Arts & Communications: Hair Stylist
Arts & Communications
Hair Stylist:
Kiyoshi Mizuta
by Mike Yoshiura
Kiyoshi Mizuta is half Japanese…
The 28-year-old, born-n-raised in Kaneohe is also part Irish, English, German, and Swedish. The name Kiyoshi means, "born in purity," and it can be interpreted as strong-minded. Going away to a mainland college seemed like the ideal situation, but after 24 months in Seattle, Mizuta realized that everything he was searching for was right in front of him. If he never elected to go away to college, he may not have found his true calling. Once he set his mind to styling hair, there was nothing that could stand in his way.
After graduating from Maryknoll High School in 1995, Kiyoshi left Hawaii for Seattle University (SU). In high school, Mizuta was the editor of Maryknoll's newspaper, the Chi Rho Knoller, so declaring journalism, as his major at SU was a fairly easy decision. "I wanted to get into print (journalism) because that's where I got most of my background. It was what I was comfortable with."
Why Seattle U.?
There are those that may wonder why a kid from Hawaii would want to attend Seattle University. Isn't the Pacific Northwest notorious for it's long rainy seasons? "It actually felt like I was still in Hawaii, only it was cold and rainy. There were a lot of students from Hawaii, so it I felt like I never left home. I chose Seattle because I wanted to go someplace that was very different from Hawaii, and one of my journalism teachers from Maryknoll had mentioned that Seattle had a very good journalism school. The two kind of went together, and it was a cool dream!"
A Change of Heart
Mizuta spent two years in Seattle before he had a change of heart and decided to move back home. "I was a journalism major, until I started dabbling with hair in the dorms. I found out how much fun you could have with it, and my interest level shifted. I wanted to get into hair, and I knew that I had to go to beauty school or get an apprenticeship, so I decided to move back to Hawaii. I moved home and wanted to go to the biggest, best place so I went to Paul Brown and applied. They weren't accepting internships at the time so I started out at the front desk, and worked my way up to an apprenticeship. That was my formal training."
Patience Is Virtue
Kiyoshi has been with Paul Brown for the past nine years, but he's only in his fifth year of cutting hair. For the four years prior to becoming a hair stylist, he patiently paid his dues, working his way up the ladder. Finally, opportunity presented itself, and Mizuta made the most of it. "I was lucky because they don't take on a ton of apprenticeships because it's a lot of work. The biggest challenge is getting through the training because it's so rigorous and intense. I had no hair background, and I had to learn everything from scratch. I had to learn how to cut hair and how to hold a comb, but we had excellent teachers taking us through the steps. I can recall them standing behind me for three hours straight (on a haircut), making sure everything I did was perfect."
The Hair Show
A hair show is a large convention where vendors like Paul Brown can showcase their product line to the general public. It also allows Mizuta to travel and display his hair styling skills. "My job isn't only cutting hair. I educate, I do platform work, and I travel to hair shows. I've been to Los Angeles, New York, and Orlando for huge conventions where you promote the Paul Brown line; all the shampoos, conditioners, and gels. You get to give people these wacky hairdos to try to bring people in. Once you reel them in you educate them about the different products."
A Hair Stylist's Prerequisite
According to Mizuta there are certain criteria that a hair stylist is required to meet before their professional status can become official. Training sessions are held once a week, and it's an all day class from 9 in the morning to 9 at night. Kiyoshi was required to complete seven required cuts, and he received training in specialty areas like color, perms, and highlights. It took him 18 months to complete his training, and these days he's charging $60.50 for a standard haircut.
The Skills That Pay The Bills…
Listening is a skill that is greatly valued by employers and patrons alike. "A really good quality for a hairstylist to have is the ability to listen to people. Often people are in this creative position, and they will do something crazy, which isn't what the client wants. You need to bring creativity to it, but still be able to stay traditional in a sense. You want your clients to come back. With each appointment they gain your trust, and then you can start to get creative. You can say, 'why don't you try this or let's do something different today.' At the same time you have to be able to trust your judgment!"