We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tunde Adigun. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tunde below.
Tunde, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
For me being a first generation Nigerian, my current occupation and career path isn’t usually favored in a African household. But fortunately enough for me, my parents have been in full support of me as a Barber and a Stand Up Comedian from day one. Typically most foreigners who come to America desire their children to be Doctors or Engineers or have some other prestigious career. So for me having the desire to go another route with my life and them being in full support really meant a lot, and gave me the confidence I needed to pursue both of my creative passions. When I first started cutting hair when I was in high school, it was my parents who let me use the downstairs bathroom to cut all my friends hair. As well as when I first started doing comedy, it was my mother who gave me her blessing to start going to comedy clubs and supported me with it from day one and always encouraged me. My parents and my overall upbringing has had a major impact on not only my journey, but me as a man, because it enlisted a high level of confidence in me and the presence of God in my life. My mother would always say to me, “Remember the son of who you are,” and I would always have that in the back of my head, because it reminds me of my values and morals and where I’m from and how I was raised. So with having that it mind, as well as knowing I have my parents full support it just puts a battery in my back and allows me to put my best foot forward at being the best version of myself I can be.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a Barber, I’ve been in the business for a long time now, due to the fact I started cutting hair at the young age of 15. And I taught myself how to cut hair at 15 years old because I didn’t have anyone to consistently cut my hair at the time. So I got good at it, and started cutting all my friends hair in high school, then when I graduated high school, I went to college and cut hair down there on campus. After my first year on campus, I later became an apprentice for an owner of a local barbershop in the area and worked at that barbershop until I graduated from college. After I graduated college, I moved out to LA to pursue my career in Entertainment, but ended up finding my way back into the barbershop. Through connections and networking I was able to find myself working in a high end barbershop in Sherman Oaks, CA. As a Comedian as well as a Barber, I feel I give my clients a unique and ever lasting experience more than anything, because I’m able to thoroughly entertain them and transform their image and boost their confidence. With having the skills to provide a quality haircut and be personable and relatable with my clients through humor, it gives me an advantage amongst other barbers because I’m able to leave a unforgettable impression on my clients and gain favor from them. Outside of having a great sense of humor and the ability to keep a conversation going, as a barber I’m also a perfectionist and I choose to take my time with every client and cut their hair as if I was cutting my own. I am a person who believes in giving your best effort at anything you do in life, and I personally pride myself on giving someone a haircut that looks like someone put time and effort into this artwork that is his haircut. What I am most proud of as being Barber is the fact that I’m doing a service that brings people instant satisfaction and gratification due to the transformation and confidence boosts that comes from getting a quality haircut. One main thing that I would want my clients to walk away from after getting one of the best haircuts in their life by me is, I was a genuine authentic person who sincerely cared about making my client feel good and look better after getting out of my chair.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the ability to express your talent to the world in one way or another. Whether it’s through your music, your artwork as a entertainer, or your talent in your craft as a barber, everyone on this planet has some sort of gift and talent and its on you to show it to the world. And when you’re able to actually show your talent and people appreciate it, it gives you sense of “purpose” in this world and in reality that’s what we as human beings are all searching for.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When I first got to California 10 years ago, I hit the ground running when it came to my entertainment career because I was booking things left and right as well as performing at the major comedy clubs here in LA. And for a while I mainly focused on the entertainment gigs as a main source of income, but unfortunately due to life’s inevitable ups and down things weren’t as consistent as I would’ve wanted them to be. But lucky for me and the God given gift I have to cut anyones hair, I was able to find a barbershop that allows me to sustain my expenses of living in California, as well as being able to invest in my career as a Stand up Comedian.
Contact Info:
- Website: cutsonthepullup.booksy.com
- Instagram: @cutsonthepullup