Ready, Set.....

So here we are in Prague, well Patrick and myself anyway. Rodrigo will arrive on the morning flight via Amsterdam.

So, a lunch meeting with our complete team, then off to photograph the city and experience some Czech culture.

5 years ago when I launched Matrix here, I assumed that I would probably never be back here as a hairstylist. It truly is amazing when things come full circle.

The people here are warm, the beer is cold, and the surroundings breathtaking. One more day to enjoy with our team, then it's time to bring the Matrix love and energy through 16 cities spanning 3 countries.

Needless to say, none of us can wait for this incredible opportunity to share our knowledge and passion with Eastern Europe. Here's a few quick phone pics. Enjoy.

Best,

Paul

Hair Heroes

So this is it. I am fast approaching our "Golden Scissors Tour" of Eastern Europe.  I am overjoyed to be part of a great team, as I will be alongside my brother Patrick Wilke, and another stylist whose work I absolutely love, Rodrigo Araneda of Montreal, Canada.


We are embarking on a massive tour, travelling throught the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, sharing our collection of cuts and styles for Matrix Canada. 

These events are so grounding to a travelling artist, as they force you to remember why you became an educator in the first place.  These are my reasons. 

I have had literally thousands of influences in my career, artists, musicians, designers, and espescially hair gurus who have inspired me to push forward and improve myself, and those around me.  However, there are 3 in particular (in chronological order) that may not know how important they have been in shaping the direction of my career.

First, my grandfather, Domenic Tersigni.  An Italian immigrant, he barbered for nearly 70 years.  Somehow he found a way to support a wife and 12 children with his scissors, comb, clippers and razor.  Although in a monetary sense, he was never wealthy, in my eyes, he was the richest man I ever knew.  His respect and dedication to barbering was second to none, and he truly loved his work, and the people he serviced during his time.  I learned the value of hard work from him, and that being rich seldom had anything to do with money.

Second, my first trainer that made a difference. Gerard Scarpaci facilitated my first segment at Vidal Sassoon in Toronto.  His attention to detail, and commitment to sharing information are gifts I try to emulate every single time I am fortunate enough to be conducting a training.  Gerard settled for nothing less than perfection, and is a true craftsman.  I learned the value of knowledge, and the value of sharing from him, the most important traits of any successful educator.

Third, a recent connection.  Chrystofer Benson.  I truly believe that I probably would have left the industry in the last year or so that I met Chrys. A true inspiration, he settles for nothing.  The ambition and drive Chrys has is unmatched, and that is contagious.  He makes everyone around him believe they can succeed, and far exceed any mental or technical limitations.

So.  I  am off to Europe to educate and inspire stylists with my amazing team, and I am taking these lessons from my hair heroes with me.  Its time to be dedicated, work hard, be technically perfect, share my ideas and knowledge, and exceed my limits, and inspire others to do the same.

If you don't have a hair hero, i suggest you look around.  There are many, and they are around if you just have a good look.

Best,

Paul

The Creative Ego

The greatest part of an artist's development, in my mind, is the abolition of ego.  The desire to dominate others, in business and in life, is an empty idea.  Ego does not, and has never resided in the present.  The present moment is the only true reality for a creative person, rendering the ego, and all egotism false reality, merely a reflection of a created persona as opposed to the real, true persona hiding behind the ego, and its subsequent behaviours.

Development as a hairstylist is about purity, and intention.  Ego is money hungry, ego is impure in its intent, ego is obsessed with its public perception, in business and personal affairs.

Purity requires less thought and effort, and the results can be staggering.
Intention is purposeful, and precise, and arrives easily to the mind.

The most extraordinary people I have met in my journey as a hairstylist have been completely ordinary, and real. 

The most successful people I have encountered in my line of work are those who are 100% committed to their art without obsessing over success.

The most accomplished financially rarely speak of money.

The most important to their craft are always, always the most humble.

Most importantly, the ones with the greatest knowledge base are exclusively the stylists who give the most to others.


Remove the distractions, the enigmas, and the illusions that support the ego and we are left with the ability to rediscover why we wanted to be hair artists all those years ago, when our intentions were pure, and our dedication to the craft immeasureable.

Best,

Paul

How to Effectively Predict Hair Trends

Remember the days when your clientele took their cue from the world of fashion? Me too.

This brings me back to the first salon I worked in as an apprentice and Junior Stylist. We serviced a high-end fashion savvy client base, and they were constantly fighting over the selection of European high fashion magazines we kept in abundance in our Technical Area.

These mags were always dog-eared, and had multiple pages torn out, as clients created their seasonal look from our magazines.

Wow have things ever changed in the last decade....I now observe my own salon magazines, and it is amazing what I see. I have 6 month old copies of high-fashion magazines that have barely been opened. On the other side of the equation, the Celebrity-oriented magazines are generally unreadable within a week of purchase.

There is an interesting insight here, our clientele take more personal fashion influence from celebrities than models.

There are so many crossover celebs that have become nothing short of iconic in the world of hair. They are the trump card for hairstylist.

Your clients are looking to these people for style ideas, and as stylists, accepting this and exploiting this connecting will build our repective businesses astronomically.

Nowadays, celebrity is high fashion. Now go make some money.

Best,

Paul

Ron Sexsmith / Andy Kim

Great photo. In the middle, the Booker responsible for this awesome event, Pete Meades of Meades Bros. Productions, flanked by Andy Kim on the left and Ron Sexsmith on the right. See what I mean about Andy's hair?
Amazing.

Ron Sexsmith / Andy Kim

So I popped up to the cottage the other night to catch the legendary Canadian singer / songwriter Ron Sexsmith at Town Hall in Bayfield Ont. Needless to say the show was nothing short of phenomenal. On the way there I was informed that Ron was bringing Canadian legend Andy Kim along for the ride.

What a treat. Ron and Andy performed a few tracks together, and the results were priceless.

Andy's hair is straight out of a museum. Amazing. Pop stars today could learn from this guy.

Men's Hairstyle Trends: Fall 2011

Men's Hairstyle Trends: Fall 2011