are such a pleasure to be around and I am so lucky to have them as my mentors. Everyone brings something different to the table. First of all, everyone of us have such different personalities, most of us are a bit crazy. (But I guess when you're in this business you kind of have to be.) We all come from different back-grounds and have our own stories. But in the end we have quite a few things in common, art, hair, and drinking (which by the way, is how this whole thing started).

Basically Andi already explained the whole Renee's thing and how this fantastic idea all began. And I'm going to have to say that as we were leaving the bar that night I was right there with her in thinking that this was just one of those ideas we'll put in the back of the closet. So when I got to the salon the next morning Lesley started talking about it again. About how it was such a great idea (duh!), what steps we were going to take next and that she was completely stoked to get started on it. And I tell ya, that Lesley, she's a pusher! But in the best possible way! I think it was by the next day that Andi had already gotten the ball rollin'. And better yet, got everyone at the salon on board! I'm so excited to get this thing moving!! Being at the salon completely inspires me!

Today we had a bit of free time. So Dawn decided to bust out the curling iron and throw out a few fancy do's on us. Lucianna got the oh-so lovely mile-high 80's bangs. And for me, Farrah Faucet hair. I'm going to have to say that I felt more like Peggy Bundy than Farrah. Especially after I went to the car and pulled out a neon pink belt. All that was missing was purple spandex pants and some heels. As we were sitting there though, we just started brainstorming on how many different ways we could take our decades. Arent you all excited to see what happens... :)

I'm a bit nervous, a little intimidated, and completely excited at the same time!! Well I guess thats it for now, till next time....

*Tara*

Meetings?!?

2007-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

Strange as it may seem, I simultaneously crave and fear leadership. Through overwhelming encouragement, I am trying to steer this project into the general direction I had originally intended. After all, what good is scratching an itch if you wind up scratching the wrong spot?

So I have been asked to lead our first “FORMAL” team meeting about the project on Monday. Suddenly, I am flashing back to time served as a Junior Lutheran board secretary. I mean… should I be taking minutes? Err... All in favor??

I struggle with both wanting and being afraid to release ownership, and make this a creative commune. However, it’s in the best the interest of the project to have SOMEONE making sure there is a congruent flow through the project, and dammit, I had to open my big mouth, so I guess I’ll be planning this meeting.

It is MOST important for me to make sure each stylist is adequately challenged and yet feels supported (not smothered) by the overall concept, or as a wise man once told me, “The End in Mind”. Everyone should feel free to stretch their minds as far as they’d like, but be aware of the overall feel of the shoot.

There are so many aspects to consider. How accurate do we want wardrobe to be? Are we talking period recreation or period inspiration? What do we want to use for a backdrop that will separate each decade from the others, but still tie it all together? So far, we’ve decided that the shoot should have a definitively modernized flare, and be suggestive regarding wardrobe. We thought we’d like to shoot against solid vibrant colors, tying in a mostly monochromatic wardrobe, which will make the hair and make-up POP and be the focus of each photo.

So (deep breath) I am planning to focus the meeting on the following things. In an hour.

~ Finalize All Decade Assignments: We’ve had this mostly done for a few days, but you know these creative types. ;)

~ Brainstorm Ideas: If someone has a bangin’ concept for a decade they are not doing, we want to make sure all the brilliant concepts get heard.

~ Bios and Headshots: For the newly forming HundredYearsofHair.com (or 100YearsofHair.com – we aren’t sure yet.) We’ll be posting a headshot-esque pic of each of us and answers to 7 questions we chose to provide some insight into our individuality.
Name, Hometown, Favorite City, I Find Inspiration In…, I Look Up To…, I Do This Because…, Before I Die I Will… Wait till you read THOSE!!

~ Review Decades: We’ll cull through the research I found online and in my books. I have assembled 3 packets of research. One is all Kevin Aucion’s work, naturally, another is from a book called Fashions in Hair, and lastly, a website www.kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade70.html Good ole' Google Image searches were pretty handy too. I just typed in "fashion" "Icons" "models" and got exactly what I was looking for.

~ Proposed Shoot Date: We are looking at the first weekend in April. YIKES!

~ Next Steps: We will meet again in 2 weeks. Each stylist will be responsible for creating and sketching or making a collage of THREE different looks for each decade. That way when we have our model casting call, we are not already married to just one concept for a decade. The stylist will pick their model and choose which of the looks they designed to use. Who knows? If we find models and looks versitle enough, we may be able to do more than one look per decade!

Whew. I’ll let you know how it goes.

XOXO
Andi

A WHOOSH of Inspiration..

2007-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were looking in the thesaurus for a word to replace cheesy. Why? Because Andi (the force behind this whole project) described her and the girls with it. Cheesy? Hmm, I thought. These girls are anything but cheesy. They are, in my opinion, quite the opposite actually. Hi, I’m Natasha, one of the sisters that run this salon. I’m word sensitive these days I guess because even the word salon is making me want to search the thesaurus for a better one.

I honestly don’t know where to begin. All I know is that, if you have a dream. Put one foot in front of the other and move toward it. What I’m learning is that when you move towards your dreams, even if they aren’t totally clear, the world bends and twists in your favor to deliver something WAY beyond your wildest dreams. That’s what Byu-ti is to me, way beyond my wildest dreams.

We opened a small two-chair salon two years ago and quickly knew that we had bigger ambitions to fry and opened our ten-chair haven known as Byu-ti Hair Therapy. What’s happening over here is sort of like a mini Big Bang. An explosion of creativity is taking place.

