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Art & Life with Ruben Rivera

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruben Rivera.

Ruben, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico. I was primarily raised by my grandparents while my parents traveled to Tijuana for months at a time to earn a living to support our family of 8. At the age of 9, my parents brought the entire family to Tijuana. But my older brother and his family had already come to Arizona to work and wanted me to join them to receive an education and make something of myself. So, in 1996, I made the journey to Arizona to do just that.

When I moved to Arizona, I only spoke Mixteco (a native Indian dialect) so having to learn English and Spanish seemed like a daunting task for a 12-year-old boy but I was excited and willing to do what it took. While completing my high school education, I learned how to cut hair.

I soon realized that there was a lot of greed and found myself being taken advantage of many times. I truly felt that needed to change. I made it my aim to learn what not to do as a business owner and learn to master certain types of haircuts. In 2006, I purchased my first barber shop that had three chairs. Then slowly grew to 8 chairs and in 2013, I expanded the barber shop to accommodate 20 chairs. This growth was proof that my mission and vision were on the right track.

Part of this mission I have, is giving back to the community by creating jobs for others to share the same passion I have. This is not just shown in our haircuts, but our 14 barbers are experiencing this passion.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As a barber, details are important. It’s not just a haircut. It’s a piece of art, a statement, something that can make a person feel powerful.

Part of this art of cutting is developing patience. Using clippers is precise and is part of those details.

I do this to cater to the new generation.
The message I want to portray is how much passion is behind the cut. When our barbers show how much they love creating art, the customers will feel and see it.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
To have success, you have to have passion and a love for what you do. Patience is essential to be a successful artist.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Not only can customers come and experience a haircut at PV Barbers but we make it our aim for our customers to walk away with a smile, go home and show off their haircut to their friends and family.

Everyone can check out our social media pages on Google, Yelp, Instagram and Facebook by searching @pvbarbers.

While they are in the barbershop, we created photo books of our work, and our windows are covered with our work.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Photography by Tamar Canady

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix 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.

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