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Absinthe Guest Profile: Paul Garbett

Paul Garbett: 28 years
Marketing @ Garbett Homes SLC, Ut.
Haircut: #2 clippers tapered up to scissors and Max Length up top with a smart part on the left.

Paul is a real gentleman and a great sport.  He's an energy-conscious young man who likes to be in bed at 9:30pm and loves black licorice.

Favorite chick-flick: The Princess Bride.

Advice from a master barber: Finding Inspiration

The layout and design of my workspace is essential to my creative flow. 

Buster Boyd: How to Stay Inspired or Find Inspiration. 

It doesn't matter what you do.  We all need inspiration from time to time.  As a barber, I firmly believe that if good people are paying good money to see me, they deserve to see an inspired me.  I really think they deserve my best.

In a TedTalks video podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert, the best-selling author points out that before the renaissance, any artist or creator was described as having a genius.  Post-renaissance, creators are described as being a genius.  Elizabeth made the interesting point that when we see inspiration as something outside or greater than ourselves, it provides us with a layer of protection from criticism, outlandish success, failure or just the overwhelming responsibility associated with genius.  Whether or not you see genius as internal or external force, (or an intercourse of both) it's important to stay in close touch with those sources of inspiration that we can find.

How I stay inspired: 

1.  My workspace: Few things can enhance or hinder inspiration as dramatically as my environment.  That includes colors, textures, images, music and even smells.  I like my workspace dark, intimate and cozy.
2.  Pictures:  I am very visual.  I have a great appreciation for photography.  Photos of people, places and things are a main source of creativity for me.  The right photo tells a story.  Stories move me.  Photos are essential because they capture and present to me content and stories that I myself would never have had access to otherwise.  I love pictures of hair, wardrobe and interior design.
3.  Music:  Music moves me.  It energizes me or mellows me out faster than anything else.  It can give me a boost when I need it or it can keep me from dropping of the edge into oblivion.  I love the darkness.  Dark and cozy music puts me in my favorite place to create and dream.
4.  My Wardrobe.  The way that I dress can make me feel lazy and sloppy or sharp and driven.  I use my clothes to snap me into productivity.
5.  Heroes:  You gotta have a hero.  The more the better.  Watch them, emulate them.  Pick the best parts of them and set goals to become the best you.
6.  Media:  I consume mass quantities of media ie. blogs, magazines (real paper hardcopies), music videos, and movies.

If you care about what you do, you will always stay ahead of the crowd.  The world needs creators.  If you are passionate and prepared, you will be ready to capture the genius when it comes knocking.  You don't want the genius to pass you by on its journey, searching for someone else, more prepared and willing to act. Stay inspired.

This is one of my most recent sources of significant inspiration:

A Gentleman Should Know: Nick Wooster

People YOU should know:  Nick Wooster

Nick Wooster was born in Austria (not Australia) in 1472. He was given birth to in a barn, much like baby Jesus. He was placed in a cot made out of hay, cheese...

No.  He wasn't.  But this was one of the first bits of info that I came across when looking for the particulars on Mr. Wooster.

Nick Wooster is the Men's Fashion Director for Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.  He has established himself as a streetfashion militiaman and guru of all things gentlemanly.  He is also style advisor to GiltMan as well as Park&Bond.

If you have ever wondered how to realize an intercourse of mature/elegant masculinity with street-savvy trends, Nick Wooster is your man.  His passion for esthetic as well as attention to detail and badass-poise makes Nick Wooster an inspiration to me.

Every man needs a mentor.  He needs a hero.  If you are in the market for a new one, give Nick a try.  Next time you are lacking inspiration for  a new haircut or wardrobe, spend a little time getting to know Mr. Wooster.  Punch his name into your google and explore the results as you would an abandoned mansion full of paintings, pictures and rooms.  As you explore the images and articles, pay close attention to how Nick has decided to present himself and why.  I am confident that you will find a little something that resonates with you.

Go on.  Get inspired. http://nickwooster.com/

Profile of a Gentleman: Bruno Ostarcevic

Bruno: Absinthe Parlour Patron/ Family Man
Profession: Data Mining/ Analytics
Favorite Movie: Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs

Bruno is a man of distinction.

In addition to his proclivity for fine men's grooming and style, Bruno has a brain.  Born in Zadar, Croatia and raised for a time in Davis County Utah, Bruno expresses his intelligence in his hairstyle just as much as he does in his profession.

Father, husband and badass, Bruno stays sharp at home too.  With between his son and their english bulldog Lola, Bruno and his wife stay pretty busy.

When asked if he had any advice for a man preparing to be a father he replied:
"Set your alarm clock to go off every hour and a half, get up and do something... put yourself into a Russian stress position or something and then go back to bed.  Get up and do it again in 90 minutes."

Don't get us wrong, Bruno couldn't be happier to be a dad.  Affectionately referring to his infant son a a little "loaf of bread."  He is one proud papa.  He just wishes that people had prepared him for how much work is involved being a professional father.