At first, he just looked like a kid trying to stand out. This 20-something guest was of Korean descent and wore simple clothes: jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair, though, made him different. It was cut asymmetrically, with one side longer than other, and spiked: forward, sideways…but not random - designed. He seemed average when I met him: looking at his laptop, organizing photos. However, Aaron’s fascinating life caught me completely off guard over the next 24 hours, as pieces of his story surfaced in conversation.
Originally from Seattle, Aaron moved to New York when he was 19 after dropping out of college. He applied to “9,000 jobs” and received one phone call from a hair scissors sharpener (arguably an insane one). Needing an income, Aaron met the man’s absurd hiring demands and became his apprentice for a year and a half, finding himself unexpectedly in the beauty industry (hence the trendy, spiked hairstyle). Independent now, Aaron travels around the country selling his own self-designed scissors to stylists and boutiques. I saw a photo of them on his computer and they’re incredibly well-thought out. After listening to him talk about them, I could see that he thought 10 steps ahead of the curve. The handle, for instance, was designed to give the stylist more mobility in the thumb. Increased thumb mobility then gave the stylist more flexibility in his/her body and allowed him/her to cut at many angles easily. The center of gravity of the scissors (between the finger loops and the central connecting point) was specifically placed in order to keep the stylist’s hands from getting tired. “Keeping the weight here,” Aaron pointed out, “makes the scissors feel light in the stylist’s hands for a longer period of time.” It was pure physics. He even incorporated a feature that silenced the scissors as they cut, so the client didn’t feel as though he was being sheared. This guy amazed me - he was 24 and already an expert in his craft.
At one point, after asking me about my interests, we started talking about writing and he showed me a book he was working on. It was the story of his life, consisting of short accounts of the people he’d met while he traveled. He talked me through how he met them and what their personalities were like. Intertwined in these stories were the tough situations that taught him how to sell; instances of meeting half-insane, wealthy people who just gave him things; and ways he found places to sleep for free (one involved an urban roof that belonged to a guy who slept with his eyes open). Aaron’s ultimate goal was to turn these stories into comics or graphic novels, which seemed to fit him perfectly. His speaking voice was so dynamic that I had visions of geometric and vivid language in his work. I couldn't wait to see what he would put together.
If there is one story of Aaron’s that I could share, though, it wouldn’t be about a crazy adventure. It would be when he lived for a few weeks with two guys who had cystic fibrosis. He told me that these guys approached every day like it was their last, because “they knew they only had about 10 years to left live.” One of them, for instance, taught himself to hip-hop dance to a “near pro-level.” Aaron said that being with them was amazing…just in how they pushed the boundaries of their opportunities and capabilities every day. He reminded me, though, that their lives were not without hardship. They lived like hospital patients half the time and had to wear masks at night for help with breathing. The story of these two guys showed me that having an exciting, incredible life doesn’t involve security in all aspects. They have limitations, just like the rest of us. Fortunately – or unfortunately – for those of us who are “normal,” our limitations tend to only involve money, possessions, or stability.
I gave Aaron my contact information in case he ever wanted to send me his writing and get feedback on it. I don’t know if I’ll hear from him again, though.
To me, Aaron's life was a collage of other people's stories (in addition to his own). He was a living piece of popular art: dynamic, vivid, and colorful…very Andy Warhol-esque. According to him, though, he was "just doing what he could to get by." Down the road, I look forward to reading his book…or several books. I have a feeling that when published, I'll know them when I see them: they'll be bold, asymmetrical, and trendy…just like his hair.
Che Guevara by Andy Warhol
I really liked this piece. It's very descriptive and Aaron is described in good detail and I can really get a picture if what he looked like and his personality. He seems really interesting, someone who I might want to meet some time.
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