Free Haircuts In The Park
*No Asterisk Here*
“I realized that listening to someone’s story is powerful. Please don’t underestimate that…”
Yes you read the title correctly. FREE haircuts in the park.
How many things in life are actually free? How many things can you get that wont cost you any kind of currency to obtain it? Is it REALLY free or is there a loophole or an “*” next to it to direct you to read the fine print at the bottom of the page? Will you get spam calls and emails because you signed up for that “free” subscription?
With free haircuts in the park, there was no fee’s, hidden charges or costs other than your time. Show up, ask for a cut, wait your turn and have a chat while you are in queue. Simple. No gimmicks. Just wanting to offer a kind gesture to hopefully bring some hope and motivation to feel good about oneself.
I will say that we shared in so many smiles over the course of that summer. Truly, it was one for the books.
A few years back I was able to play a part in a kind gesture that lasted a whole summer with a few strangers whom I now get to call my friends. Every Sunday we would set up in the local park for a few hours with a sign that said “Free Cuts” and just wait. We would play music and chat and surly enough people would show up asking if it was a real deal haircut and to their shock and pleasant surprise, it was.
It started off with Derrick by himself out there wanting to give someone a little extra pep in their step from a good haircut and offer a kind gesture. But he wanted to do it for people who couldn’t necessarily afford it. How do you do this? Well set up shop in places where you know someone in need might walk by and wait. The main people that came through were homeless or facing some sort of struggle in their life. I think we have all had a moment in our lives where we have faced different struggles. Some similar and some very different but we all have faced something.
We had a wide variety of people stop by. We had people whom we learned about their life and backstory, others that only wanted a haircut and didn’t say much, strangers who were intrigued, others that were homeless, some that were in transition, a few that had homes and families. The range of people we had come through was as unique as the stars in the night sky. We didn’t care what they came from, only that they were there to get a haircut because they were in need of one. There was no prerequisite to be apart of this.
I had an enlightening conversation with one of the men who stopped by and he said that he had no problem with me taking some photos but to not refer to him as homeless but rather as a person “in transition.” As he put it he was in a transition in his life trying to find stability in his recovery and home life. He mentioned that he unfortunately fell on hard times and that caused him to be in an “in-between” living situation. But he was working hard at getting everything set up for a permanent living situation and better circumstances.
When you think about the people around you, you never really know what they have faced and the situations that lead them to be where they are now but an ear to listen can always be a powerful thing for someone who feels ignored, silenced and hurt. A simple gesture of sharing your time.
So where do I come into play with all of this? Well I am also a photographer and I was searching on Instagram and came across a photo of the “free cuts” sign and had to reach out to the individual responsible. I needed to know for myself what this was all about and if it was real? After a bit of conversation I mentioned that I would love to come out and take a few photos and hopefully (eventually) write an article on it. He said sure but I would have to ask anyone in the photos if they were okay with it before taking the photo. I asked every single person that came through their permission and most said yes with no hesitation and there were others who kindly declined. At that point I would put my camera away and respect their wishes. (I have verbal confirmation from everyone I photographed for this article).
We pretty much kept the same routine every Sunday and we would sometimes have one person stop by and other times several. We even had to turn people away because Derrick was only one person and had only so much time to offer. So after a few times of this he reached out to another barber in the area, Ken and he joined in on the fun of some haircuts in the park. It was the three of us for most of the time we did this until the last few weeks of it when they brought along two younger guys, Donny and Seth.
A one man mission turned into a five person team volunteering our time, enjoying each others company and having some really good conversations with strangers. I never realized how something so simple as a good haircut could really change someone’s confidence. I think that we sometimes forget that each individual we come in contact with is a person with a name, story to tell and a life to live no matter the circumstances in which they encounter or are currently facing. They still have feelings and needs just like everyone else. We would talk about music, sports, life, recovery, hope and so many other things. We would have people stop by who were there a week prior to get a haircut and then come back just to hang out and chat.
I asked Derrick and Ken if they had any thoughts about this experience and this is what they had to say:
Derrick said “I’m grateful for Ken helping me, you taking photos of us and documenting it , and everyone who let me sharpen my skill on their head.”
Ken mentioned, “I’m grateful to be able to give back to the less fortunate.. and working on this project with amazing people good at their work.”
My thoughts: I am so thankful for the opportunity to have been involved in this project. I didn’t realize how much I was going to gain out of this experience. I thought it was going to be a fun couple of Sunday’s that turned into an experience I wouldn’t trade. There is so much more to learn from others that I don’t even think we realize as a society that can really benefit us all. Things like compassion, empathy, hope, honesty, appreciation and so many other lessons. I realized that listening to someone's story is powerful. Please don’t underestimate that.
When you see someone struggling just remind yourself to try and gain a new perspective. You never know what someone is going through. They matter. We all matter.
Never underestimate the power of what a good haircut can do for you.
Never underestimate the power of kindness.
Never underestimate the power of listening.
If you take anything away from this article I think it would be to remember that we all have our own lives that we are living but one thing that can connect us all together is our kindness towards one another.
[Writers note: Sadly one of our own has passed away since we started this mission a few years ago. We send remembrance for Seth. Thank you for your kindness, conversations and skills. You are missed.]
Also, all health and safety protocols were taken like the cleaning/sanitizing of the hair tools between people and the cleaning up of the hair before we left the park. We never left anything behind. This all took place prior to covid.
[All photos in this article were taken by me, Kasandra Faith Photography]
