I made a mistake. I bought a hair dryer that cost four hundred and twenty dollars. I bought the dryer because I thought the price would make my hair look better. I thought the dryer would make me a different person. I was wrong. I spent the money and my hair stayed the same.
The dryer was heavy. The dryer was silver. The dryer had four buttons and a small screen. I did not know how to use the screen. I did not know what the buttons did. I used the dryer for three months. I still did not know the dryer.
The Wrong Connection
A phone call woke me up at . The phone sat on the wood table. The phone made a loud noise. I picked up the phone. A man spoke. He had a deep voice. He asked for Gary. I told the man there was no Gary at this number.
The man said he was sorry. He hung up the phone. I stayed awake. I looked at the ceiling. I thought about Gary. I thought about the man who called him. I thought about the things people own. I thought about my silver dryer.
Crossing the Ocean
I went on a trip. I went to visit my friend Leila. Leila lives in a city by the ocean. I packed my bag. I put the silver dryer in the bag. The dryer took up a lot of space. The dryer weighed three pounds.
I had to buy an adapter for the plug. The adapter was black and square. The adapter cost eighteen dollars. I put the adapter in the bag. I flew on a plane for . My bag was heavy. My shoulder hurt because of the bag.
Leila met me at the door. Leila hugged me. We went into her house. The house was small. The house smelled like coffee and salt. I went to the bathroom to wash my face. I saw Leila’s dryer.
The dryer sat on a shelf. The dryer was blue. The blue paint was chipped. The dryer looked old. The cord was wrapped around the handle. The dryer did not have a screen. The dryer had one switch. The switch went up and down.
A Heavy Piece of Metal
I took a shower. I washed my hair. I used my towel to dry my hair. My hair was wet and cold. I went to my bag. I took out my silver dryer. I took out the black adapter. I plugged the adapter into the wall. I plugged the silver dryer into the adapter.
I pushed the power button. Nothing happened. I pushed the button again. The screen stayed black. The motor did not start. The electricity in the house was different. The adapter did not work. My four hundred dollar dryer was a heavy piece of metal.
I felt angry. I felt like a fool. I carried the dryer across the ocean and it did not work. I walked out of the bathroom. Leila was in the kitchen. She saw my face. She asked what was wrong. I told her the dryer was broken. I told her the adapter was bad. Leila laughed. She told me to use her dryer. She told me her dryer was better anyway.
The Lesson of the Blue Motor
I went back to the bathroom. I picked up the blue dryer. I plugged the blue dryer into the wall. The plug fit. I flipped the switch. The motor started. The motor was loud. The air was hot. I tried to dry my hair. I did not know how to hold the blue dryer. The balance was wrong. I moved the dryer too close to my head. I burned my ear. I moved the dryer too far away. My hair stayed wet.
“She knew exactly where to put the air. She knew how long to stay in one spot. She used her fingers to lift my hair.”
Leila came into the bathroom. She took the blue dryer from my hand. She told me to sit down. I sat on the edge of the tub. Leila began to dry my hair. She moved the dryer in circles. She knew exactly where to put the air. she knew how long to stay in one spot. She used her fingers to lift my hair. She did not look at the dryer. She looked at my hair. She moved her wrist. The blue dryer followed her wrist.
The air felt good. Leila has used this blue dryer for . She knows the sound of the motor. She knows the heat.
I thought about June A.J. June is a coordinator for prison education. She tells me stories about the men in the shop. The men learn to use lathes. The men learn to use saws. June says the new students always want the new tools. The new students think the new tools will make the wood straight.
The old students take the old tools. The old tools have smooth handles. The old tools are stained with oil. The old students make the wood straight because they know the tools. They have fluency.
The Knowledge of the Hand
A study of 217 stylists: 76% achieved a better finish with a tool they had used for , regardless of motor power.
Leila finished my hair. My hair looked smooth. My hair had a shine. My hair looked better than when I used the silver dryer at home. I touched my hair. It felt dry all the way to the scalp. Leila put the blue dryer back on the shelf. She wrapped the cord around the handle. She did the same motion she has done for 1,246 days.
We went to dinner. We ate fish and bread. I thought about the silver dryer in my bag. I thought about the money I spent. I thought about the man who called for Gary at 5:00 AM. That man was looking for something familiar. He had the wrong number, but he had the right intent. He wanted to talk to someone he knew.
Designing for the Hand
I looked at a different dryer later. I saw the
dryer. This dryer is different from my silver dryer. This dryer has a brushless motor. The motor spins at 110,000 RPM. The air moves at 22 meters per second.
The design is simple. The design does not have a screen. The design has a light ring. The light ring shows the heat. Red is hot. Yellow is warm. Blue is cold. This is a tool that allows for mastery. You do not have to study a manual to know if the air is hot. You see the color. You feel the air.
A tool should not get in the way. A tool should help the hand. When a tool is too complex, the hand stops moving. The brain starts thinking. The brain is slow. The hand is fast. Leila’s hand is fast because the blue dryer is simple.
The friend knows the heat of the dryer better than the traveler knows the buttons on the handle.
I went home after the trip. I took the silver dryer out of my bag. I put the silver dryer in a box. I put the box in the closet. I do not want to look at the screen. I do not want to push the buttons. I want to learn a tool. I want my hand to know what the air is doing. I want to be like the students in June’s shop. I want to be like Leila.
I bought a new dryer. I did not buy the most expensive one. I bought one that felt good in my hand. I started to use it every day. I use the same setting every day. I am learning the sound of the motor. I am learning the weight of the handle. I am on . I have many days to go.