At the end of September 2010, I traveled to New York to attend Devachan's first ever 3-day Advanced Curl Training. Myself and 14 others from around the country participated in a FANTASTIC certification program that built upon the original 1-day Curlaboration course that I attended back in April of 2007.
Our instructors were Denis Da Silva, Devachan's co-owner and Shari Harbinger, Devachan's partner. You really cannot get much better than these two educators, and I was truly blessed to learn from their many years of expertise and craft.
So now, I am newly certified as a "Curl Architect", which I think is a rather clever title. In February, another stylist from the salon will be completing the same 3-day training, and in May, the owner of the salon will do her 3-day as well.
Three Curl Architects in one salon! I'm SO proud!
The greatest single thing the training gave to me was an invigoration of my vocation. I returned re-inspired and reassured in my skills, able to build upon what I had previously known with an entirely new set of techniques and knowledge. My clientele is the greatest benefactor, as all of this is to support the person sitting in my chair. The better I get at being able to help her or his hair be a true reflection of who she or he is, the better I am at my job.
I am grateful to the people and the institution of Devachan for creating a cutting and coloring system that is all about supporting the beauty that already is, as opposed to tacking on something that isn't genuine and authentic. I love that they share their knowledge with everyone, not holding tight to it as if it were a trade secret. They know- as do I- that our bosses are NOT our salon owners, but the client. If she isn't in my chair, I'm not standing behind it.
I look forward to a new year of great hair and great fun, and I hope to see all of you in the salon soon!
Peaceful holidays, hair peace, and namaste!