Daniela (sister), Dario (husband) and I brainstormed on what kind of business we wanted to build and what came of it, to keep it really simple was our tag line, GIVE GOODNESS. We decided when hiring our team to focus on the “good” of the person rather than their fancy training and such. What has been born is a group of women that can move me to tears when I think about them. They are each dynamic and magnificently beautiful in their own way. Weird, because when we started thinking about the kind of team we wanted, the one thing we kept stating was, we wanted to highlight their ‘individuality’. We wanted a team but we didn’t want a box to fit them all in. Good thing, BC there wouldn’t be the slightest possibility of fitting this group into a box.

We have seven stylists currently, two apprentices and Daniela and I. We’re all ladies, although we do not discriminate. It just worked out that way.

So, back to 100 Years of Hair…Los Angeles falls into a quiet slumber through the holiday season as Hollywood basically goes on holiday. This is the time when most salons take on a slightly negative tone due to all the down time and lack of money being made. Not these girls. These girls smile everyday whether they’re busy or not. They drink wine after work and come up with ideas to keep the creative juices flying.

Andi shared her 100 Years of hair concept with the ladies and they’ve literally gone running with it. I can feel the sizzle of creativity bursting on a daily basis at a time when I was worried they may begin to get a little down.

This week we have our first meeting as a team, rather than the excited explosions that happen in the staff room daily. I’m looking forward to see what each person contributes to this project. I can tell they’ve already contributed so much, from concepts to research to simple enthusiasm.

It’s a dream to witness these girls in action. We will keep you posted and probably entertained on the process. Stay tuned…

Hairdressers Gone Wild: The Story of Us.

2007-01-18T16:59:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I found myself having a glass of wine after work with a few of the girls at Renee's (a divey little courtyard-bar right next door to Byu-ti, our salon). Amidst the smoke and cool beachy air we began to wax philosophical about all kinds of crap, Art, mostly, and more specifically OUR art.

Byu-ti is fairly new to the Los Angeles salon scene, though the owners Natasha and Daniela have been in the biz forever, quite prestigiously so, in fact. So all of us chickens are just beginning to move past watching each other blow-dry hair and lay foils and into the important stuff: like drinking wine after work.

We all come from very different backgrounds, with expertise in fields ranging from the very theatrical to the cleanest editorial work you've ever seen. Thrilled to be working with one another (no, really!), we've been able to swap ideas and keep the creative streams flowing.

It's been the most positive, creative atmosphere I've ever experienced. Sappy? A little, sure. BUT I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!!

So it's no surprise that we are all looking for ways to stretch each others ingenuity muscles; including each other in pet projects, encouraging individual big dreams (and I mean takin'-over-the-world BIG). Most of us were creatively stagnating, if not stifled all together, and this new environment felt like a run on the beach after a 14 hour plane ride. We began to rope each other into ongoing projects where we saw we could utilize (not fear) our sisters’ strengths, and as a result began to produce some flawless and truly inspired work.

Yet, even, with all these divinely artistic minds steaming up the joint in and day out, making marvelous works of wearable art, sometimes a girl gets an itch she just HAS to scratch.

This is my itch.

Back to Renee's... On my second glass of wine I started to talk to Tara and Lesley about my yearnings for the theater. "Maybe I'll just do a couple shows this year---just to satiate myself". Lesley, our prized red-head, confessed that she, too, being of-and-about the stage, missed it. We began to talk about the current trends being reminiscent of this era or that, and how everything continually circles back around. Still, we missed the framed fragments of time captured only on stage.

How great would it be to tell the story that every era has a play in modern society! Think about this: you go to your stock Hollywood party--- undoubtedly; you will see there some girl who could be Twiggy in line for the bathroom, or a Diana Ross incarnation lingering by the bar. Why not show how innovative the old tricks can be with just a teensy bit of new-millennium spice?

In fact, why not just do a WHOLE photo shoot dedicated to nothing but artistic satisfaction??

So the three of us agreed we would talk more about it (sober) and wandered off home. As much as I hate to admit it, the part of me conditioned to be disappointed was already convinced that this was just another one of those La La Land nights of big talk and no action. I made up my mind then and there that I really wanted to do this project, for me personally, as a sense of completion and a way to instrument all the things I’ve learned along the way to my current employment.

As it turns out, the girls didn’t forget about it. On the contrary, Lesley and Tara had a couple of the other girls buzzing about the idea when I came in the next day. We liked the idea so much, that we kept going with it, and as it happens when magic is meant to happen, it ignited some inspiration in each of us.

And it just kept going.

Gosh, how we had wished for something like this to be available to us when we were just beginning--- even 6 months ago, before we landed in our comfy little nest. How INSPRIRING it would be to be new to this dynamic industry and be able to take apart a project like this and understand every detail of what goes into it. How wonderful, the idea of inspiring someone else to recognize, utilize and renew decades gone by. All we want is to encourage someone else to take a concept and revive it-- to make the act of conceptual creation their own (and whole) world.

So that’s what we are doing here. We’re giving you a very very pretty and high-tech toaster. You will see it as it is assembled, and you’ll be able to study each limb as it joins to form a body.

We will give you notes, resources, timelines, schedules and sketches. We will show you where models come from, and how every person in this process is imperative to its success.

Stand by for the play by play…

XOXO
Andi