The Beauty of Providence

The Beauty of Providence

This has certainly been an interesting Winter. I must admit that I am struggling a little as I write this because I, on the one hand, want to share my enthusiasm I have for the upcoming Spring Season. The awakening of all of the plant life and trees beginning to bloom around us, the birds, bees and butterflies coming back to create the lovely and lively eco system full of texture, sound and color. My enthusiasm for people starting to gather in the city. Pedestrian traffic everywhere. 

However on the other hand I can’t ignore, and must honor the ongoing hardships with this new war we are witnessing in Ukraine. All of the injustices that take place daily. Our tireless yet exhausting fight to change things for the better. Slowly coming out of the Covid world ready to enjoy the little and not so little things again.

There is a saying and understanding in the spiritual world that everyone has a role and participates in the healing process in one way or another, even when what they do isn’t blatantly obvious in it’s healing ability or in it’s importance. You don’t necessarily have to be the one on a podium preaching/teaching to make a difference. We can all make a difference in many ways, small and big. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is make someone smile, genuinely make them smile. Or laugh. The important thing is to be active, contribute in some way. That is the purpose and power of community. Anyway…I digress. What I am trying to say is that despite how hard things are and can be, it’s just as important to not lose sight of the good things we have around us. The things we look forward to, because those are the things that can help pull someone out of a very low moment. Something beautiful to look forward to and to hold hope for.

With that I will share my eager anticipation for the Spring to unfold! There are so many awesome things that happen in our city as the ice begins to thaw out and the landscape begins to bloom. 

Take a look at the area around Flipp and all of the amazing small and unique businesses we have around us. Great little cafes, really cool and unique food trucks and restaurants, an outdoor beer garden next to a lovely sunflower field, 10,000 Suns! Cute little shops (NAVA just got a facelift!), a beautiful pedestrian area extending to India Point park…and the waterfront! Walking around the city, you can spot so many incredible murals done with the help of the Avenue Concept and a variety of incredibly talented street artists. If you love coffee as much as I do, the choices are a whirlwind! In one block alone you can choose from Coffee Exchange, Dave’s, Seven Stars, L’Artisan, and Bolt inside of RISD.  With just a 5/10 minute walk you can go from having a great little cocktail/mocktail at Tiny bar or one of the many great little spots around South Main, South Water and the jewelry/knowledge district to the RISD Museum or the Providence Athenaeum. Feeling like something sweet while perusing some art? Small Format on Wickenden street is a great place supporting local artists. Plant City has amazing Vegan desserts and you can do a little food shop for all of your vegan needs. 

Late Spring is also when the outdoor markets begin and the Providence Flea is a staple! Let’s not forget about Waterfire and all activities happening there such as food vendors, artisan vendors and entertainment, all while walking the city. Michael S. Van Leesten memorial bridge has made it super easy and convenient to get to the West Side and Downtown from the Eastside and Vice Versa to explore all of the coolness in all areas of our little city…on foot.

All of this is just a fraction of what we have around us to enjoy. How healing it is to pack a little lunch and to sit at the waterfront? Chances are if you do it on a Friday you may run into the Providence Drum Troupe during a rehearsal. So beautiful in it’s simplicity.

So while we are navigating through some unsure moments still, and mixed feelings about a lot, Spring this year cannot come fast enough! I for one am super looking forward to greeting friends and exploring our little city and all the beautiful things it has to offer. To savor and enjoy these things, as some happiness and joy in these experiences are the fire to warm up a Winter that has been two and a half years too long. 

Happy New Year 2022

A Note on Goals vs. Intentions

Here we are folks! It’s 2022, and a New Year has begun. 

This past year has certainly been a full one, complete with challenges, joy, sorrow, fear, defiance and everything in between. Anxiety has been at its highest and doubt also has been prevalent. We have had a lot to think about, and also have had the opportunity to explore ways in which we can serve ourselves in much more meaningful and significant ways.

I have come to an awareness within myself and I believe that many of us fall into this. We have developed this idea or ritual (if you will), that with every approaching New Year we have to set a list of goals/resolutions. We set expectations within ourselves that quite frankly most of the time are too many, too big, too far out in time or “end result” motivated and are unrealistic. In my opinion this sets us up for disappointment and can even feed into our subconscious beliefs that we aren’t already enough, or good enough as we are at the present time. This also feeds into the “What’s next?” and the “do more/have more” mindset which steals from us instead the mindset of being in the “here and now”,  actually finding the joy and gratitude for what already is. To actually live in the moment and savor it, which does wonders for our sense of purpose, self esteem and overall sense of happiness.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I’m not saying we shouldn't have something that motivates us to strive for growth. This is where intention comes in. I believe it may be better for us to set intentions for ways that we can realistically nurture our process in growth. It can help change the road map and the journey on how to BECOME instead of merely arriving at a goal oriented destination.

