Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Grimes.
Tiffany, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have been interested in making people feel and look beautiful since as early as I can remember. Spending my birthdays doing all my friends makeup and teaching them how to style their hair. Light reflection, color theory, art, and chemistry also were something that had taken hold of my mind during my developing years. I went to school for anthropology and photography but knew something was missing for me. I wanted to help the world, I wanted a platform to share some of the information I had learned about self-care. I decided to attend the Aveda Institute of Dallas to learn an Ayurvedic based education on hair. From there I trained under salon owners and worked endlessly to perfect my craft. I was in school that it was near impossible to create a perfect silver or pastel lavender without compromising the hair, I knew this could not be true. Using my knowledge in science and color theory I began experimenting with ways to color correct and lift hair to help people achieve their wildest dreams. I also become extremely intrigued by the fact that many Ayurvedic beauty and grooming techniques really worked symbiotically with not only health of the hair but maintaining many fantasy style colors as well as more traditional colors. Most of my work is based off of the way color and depth occurs in nature. I try to co-create with the person I am working with to help become a channel for them to create their deepest and truest expression. We can truly change the world through how we care for ourselves, it all starts with self-love and that is why I love my profession so incredibly much. I get to share with other people about our world, how we can care for it, and we can better be a unified part of it. All while creating avant garde pieces of wearable art for them to explore vast, beautiful, existence in. I also am passionate about creating beauty in a space where I embrace a cruelty free lifestyle as much as I can, vegan products and color, and are always embracing eco-friendly options when it comes to our business.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was told my whole life that it is rare that you can do what you are passionate about while maintaining your ethics all while still making money to survive. I was determined that this could not be true. My main challenges have been other people and society having limited perspectives on what is possible. I have also found that it is difficult to live up to my ethics on creating accessibility in an industry that strives on exclusivity. By keeping my prices were of all types can afford to maintain their expression as well as by helping other artists do the same. Other challenges I have had is that I have a true passion for creating ‘Temporary Autonomous Zones’ or T.A.Z. “The phrase Temporary Autonomous Zone was “Coined in 1990 by poet, anarcho-immediatist and Sufi scholar Hakim Bey, the term temporary autonomous zone T.A.Z. seeks to preserve the creativity, energy and enthusiasm of autonomous uprisings without replicating the inevitable betrayal and violence that has been the reaction to most revolutions throughout history. The answer, according to Bey, lies in refusing to wait for a revolutionary moment, and instead create spaces of freedom in the immediate present whilst avoiding direct confrontation with the state. An eruption of free culture where life is experienced at maximum intensity A T.A.Z. is a liberated area ‘of land, time or imagination’ where one can be for something, not just against, and where new ways of being human together can be explored and experimented with. Locating itself in the cracks and fault lines in the global grid of control and alienation, a T.A.Z. is an eruption of free culture where life is experienced at maximum intensity. It should feel like an exceptional party where for a brief moment our desires are made manifest and we all become the creators of the art of everyday life.” (BeautifulTrouble.org) I created something like this with my Business, Deep Ellum Hair Studio, where I curated an art gallery that was for the people. An art gallery comprised of local art that stood amongst the hair art of amazing stylists who were doing things that were revolutionary and progressive in our industry. Where we did not profit off of the art that was sold, it was an energy to add to the vortex of creative expression we harnessed. A community center where we could help bring together the weirdos, the revolutionaries, the intellectuals, etc. In a time that it is so incredibly needed. We were brought down by gentrification of an area that once stood for the underground, the avant garde, and the weirdos trying to bring the world together through art and music. But alas the main word is temporary, things that break down the boundaries of what is currently the societal norm typically can only with hold for so long until they either have to compromise their ethics or move on ward. This is what brought on our new concept, Salon Ritual. We are trying to help people ritualize self-care and self-love. My current challenge with this is trying to really see where we want to go and how we want to implement the level of autonomous creativity we have curated in the past few years. Only time and commitment will tell.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Salon Ritual – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are hair artists and guides to help people find their highest expression starting with the physical and moving inward towards rituals that help them reveal and remove their blockages in life. We specialize in avant garde hair styling and color while also mastering the classics. This is something we do while also embracing vegan and cruelty free products and educating people how to beautify without destroying our world. We strive to be a safe space for everyone from people in the LGBT community, allergy safety, and understanding of mental health. Our goal is to take our industry back from the hands of capitalism and consumerism and back into being community temples of health and beauty.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We would like to find a house to buy to create a salon house, community art gallery, and community center. We found issues with being located right on Main street in a urban setting and would like to create a safe, community space that is less focused on night life and more focused on sustainability, wellness, and beauty. A community kitchen and garden as well as space for speakers, classes, and yoga. With each room being an autonomous salon run by different artists with similar visions as well as their own unique voice and style.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6780 Abrams Rd. Suite 209 Room 206
Dallas, Texas 75231 - Website: https://www.vagaro.com/salonritual
- Phone: 9728155531
- Email: TiffanyRaeGrimes@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salonritualdallas/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/TiffanySalonRitual/
Image Credit:
Mark Kaplan, Naked Lens Photography
Madison Hurley photograph
Amanda Featherston
Tim Bracey Photography
Kindred Photographer
MUAH Iris Muscarella
Airbrushing Carlos Ruiz
Modeling Lyza Marie Hernandez, Iris Muscarella, Honey Hula La
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
