I was in Hockley, Nottingham this afternoon and noticed Matt outside his gentleman’s hairdressing and skin care salon.
Matt looked very cool wearing a blue suit together. I thought Matt would make a great addition to my strangers project so I approached him, introduced myself and asked him if it would be OK to take some photos.
Matt agreed straight away and I decided the modern facade of the salon with the low autumnal sun would make a good location for some photos.
I asked Matt about his tattoos and he told me a friend who is an experienced tattoo artist did most of them. I also asked Matt about his suit and tie outfit. Matt said that the person who trained him in barbering told him that “a barber is only as good as his image”. Matt is an experienced barber with more than 11 years experience in the trade.
Aretê, the salon, describes itself as “Blending traditional and classic barbering with more modern, contemporary men’s hairdressing and skin care: Aretê is a value based brand with a passionate and committed team of male grooming specialists”. It is certainly a very stylish salon, a modern and contemporary frontage and a nicely decorated interior with high end equipment (a macbook computer and cool monitor).
I googled one of Matt’s tattoos, “apatheia”, and google told me ... “Apatheia is not indifference but a state of being free from irrational passions and disturbances, allowing for clearer judgment and rational action. In Stoic ethics, achieving apatheia is crucial for living a life aligned with nature and virtue, as it enables one to respond calmly to adversity”
Thanks for letting me photograph you Matt, I hope you like the photos once you see them, good luck with your career.