Intentions can be set and honored in a plethora of ways, each unique to the individual. Tools like visualization, meditation and journaling are great. These tools also give you an opportunity to slow down and breathe deep, which in turn nourishes the nervous system, instead of a goal oriented race to the finish, or a you against the clock kind of attitude.

My sincere wishes for everyone in this new year are that we can all practice and enjoy the slow journey to manifesting our intentions. May we all find joy in the small things and the many moments that make up our hours, days and months ahead…one beautiful day at a time - minute by minute.

The Architecture of a Haircut and the Science of Texture

What makes a good haircut, great? It’s the first thing we stylists ask ourselves before we begin cutting and it happens in an alternate universe that only exists in the stylist's brain, which allows us to also consult with you in the very same moment we are designing the blueprint in our minds . After the initial consultation, and as we begin to map out the actual cutting, the wheels begin to spin as we reflect on these two points;

The Architecture of a Haircut (the shape that will be created affected by gravity, density, angles, tension + grip), and the Science of Texture (the shape that will be created affected by the natural texture of the hair, climate, amount of damage done by prior treatments, heat, and exposure to the elements).

There is so much that happens “behind the scenes” of a Haircut.

It starts with the education, training and apprenticeship a stylist will receive once enrolled in school, continuing into their entire career through advanced education, personal experience and mentorship.

Other things that formulate the overall experience of a visit to the salon are relationships, bonds of trust that are formed between stylist and client ( which I spoke about in another post) and a detail that I would like to get into with this post; the architecture of the Haircut. The design, the form that is sculpted around the face of the person sitting in front of us. The overall shape it will take on once it’s finished and how different it may look once the person leaves us to play with it on their own...through the vision of their own eyes and how they best see/feel themselves (which is something we always work with and also take into consideration while designing the look). The tools we choose to create a shape will depend on how “heavy” we want a line to be, or how soft we may want that line. The softer the line, the more volume you can achieve in the overall look because the hair will have more buoyancy with a softer edge on the “ends” This is where we may choose a razor to sculpt out the hair, or use our shears to incorporate a variety of techniques such as slide cutting, channel cutting, or deep point cutting. The heavier the line, or the more bluntly we cut the ends, the more we can achieve a stark, shaper look. This is where we would use shears. Think of the classic Vidal Sassoon five point bob.

How will gravity affect the shape/look of the design? Once more, using the proper tools to sculpt the hair, we leave it more blunt and heavy at the edges, or tapered and airy to achieve a lighter, flexible effect. How to sculpt the curls so as to not leave a “shelfy” disconnected look. How to sculpt ultra straight hair so as to not leave steps, to make sure it all blends seamlessly and softly. Leave it crisp and clean, perfectly asymmetrical or purposefully disconnected? Will there be many layers and if so, will they be squared, rounded, a combination of both? Held at 90 degrees to the round of the head creates a drastically different effect than holding the hair out to a 45 degree angle and cutting. Will we slide cut, or deep channel? 

Then there is the Science of texture. The overall feel, appearance, physical state and form of the hair that one is born with, and what they achieve or end up with after chemically altering the hair, or it being over exposed to the elements such as the sun, wind, salt which can influence the texture of the hair through its porosity (ability to hold or repel water/moisture and artificial color).The texture must be taken into consideration as a foundational assessment before creating a final shape. If the texture is too damaged the shape will not perform, for example.

All this in a nutshell are some of the “diagnostics” we use while creating your desired look. This also gives us a blueprint on how to choose and suggest the best products and treatments for  you to use.

We use products and treatments that are plant based and non toxic on your hair, skin and scalp. These formulations and products contain botanicals that are either  humectant and moisturizing in nature. They attract the moisture from the atmosphere, great for volume and curls. Perhaps a more astringent, “drier”, and smoothening in nature, or anti-humectant product is called for. These products repel the moisture in the atmosphere, great for sleeker looks and frizz control. SIDE NOTE: when I say astringent or drier I don’t mean they literally dry or astringe the hair, it means the properties of these products tend to seal the outer layer or cuticle of the hair leaving it sleek. ALL the products and botanicals we use are nourishing to the hair.

As always, we highly suggest (and are happy to have) a consultation prior to making a major change. It’s a complimentary service we offer and is the best way to decide together with your stylist on how to approach your desired result. We encourage that you have photos as a reference, as to make sure we are on the same page as terminology can be confusing sometimes.

So...what does the Season bring for you? Are you ready to approach something bold and new? Are you feeling comfort in a familiar favorite? Is there color in your future, or are you loving your beautiful grays? Shags, Mullets, Pixies, Bobs and everything in between...we are HERE for it!