What Would John Spanton do?

Disenchanted and creatively restless, John Spanton asked himself: “where do old hairdressers go?” Now, reinvigorated as the art director at ARKIVE by Adam Reed, he’s embracing age and all the opportunities that come with it…

CREATIVE HEAD MEETS THE ARKIVE AKITECTS!CREATIVE HEAD MEETS THE ARKIVE AKITECTS!

I was deep into my career and with some quite significant achievements to my name before I seriously started to question what the future may hold. My career ‘rethink’ coincided with Covid, which I know made most people stop and consider everything. I was working with a brand that didn’t fit anymore – it wasn’t the right moment in my life or the right opportunity. Even before that, when I left a corporate education role at 34, I really questioned whether I wanted to stay in the industry. I thought I’d give it another 10 years and that’s now 20 years ago.

I think historically there has been a bit of an ‘ageing out’ mentality in the creative industries where people associate new and fresh with ‘young’. Thankfully, the idea that you’re written off when you hit your 50s doesn’t seem to be so prevalent these days. To me, the industry looks older now than it used to, and that’s a positive thing. But if you haven’t already developed a reputation by a certain age, it’s far harder to establish one as you get older.

When your back goes, your knees go, your ankles get swollen, hairdressing is physically a more demanding job and it can be a challenge to keep up with what’s considered a commercial, creative pace. But creativity doesn’t dry up, even if the energy to produce it may be a bit harder to come by. Age very much manifests in different ways for different people; it’s less about a number and more about a mindset. One thing that evolves in a good way with age is that you may start out with the ideas but without the skills and experience to back it up. That comes with time. For me, it’s about finding the things that really make my tummy tickle. These days it’s a genuine passion for the industry – especially mentoring – and I still have a gut desire to create beautiful hair.

My biggest saviour has been surrounding myself with like-minded people at ARKIVE by Adam Reed, where kindness is at the heart of what we do. Being part of a group where we champion each other and celebrate our differences keeps my enthusiasm alive. Working in the right environment with the right people makes a massive difference. @johnspantonhair

WHAT MADE ME

LISA WHITEMAN

WHITEMAN SOHO

@lisa_whiteman

I started my apprenticeship in hairdressing in Essex in 1986, a YTS Scheme to get the unemployment crisis under control. It meant the government would cover the salary cost for 12 months. It involved a day at college which I loved, and Rani from Central Training was my guru. But sadly it was a struggle to get salon training as the employer just wanted free labour really. Being keen to start doing hair, I embarked on my own education programme to learn as much from working adults as I could. I remember reading an article in The Sunday Times (the posh paper for me), by a City boy who had made his fortune on the stock market. He said every day he would try and face at least one fear, and that his daily focus was to try and be the best he could be.

I’d never had any kind of motivational guidance and for some reason, it has always stuck in my head. I use it in most of my life when I want to put my mind to a task that I would like to achieve, now often in my role as ALFAPARF Milano Professional colour brand ambassador.

Some tasks I find particularly challenging. I dislike admin or accounting so I dig deep and apply my ‘fear factor’. I’m always trying to take challenges head-on and learn as much as I can about subjects I fear. If I do this, then it’s not a fear anymore.