The hardest word in any language to define is art. Art is in your face. Art is immediate, evocative and memorable. Art costs money. It changes from generation to generation, but is comprised of two things: form and content. Form is made of the physical materials fashioned by hand and/or machine to conform to elements of design, both established and experimental.

In hairdressing, the definition of form would fit a stylist using a certain type of razor and a particular technique, such as Pivot Point, to cut a short layered cut with a bit of disconnection on the parietals. Why one such cut is artistic and another, cut the same way with the same tools and technique, is pedestrian slop, is due to the second part of the definition of art.

Content is dependent upon message: what the artist intended to convey and which influences determined the timbre of the message. This includes the infinite variations of the message and the context in which it is rendered. An example of this would be a retrospective of the Rachel as seen through the eyes of designer John Galliano. His Rachel is nobody's friend and this is the episode where Rachel's cut was done in a moving car. If he pulls it off, it is tres artistic, yes?

There has been artistry in hair as long as mousse stopped being just for desert. Hair artistry can be divided into the ancient era - before Coco Chanel - and the modern era - where anything goes.

From Mejia Restoration sumo wrestlers to Athenian Hoplite warriors to the Renaissance Medici of Florence, appropriately coiffed hair was as important as proper attire. You knew who you were talking to by the way they dressed and wore their hair and innovation was as structured as the Roman arch. In the modern era, the art of hair defines the individual's group affiliations, rather than membership with a tribe or social position. Think golden arches.

The art of hairdressing is more than a cut and color. It is the visual representation of the individual. The Goth rocker and the Kappa Delta woman wear their hair as a mark of belonging to differing societies. The true hair artists swim effortlessly through these ponds of culture and, grabbing bits and pieces from each of them creates new expressions of artistry. It is this process that makes the art of hair so much fun and such an expression of individual tastes. Think St Louis Arch.

To engage yourself in the art of hairdressing, you need to work hard at becoming an established and trained artisan. You need to take years of practicum in a salon working to satisfy the clients' cravings for sensual self-expression.

Acquiring skill in the art of hair is an evolving process both financially rewarding and down-right fun. You will need skills in a variety of areas - all of which the Altieri Brothers will address in coming months - and which can be listed in these main areas:

You need, foremost, people skills, a strong sense of fashion and personal creativity that drives you to explore new looks and ideas about hair fashion. You also need training and effort to acquire ability in these skills, as listed by Tony and Riccardo Altieri:

1. talk to the client about their hairdressing and styling requirements. You must have people skills and be able to not only speak to them about their hair needs, but listen with an open mind to their requests and concerns.
   
   
2. advise clients on the latest trend in hairdressing and hairstyle. Additionally, you must be able to sort through the possible styles for each client and find the ones that best fit their personality and lifestyle.
   
   
3. recommend products for hair and scalp care. We always seem to leave this off our lists, but the right products applied in the right manner make a right-on look.
   
   
4. cut, trim and color hair according to the clients' specifications. You need to have the right to exercise a certain amount of artistic freedom when rendering the look. We are not precisely order-takers, but, equally valid, we are not engaged in a free-style event when we do someone's hair.
   
   
5. style their hair using brushes, combs, curling and straightening irons. If you do not know all the ins and outs of using a blow dryer and round brush, you cannot achieve the looks. If you want to duplicate a Vogue cover, you need to use the same technique and tools as the genius who created the original look.
   
   
6. use styling and treatment solutions. The art of hairdressing includes the art of mixing products - cocktailing - in proportions suitable to the look desired.
   
   
7. clean, color, and cut hair extensions. This skill can exponentially improve an event look or a photo shoot.
   
   
8. ensure client satisfaction. If you get a request for a Rachel cut and render it in a way that not only shows the art in your labor but makes the client smile on the way out the door, you walk with Sorbie and Sassoon.
   
   

It appears we have given much to be considered. Underlining all we have pointed out is a genuine love of dressing hair. It is the force that drives the Altieri Brothers, Robert Cromean, Frederik Fekkai, Vivian McKinder and, of course, you.

If you drive out of the gate with love for our most beautiful art, the rest will surely follow.