The first time I came across the word ‘autodidact’ was in Sartre’s Nausea. I fell in love with this word because it explained how I prefer to exist in the world.
What I remember of this novel (last read about fifteen years ago so forgive me), is that this was a way of creating meaning in an otherwise chaotic and absurd world and oh! That sang to my heart. Any way of existing taken to the extreme is likely to be utterly ridiculous but this concept of self-directed learning, of autodidacticism, is still a way of being that resonates in my bones.
In this case I’ve been learning about my hair – what she needs, how to cut her, how to create a hairstyle that’s fully manageable, and that fits with my no-wash-only-apple-cider-vinegar-rinse ethos.
Anyways! As a few people have asked/commented I thought I’d write a few words about how I went about it. The best advice I got was from a woman on YouTube who suggested cutting the bangs/hair over a series of days/weeks so that it settles before attempting the next step. This also fits beautifully with my slow living ethos and so here’s a series of photos taken over about a two-week period as I cut and trimmed and shaped this mop of hair: listening to her, how she curls and falls; where she lifts. It was a fully organic, intuitive, embodied process. Of course, there were a few hairy (ha) moments, but overall I feel happy that it’s shaped how I envisaged. Also yeah, other than river or sea water this hair has only been rinsed in apple-cider-vinegar solution this year, – finally the sun is naturally lightening the ends again.
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