We were lucky to catch up with Iman Atiba recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Iman, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

My first major paying job was a gig in Atlanta, for an adult toy and furniture line called Liberator. This was back in 2015, during this time I relocated there for work, experience, and opportunity. Both my sisters were there also. My younger sister and her husband were there working on their careers as a celebrity photographer and creative director. Mr. Penn was the company photographer at the time. He was responsible for finding the talent and artist for the shoot. I have been living there for 3 weeks before our house caught on fire. We lost everything. Afterwards we relocated to another side of town. I have not been able to find work because I wasn’t there long. It was very hard to get clients, I also didn’t have a location to practice . My sister and her husband put my resume in the running for the job. I was chosen to do hair and makeup for 2 models.

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

I am Iman Atiba, born and raised in Savannah, Ga. I am the middle of 5 children. Growing up, I have always been called the “weird one” because I loved color, prints, painting, singing, drawing, none of these which are weird by the way, all were things that made me happy doing them. As I got older learning a new skill of doing hair was what I wanted to learn. During my teenage years while attending church, there was a lady by the name of Tammy Mims who was a hairstylist. She encouraged me to become a professional cosmetologist. I used that motivation and education to pursue my interest in hair. I have to give my sisters all the credit for developing my skills. They were my very first practice clients. I was cutting hair with art scissors, that’s how much I wanted to understand what I would be doing for years to come. My thoughts are all over the place. I don’t even know how writing became part of this “hands-on” industry. This is a proud moments.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Writing!!! I am not a great writer and have struggled with writing often. This is the main reason I chose a career in hair.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I am currently working on realizing that being just a hairstylist is not enough. I am learning that staying up late nights are not just for hangout or watching the latest shows on any app. After a long day of working a part-time job, servicing clients, and now adding writing to list.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://in-da-manstylezsavannah.jimdofree.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ioanaturallystylist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeidoostylist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1uHhlHZbwSNPNSayYgEftg