Today while I was getting my haircut I had a thought that working with a hairdresser is a lot like working with an architect.
And here's why:
Trust
Trusting someone to interpret your aesthetic wishes through your hair. You bring your pictures, and describe to the hair dresser what you think you want and they interpret it. People bring me pictures of what they like as well. I find words, although seeming universal, they conjure different images and emotions for different people. For example "Short" can be buzz cut to ear-length bob. Or "Modern" could mean cold and white or clean and rich in materials. It is all relative to your experience. You are trusting your architect to interpret your words and pictures into a building that you can live with for a long time.
Sharing and TMI
(there isn't too much info when it comes to building needs)
My hairdresser says that people tell her intimate details of their lives. Sometime too much information.
When working with an architect, you will also share the mundane details of your life. How you function, organized, or not, extra room in your bedroom, shared washrooms or not, and even financing becomes shared knowledge. You need to be comfortable with your architect to share these details so they can design the best for you.
Working with what you've got
A hairdresser can look at your hair, is it thick, thin, coarse, fine, damaged, colours, faceshape and lifestyle and make sure that the cut they give you is appropriate and that will work well for you and your hair. Some hairstyles just don't work with certain hair types and forcing it will never work out in the long term.
Architects do the same, they look at your budget, site, regulations and make sure that the building they design meets all the constraints and takes advantage of them for the best possible building for your needs and constraints! They bring creative solutions to the toughest constraints, with little to no compromises!
I have thick curly hair, so a straight cut will only give me grief no matter how beautiful it looks on other people. The wrong building solution for your site/needs will only give you grief and hard ache!
So many Choices!
How long? Wash and cut? Bangs or no bangs? and then which colour of the thousands to choose from. There are a lot of choices your hairdresser needs to help you decide.
The architect is also there to help you with decisions. There are the choices you know about, like what colour to paint the walls, but also the choices you don't know about like how much insulation? or what construction method would be best. We also want to be there to help with the project make or break decisions like which contractor should we hire. We help clients make these decisions all the time, so we want to bring that expire to you and your project. All these decisions are yours to make we just want to facilitate you to the best choices for you and your project.
Pushing you to the Best Vision
A hairdresser, like an architect has a creative side. They have a big vision for your hair. And even if you can't see it, they want to push you towards it because they feel you will look and feel your best in a particular style.
Architects also have big visions and they may want to push you further than you think you can go. They do it because, like a hairdresser, they want to give you the best building you can get, that will only improve and inspire your life everyday because you live/work in a beautiful building!
There is one major difference...
Hair does grows back and you get a second chance. Constructing a building is permanent (aside from renovations)! Architects bring their experience to get it right the first time. When the client and architect work together as a team, sharing, trusting great visions can come together!