We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aoi Iwami a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aoi, appreciate you joining us today. We’ve love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

My greatest investment has been learning Nihongami, which refers to traditional Japanese hairstyles that change in shape depending on the era’s trends. Learning traditional hairstyles was very important to me as a Japanese person, and it was something I had always wanted to study. However, when the coronavirus spread, it became difficult for me to attend classes, so I could only learn a little. Nevertheless, from this experience, I learned about the history of Japanese hairstyles and the Japanese people’s dedication to their hair. I hope to have the opportunity to study it again in the future.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I used to work as a hairstylist. At the salon where I worked, the boss and many staff members would go out for daily shoots and also work as hairstylists. This is how I started in the hair industry as an assistant. My job involved working on work related to fashion and musician’s hair, among others. To continue with these work , I had to learn other hairstylists and improve my own creative abilities by working with colleagues on shoots. My job is not just about creating flashy hairstyles but about collaborating with everyone to create hair that suits the goals.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It involves creating various hairstyles for each individual piece and work with other creators in the creative process.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

The time invested in work and the low pay (at the beginning of one’s career in this industry) can be difficult for non-creatives or artists to understand.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @aoi___i_

Image Credits

Ui
Kaito
Ryota Chiba
Emiri
Lui