The first time Chris Clark cut someone’s hair other than his own, it did not go well.
“It was my first cousin when we were kids,” he said. “I kinda cut a plug out of his hair. He reminds me of it to this day.”
Clark, 22, of Starkville, can laugh with his cousin now because he doesn’t make many mistakes these days. And he estimates he has more than 40 regular customers at Kustom Kutz and Stylz in Starkville who will vouch for him.
Clark could have gone the route of many neighborhood barbers — cutting hair from home with no credentials. But as East Mississippi Community College Cosmetology instructor Coretta Johnson put it, barbers who want to make a career out of the trade owe it to themselves to get certified and licensed.
“Some guys need to be professional,” Johnson said. “And Chris is one of the guys that deserves professional pay, because he’s that good.”
Clark began taking classes under Johnson at EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus in 2011 and graduated in 2012. He chose EMCC because he could get financial aid through the Career-Technical division.
Although he had years of experience doing amateur clipper cuts, Clark had to prove himself in the classroom in all that the Cosmetology program entails. Johnson said that wasn’t a problem for Clark, who was very quiet, but spoke with his hands.
“He’s an artist, and he picked up on all the skills that were thrown at him,” Johnson said. “He can do female hair, long hair, braids. I remember when I showed him how to do braids and he picked it up instantly.”
Clark admits he dreaded learning procedures like manicures and weaves, but he is licensed if he ever decides to start doing them professionally. And he does have a few female clients who wear natural hair styles.
Alan Evans, owner of Kustom Kuts and Stylz, said he hired Clark on the strength of his versatility.
“I knew he would be good because he was always teachable and had the urge to learn,” said Evans.
Clark attributes his talents in cutting hair to skills he picked up as an amateur artist. Throughout his youth, Clark loved drawing, which helped him develop a steady hand and the ability to translate ideas from his mind to the physical realm.
“That’s highly necessary in cutting hair. You can develop hand-eye coordination to some degree through practice, but you have to have some natural ability to build on,” he said.
Clark’s artistic ability came in handy in a more traditional way when his hand-drawn submission was selected by Mississippi Skills USA officials as the T-shirt design all Mississippi competitors would wear at the 2012 Skills USA national competition in Kansas City.
Clark usually works at Kustom Kutz and Stylz Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. He accepts some walk-ins, but works mostly by appointment, which Johnson said is impressive.
“That is awesome to be so young and taking appointments as a barber. That’s wonderful,” she said.
To learn more about EMCC’s Cosmetology program, visit eastms.edu.
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