Hi! My name is Erin and I love beards. So much so that I ask strangers if I can take a picture of them... if they have a sweet beard. Let me tell you how it all started....
While I was completing my masters, during December of 2014, a few ladies were talking over a community soup lunch. I heard my name so I went over to see what they were saying. Beards was the topic and I gladly joined in the conversation.
One of the ladies told us about the newest term: Lumbersexual (also known as Urban Lumberjack) - a man who dresses clean cut like a lumberjack with a full beard, but typically does not do the tasks of a lumberjack. After the conversation a friend and I were talking about advent, seeing it was December, and low and behold somehow the idea of the Beard Advent was born.
I began to email the ladies from that conversation a beard photo to countdown Christmas. The photos were of bearded men I found on the Internet. Like this guy - he might look a little familiar.
As I looked back through my emails of 2014 to find the very first beard advent photo ever I noticed that the subject line entitled it "Lumbersexual Advent". Wow, I'm glad I talked that one through with friends and changed it to "The Beard Advent".
In 2015 I took it to a new level by capturing beards of men I knew or who I met at a variety of places like markets, conferences, and coffee shops. That being said, I did notice I captured a couple of my bearded university friends in 2014. Even has been featured in several seasons. Here is his first photo featured in the Beard Advent.
In 2016 the Beard Advent, partnered with Sussex Beard Oil to provide a prize for the most liked beard across social media platforms. We are happy to continue this partnership today. This came about from calling into the CBC Maritime at Noon show. The guest was a university prof who was studying the history of beards. Matt was one of their guests and I called in and mentioned a partnership. Later that day I got a message from Matt on Facebook letting me know he was in!
You can listen to the episode on the CBC Player
Beard talk starts at 12:50 to 48:00. Matt’s on at 22:36. I’m on at 32:39.
During the 2016 season I also incorporated business cards which made the ask a lot less awkward and more professional.
In 2017 I started asking the Advent Beard participants question giving viewers beard tips and where their passions lie. Now when a bearded man says yes to being featured in the beard advent I say, "Tell me something about your beard journey." I get everything from tips, stories of people's reaction to their beards, how it makes them feel, and so much more. Some men say a lot about their beard journey and others say little. I never know what is going to happen when I give a bearded man my business card and ask if they would like to participate.
The first year the Beard Advent was on social media, one viewer told me that he finally had an advent calendar of his own. His wife had a tea advent calendar and his kids had chocolate ones and now he had one too that would pop up online everyday.
That's what the Beard Advent can be for you. Your very own unique Christmas countdown one Beard at a time.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss any posts and you get your beard fix everyday in December.
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