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Featured Artist: Kathy Barker
Posted 09-07-2010 1:38 pm by

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Artist, Colorist, Stylist, Educator, Event Coordinator…. Kathy Barker does it all! We took a few minutes to sit down with Kathy Barker, Salon Services’ newest Education Specialist.

You are currently employed with Salon Services as our Education Specialist, can you explain what this involves?

As the Education Specialist, I am a full-time educator for all of the lines we carry and I also work to manage the educators for each of our lines that do not have Brand Managers.  I also help coordinate them between consultants and salon owners when a Class Request is submitted, make travel arrangements, and plan/coordinate events!

Wow!  That is quite the job description.  How do you keep all of the different lines, vendors, processes and techniques straight?

I like to call them my “silos of knowledge.”  At first it was kind of difficult, but I have found as I learn each line better, I am able to compartmentalize the information and focus on what it is that I am teaching at the time.  I have also found that it has been great to be able to compare and contrast products and color lines for salons that carry one or more of our lines. 

 

What line do you enjoy educating for the most?  Why?

I can’t say that I have a favorite.  There will always be a special place in my heart for Brocato because that is the line that I began educating for at Salon Services before I became the Education Specialist, but one of the great things about Salon Services is the caliber of products that we carry.  I am a very transparent person and if I don’t believe in something, you will know.  I feel fortunate to work for a company that takes careful consideration in what we carry and enables me to present, with confidence, products that will do what we say they will do.

What is your favorite product and why? (We’ll let you get away with naming your top 3)

1)     Brocato Cloud 9 Mousse.  It is really a leave-in conditioner in mousse form.  It has SPF protection, soy and wheat protein for strength, as well as lemon and chamomile for shine.  It has a consistency more like shaving cream than a traditional mousse, which can turn watery, and that consistency is reflective of how luxurious it makes the hair feel.  It also works great as a cutting lotion for razor cutting.

2)      Davines Relaxing Fluid.  What makes Relaxing Fluid unique is that it is a smoothing, anti-humectant product, but the first ingredient is water.  This product doesn’t weigh the hair down, but it still creates soft, shiny, smooth hair.  It is my go-to product for silky smooth blowouts.

3)      Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Crème.  I use this product in my own hair almost every day.  It intensifies natural curl without making it stiff or sticky while it controls frizz.  Living in Seattle, especially in the rainy months, this product has been a lifesaver for my curly hair.

 What inspired you to get into the beauty industry?

            That is an interesting story, actually.  I always knew I wanted to do hair, but my father told me that hair dressers don’t make money, so I went to college as a Math Major.  While I was in college, I worked as a swim and water aerobics instructor, which I had done since I was 17, and a calculus tutor.  I realized after a few years that there wasn’t much besides teaching that I could do with a math degree, and I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher, so I quit and went to beauty school.  Now here I am, educating for a living.  I have come to realize I love to teach, it just has to be for something I am passionate about.  It was my mother who had the intuition to see that passion and encourage me to go to beauty school, which I appreciate more and more every day.  My dad, by the way, is now fully supportive of my career choice.

 Who are your mentors, or whose career have you found inspirational?

            I have had some amazing opportunities to work with amazingly talented people, and there are 3 people that instantly come to mind with this question.  The first is Jessee Skittrall.  I apprenticed under him for the first 6 months of my career and was inspired by the passion he has for his craft.  He has a wealth of color knowledge that he shared with me, which has been the foundation of the path I have followed in this industry.  Second would definitely be Sonna Brado.  I worked at Jaazz Salon in Spokane for two-and-a-half years and had more education in that time than I had ever had in my career up until that point.  Sonna has a way of not only making hairdressing look effortless, but also is able to coach her stylists to reflect her ability.  I refer back to her teaching techniques a lot when I am educating.  The third person is Sam Brocato.  Not only is Sam an amazingly talented hairdresser, but he is also a phenomenal business person.  I find his ability to balance creativity and business management extremely inspiring.  Having been a leaser and knowing the difficulty of it, it makes the magnitude of what he has accomplished that much more impressive to me. 

 You are very involved throughout the stylist community.  What other events, shows, or educational seminars do you participate in?

            Like I said, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing people and though that I have been able to participate in outside events that not only exercise the skills that I have, but help develop new ones.  Some of my favorite work has been with Seattle Photography Associates (SPA) Studio.  I got to work my first fashion show with them at the EMP in downtown Seattle.  It was fun to learn how different hairdressing is for an event like that than in a salon or on a photo shoot, which I’ve also been able to do with SPA.  Just a few weekends ago I got to do hair for a photography workshop with Joe Edelman for photographers learning how to do commercial photography with models.  The energy that comes from events like these is very motivating to keep building yourself as a stylist.

 What would people be surprised to learn about you?           

 I am an absolute karaoke junkie.  I go karaoke about 2-3 times a week and I love it!  It’s kind of like becoming a different person for a moment and living out that dream of being a rockstar.

 

 


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