Cloudcroft Beauty: The Art of Hair and Mountain Life with Anna Glidden
Cloudcroft's fashion-world hair stylist, confidence-building entrepreneur, and Jill-of-all-trades talks about her global past and local present
Hairstylist, foodie, musician, model, motorbiker, fashionista, artist.
Any one of these describes Cloudcroft’s Anna Glidden, owner and operator of Atelier: Art of Hair by Anna, the cozy, chic salon in the west corner of Burro Street Exchange.
Anna was born in Hiroshima, Japan, and grew up in Nagasaki. She has lived in Germany, France, San Francisco, San Diego, Cloudcroft, Philadelphia, and Cloudcroft again.
Anna has worked with world-renowned fashion houses for editorial and advertising campaigns, including Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. She has also arranged the famous coifs belonging to Kate Moss, Nicole Kidman, Gisele Bündchen, Adriana Lima, and Kirsten Dunst.
Now, her client base mainly comprises folks from the Sacramento Mountain area, Northern New Mexico, El Paso, and Arizona.
When asked what brought her back to the mountain, she laughs and says, “It’s all boys.”
She describes the allure of mountain living and the importance of connecting with her clients.
One snowy November morning, Anna Glidden joined Cloudcroft Reader’s Hannah Dean in her salon to discuss her work, creative passions, and community.
Everything that follows is Anna in her own words unless otherwise indicated. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and flow.
Surprising Opportunity Leads to High-Fashion Work
“I never thought I was going to be a hairstylist. But I like art. I used to play violin or do ballet. But, I didn't do anything focused for a long time so that I could be a professional artist.”
“I did painting a little bit, but it was always short-term. But I wanted to be part of artistry somehow. When I was living in Germany, they had a theater culture. In the city, there's always a big theater and a ballet, a symphony connected to the theater. They always had a concert, or ballet dancers, or opera—all the time.”
“I was always hanging out with that group. Like, That'd be so fun to be in that group of dancers and musicians. Okay… I cannot be a dancer. I cannot be a violinist. So what can I do? Maybe I can become a makeup artist for the theater or movies. So that's why I went to special effects makeup school in Paris, John Pierre.”
“There was a fashion design hairstyling class. I was not that into it, but my best friend at the time really wanted to do it. She dragged me into this.”
“After a test, the teacher approached me like, hey, we are looking for an assistant (for Odile Gilbert.) I think you're a good fit, so can you come over to the studio to meet her? And then a couple of days later, I assisted with doing hair for a French actress called Isabella Gianni.”
“I never thought about doing hair. It's just I was in the right spot.
What was it like to be put into that world so quickly?
“It's not easy. That was a struggle. It's not a nurturing kind of environment.”
“There are so many people who want to go into the industry. That’s just the energy.”
“So somewhat you have to sell yourself. So that energy is there. And a lot of politics.”
“I was like a baby. I didn't have a lot of space in my heart to observe because I was in survival mode. Because I had to learn everything. The cool part was that my boss was the best in France, and she got Hours of Chevalier, which you get if you're the best at what you do in the country.”
“Assisting Odile Gilbert, I got to go work with the best houses in fashion, like Chanel, Hermes, Lanvin, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Botero, just name it, the top. So she was always working with the best artists. The artistry was amazing. Everybody's kind of like a translator for the piece of work. Like she's not just creating the hair, but the artist has a concept.”
“Most hairstylists try to make cool hair pieces. We do that, too, but that's not the focus. Because you're creating one piece of art with every aspect of it. Hair is just one piece.”
“It depends on what kind of message you want to come across or what concept it is. And then sometimes we don't do a lot, but that itself is like art. Sometimes you don't do too much.”
“It's creating an atmosphere.”
“Because I feel like beauty is imperfection also. When you try to perfect it, the coolness and beauty goes away. So it was about balance.”
“It's cool to see all these top artists come together to create that balance.”
The interview continues after this brief sponsorship:
Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be sponsored in part by Off the Beaten Path.
Visit this local gem founded in 1996: a cheerfully pink gallery and gift shop with handmade work from many artists in various mediums and sizes. The gallery operates a Trap, Neuter and Release program for Cloudcroft’s stray cats.
Happy with Mountain Living
“I love mountain living. I love the people. And then, when I moved (to Philadelphia), it was just like I could not get used to urban living. I didn’t have a neighborhood, a kind of community.”
“I missed that, and I missed nature. I feel like Cloudcroft definitely has something very special, very grounding, and healing. Have you heard— Native people say it is supposed to be a secret, clarifying, spiritual place up here.”
“I just don't want to deal with traffic. And I'm empathic, so when I'm surrounded by a lot of different people, I feel the energy. And it's exhausting.”
“But how do you know until it's around you, right? Because Philadelphia has so many things. And some districts are like zombie districts. Don't really go through there. You get to see so many issues that humanity has. Paris is the same thing. When you enter the fashion industry, most shoots are inside five-star places. All the royalty or, like actresses, all the people go there. The front is nice, but when you go in, it's completely different. Like it's a crazy high-end place, but from outside, it's hidden, you know, to protect themselves.”
“Like in San Francisco, too. Constantly seeing these huge differences daily feels weird.”
Are you talking about wealth disparity?
“Yeah.”
“So this, Cloudcroft, is like where I grew up. In Japan, back in the day, it felt like everybody was middle class; you didn't see difficulties in your life. Here, it feels similar, like everybody's helping each other.”
