Life and Work with Dana Walker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Walker.

Dana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story really started when I was a little girl in Cartersville, GA. Every Barbie in the house was chopped, coiffed, painted and generally made over. This love of creating new looks carried on through high school where I joined the cosmetology program and all of my friends and family wore the brunt of my fledgling skills upon their heads. During those years, I worked summer weekends as a shampoo assistant at Bob Steele salon in Atlanta. This was the early/mid 80’s and Bob was one of the first to carry Aveda. There, I became enamored with the beauty brand and the mission of its founder Horst Rechelbacher. It was in the back of my mind that I would like to work for him someday.

While earning my bachelor’s degree at UGA I worked at the only Aveda salon in Athens at the time, Emporium downtown. After graduation, I took off to Seattle as it was the height of Grunge and music is the other great love I wanted to be in the mix. The next couple of years were spent selling leather to bikers, singing in bars, and generally bouncing around the country “finding myself”. Not having a real plan for a career with my degree, I decided to head to Minneapolis to the Aveda Institute to pursue my dream. I completed their cosmetology program, moved to Chicago and worked for the master Jerry Gordon for a year and then was called back to Minnesota to become an instructor at Aveda. In 1997, I joined the elite Global Education team and moved to New York City to open and run the Aveda Makeup Academy for professional education. I had a glorious couple of years teaching, traveling and doing hair shows with some of the greatest artists in the industry. Mission complete.

Eventually, I moved back to Atlanta in 1999 to be near my family. My brother Butch was just starting to gain attention as an artist in the music scene both locally and nationally. I was doing his hair and that soon led to streams of band boys in and out of my house looking for rock-n-roll locks. I happily obliged. I found myself in high demand for all walks of the music industry folks and decided to open my own place – Rockit Salon. It boomed. My clientele grew rapidly and I eventually became bicoastal working in LA monthly for some of my well known touring clients. I closed Rockit in 2007 and have been focused on raising my son Iggy. I currently work part-time with my close friends at Akasa Salon and still have the pleasure of marrying my two passions -hair and music. Thanks, Atlanta!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I try to remind myself that a roller coaster would be pretty freaking boring without the hills and curves. My ride has been pretty thrilling, to say the least! EMBRACE the changes that come your way. Don’t be afraid – keep taking those steps towards your dream with determination. If you hit a bump in the road switch gears and keep on trucking. Mentors are everything and don’t hesitate to ask for guidance. We can all learn from one another.

Please tell us about your business.
I am a hair cutter and colorist. I built my business on strong classic skills and have a propensity for textured styles.

Rock-n-roll hair started my career here in Atlanta but casual, lived in looks are what I am most known for.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I commute so Audibles and podcasts are essential! Not surprisingly, I am obsessed with music biographies and there are too many to count in my library. Just finished M train by Patti Smith and currently listening to The Boss read his Born to Run book. NPR gives me life, especially Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is my new favorite podcast – he makes me smile. I love Hairbrained for all things beauty industry, they do an amazing job with inspiring education.

Contact Info:

• Address: Akasa Salon
  593 Edgewood AveSE
  Atlanta, GA
• Website: akasasalon.com
• Email: danawaker67@gmail.com
• Instagram: danawalkerhair

Image Credit:
Dana Walker

Getting in touch: VoyageATL 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.