“I feel like I came back to where I'm comfortable. I don't feel sound when there are people who own a private jet, right? The differences are so huge [gestures with arms far apart.]”
Have you seen Cloudcroft changing when you've lived here for the past ten years?
“I don't see that the baseline has changed, but it’s definitely more diverse in a good way. I enjoy the culture, like an old-school Midwest idea, but there is openness and acceptance. I think it's got a pretty good balance.“
“And the village still has the community. It’s a small population enough to care about people who you see in a daily routine. Because in the city, you don't know anyone. In Cloudcroft, even though you're not friends with someone, you say “Hi.” That’s a culture I like.”
The Art of Connecting with Clients
“I feel good enough because I can say I'm serving people. Fashion or artistry is hard. If you love what you created and feel good about it, then I guess… but it's nothing to measure. If you accomplish your work in the way you love, you get confidence, but it’s nothing concrete.”
“It's very different here. I serve people, which I do love. It's not the artistic part, but I really love the part of understanding their background. It's like translating because you try to figure out who they are and what works best for them.”
“You bought clothes last year, but they don’t define you right now, right? And you feel funny when you wear it. It's the same thing with your hairstyle because it has to represent yourself and who you are. You're comfortable, and you feel good about yourself.”
“(I try) to understand your culture, background, and lifestyle, to pick the style and color. What would complement your skin color and eye color? That process of personalizing it.”
“If that process is done right, I feel really happy.”
“It’s like lifestyle developing— if it's too high-maintenance, that won't work for that person. Going through that process, and it works—then I can see that their level of happiness went up, and I’m really happy with that. When you're young, you say, I like this style. I really want to do it to this person. And I want to create this. I wanted surface beauty, and I wanted to take a good picture. But that's not my focus now.”
“Now, I like to understand the individual and, I guess, the different parts (of them), and what I learned from fashion—it's like you’re in a translator, mediator type of positioning.”
Doing someone's hair, it's such an intimate thing.
“I feel honored to be able to share this part of them."
“Get the connection, the bond. I feel like that's life, right? We are such social creatures that happiness comes from creating bonds with other humans. Which definitely ups my quality of life.”
“I will never figure it out by myself. This is the best work for me. I feel really happy in what I do.”
“Sometimes you have to take a step, like doing a different look. I don't give them a new look in the first shot, but I will do it after talking to them and if it's right for them. Because sometimes you have to try it to see.”
“It's an awful thing— wondering. So that's the most important thing. When you're changing your life, you'll have to try things out if it’s not working for you.”
“It's not only about the hair. If this works, it gives them confidence to take one step forward. I can see in their eyes the little confidence that I can do something new.”
“Because we all have to evolve, right? We are never stagnant. Then, that means we are dead [laughs.]”
“It's just so connected to confidence, like who they are. It’s just freaking hair, but it’s definitely so connected to identity. So if you don't like who you are, it's a killer. It’s about really respecting that space and what will make people feel comfortable.”
The most-read publication in the greater Cloudcroft community.
We are publishing the reporting no one else does.
If you think honest, first-hand reporting is valuable to the Cloudcroft community, please join the growing list of neighbors supporting the Cloudcroft Reader by making your pledge here.
Shelby Manford, Deborah Cole, Mike and Stacey Hyman, Linda Hamilton, Gail Overstreet,Andrew Colglazier, Julie and Eric Pearson, Terry Schul, Rand Carlson, Amy Coor, Suzannah Cox, Roberta Haecker, Gina Sweeny, Lynn Owen, Judith Langlois, Diane Thomas, Laryssa Alvarez, Gina Sweeney, Lynn Owen, Diane Thomas, Brian Risinger, Craig Turner, Carl Wyatt, Betty Sheker, Carie Mckinney, Dana Dunlap, Rebecca Barrows, Judith Langlois, Jim & Francis Curtis, Cheri Hass, Kurt Kochendarfer, Stan and Ginger, Alexandra Carilli, Greg Switzer, J & S Blanchett, Jan Graffunder, Barbara Hoskins, Martha & Larry Dahl, Linda Meyer, Tom McLaughlin, Jessie Willett, Heidi Gibbons, Karen Highfill, Herman Graffunder, Michael Johnson, Anonymous, Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce, Earle & Dixie Neill, Tracy Lockhart, Bill Sandusky, Sandra Barr, Pat Ray, Robert Mace, Mary Bott, Barbara Scheuter, Cynthia Buttram, Andra Sanders, Tod Taylor, Donna G Casey, Kathy Lee Alvoid, Valerie Stagaman, Nancy Penner, Gerardo Acuna, Marietta Crane, Rodney Slaton, Randy Melton Electric, Amy Coor, Michael London, Nikki Castle, Joan Nussbaum, Rachel Truex, Cheryl Puterbaugh, Mark Ferring, Lisa & Greg Spier, Kay Magill, Anne Spier, Mark Tatum, Jonathan Coker, Stephanie Collins, Carl Milburn, Judy Gordinier, Glenn Edwards, Anonymous, John Sarrels, Kenna Darling.
Have a local business that cares about the health of Cloudcroft?
Learn about sponsorship opportunities for your business in support of the Reader. Contact us for more information at sponsor@cloudcroftreader.com
Cloudcroft Reader is proud to be sponsored partly by businesses like Off the Beaten Path, Future Real Estate, Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage, High Altitude, and the Otero County Electric Cooperative.
Anna is the best!! randy