Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Spellman.
Sharon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am the founder of Simply Insane Hair! The name Simply Insane goes way deeper than just Hair. It’s a full representation of who I am & my craft. Simply INSANE! When people first meet me their impression is always “she’s so confident” “she knows what she wants” “she’s so strong” but that hasn’t always been the case… Growing up, I had the IDEAL upbringing. I had a very stable home with amazing role models who’s absolutely adored each other & me, my mom Dyana, and my dad Scott. I say the ideal upbringing because there is not one thing I can think of that wasn’t right in my childhood. I was beyond loved by my parents & had everything I could have ever imagined wanting as a kid. I was an only child for eight years and definitely spoiled to say the least, but I always wanted a sibling! My parents said I was such a pain in the butt that they couldn’t even imagine having to go through raising another baby again! LOL! My parents & I ended up jokingly doing a coin toss at a restaurant one night when I was seven years old & if it was heads MY DAD & I WIN & if it was tails my mom doesn’t have to get pregnant. WE WON & along comes my baby BROTHER Troy! He was the highlight of everyone’s world! Life was pretty perfect looking back years later. Our family was super close & we loved each other to death!
When I was 14 & my brother was 6, our Dad passed away… that really set the tone for the rest of my life, honestly. My life basically did a full 360… I no longer felt like the girl I did before my dad was gone. Life turned into a constant struggle. From me losing my identity in a sense, seeing my mom lose her person & watch her struggle just to make ends meet, & my little brother not being able to experience as much life with our dad as I did. Everything was starting to crush me mentally & emotionally. I felt lost. My family went through hardships you can really only think of in movies… I completely disconnected from myself and my family & just started doing my own thing & basically being dumb. High school was the toughest part of my life. I had the typical girl drama & some intense drama with bullies telling me to just kill myself already & that I was a waste of space. I just had no idea who I was. At that point, my life wasn’t heading in any direction, I was just going with the flow of what you’re “supposed” to do in life like finish high school & apply for college. I tell people to this day I felt like I was on legit autopilot from the age of 14 to probably 21 realistically. I had a job when I turned 15 and a half & was paying all my bills & handling what needed to be handled. I thought I was fine. It wasn’t until the day I graduated high school & saw my mom bawling because she was so proud of me. I realized the only way to become something in this lifetime for myself & my family who I wanted to make sure was set, is to work HARD for it. I had zero idea what was in store with this thing we call LIFE. I realized if I just keep partying & working a mediocre job I will get stuck like everyone around me who had zero goals or ambition for anything special.
I was at pierce college when I realized I was completely wasting my time. School was always so difficult & unappealing to me. I would tell myself every year growing up “this will be there year I focus really hard & learn as much as I can” but I would just end up sidetracked socializing with EVERYONE I possibly could! Lol, I had the biggest talking problem. My mouth would literally never stop! So I told my mom I wanted to try cosmetology school. I have always been so into hair color & styles ever since I was in 5th grade & got my first partial highlight from one of my cousins who was in cosmo school at the time! So my mom said if I finished the semester of college, she would pay half for cosmo school! I was beyond excited. I ended up not even finishing the semester at pierce because I did research & realized the adult school of cosmetology in Simi Valley had a class starting soon! I knew my mom would be okay with the idea because it was the cheapest way to get your cosmetology license & money was a hardship since my dad passed. I was also ditching all my classes towards the end of my college journey so I told my mom I was truly wasting all of my time. She agreed! There I went on my journey of becoming a hairstylist!
Well, just like high school, there was DRAMA GALORE! Think about a room full of females trying to figure out their path for 1600 hours… yeah! I then started slacking like usual & not taking anything seriously, prioritizing partying over school. I got kicked out. I officially hit rock bottom! I was so ashamed of myself, & so was my family… I worked my butt of the following three months, saved up the fee to get back into school & made it happen. I changed my entire mentality & told myself school is a step that has to be done correctly to start a whole career/life for myself. I ignored the drama, & kept my head down to focus on doing everything in my power to pass the state board test to get my license at the end of the 1600 hours of school. I DID IT! I GRADUATED THEN PASSED MY STATE BOARD TEST! I was an actual LICENSED COSMETOLOGIST! Never in my life have I felt a feeling of accomplishment like I did that day when they called my name saying I passed the hardest test of my life. I was filled with all types of emotions. It was by far the best day of my life!
I then met a hairstylist at a bar in my area that I had been following on Instagram for quite some time. I felt as if this was a sign for my journey I was about to start! She decided to hire me & I started assisting for her. It was a completely different view of the industry & I had no idea what to expect. I was pretty mind blown to say the least. I saw what my having an official license for cosmetology could do for my life. My boss was SET in my eyes. She had a steady clientele & was able to create a full living off being a hairstylist. I knew right then & there that this was exactly what I wanted for myself! I was giddy & sooo ready to learn!! Eight months into assisting, I realized I wasn’t becoming a stylist really at all. I felt more like an assistant professional. I thought to myself, how am I ever doing to get to where she is if I’m just a helper.. the way my brain works, I have to learn everything the hard way… typical right? I started getting fed up with some of the ways my boss at the time was handling things & I had felt I outgrew the position & gained all I could have from the amazing opportunity. Again I started feeling like I’m wasting my time. I quit & was told I wouldn’t make it in the industry. I was told I wouldn’t ever be good enough. That hurt. It actually hurt me more than I realized.
At that time, I was living with my amazing boyfriend David, & his family. My boyfriend gave me a huge reality check & showed me how real-life WORK is & how you can’t just talk the talk, you have to walk the walk or else you’ll be living in circles. I always told myself I need to work hard but I wasn’t physically doing what I needed to be doing. I totally fell into a depression. I had zero motivation to really do anything. I stopped going out, stopped putting on makeup, literally stopped giving a crap about anything. My supportive boyfriend was worried. I could tell he didn’t know how to help me or what he could do to make me happier & that of course was affecting the relationship. He had a huge sense of motivation for life & I was slacking harder than ever. He got so fed up with the way I was being he started researching the hair industry himself. He would literally watch hours worth of Guy Tang tutorials on YouTube & learn all he possibly could so he could talk to me about it & get me inspired to learn what he had learned. I became hooked… I actually became OBSESSED with learning all these intricate techniques & color formulations. I wanted to test the waters on actual people because I felt I could do this & I could become GREAT! My boyfriend & I sat down with his family & discussed using their extra bedroom as my extremely unprofessional hair salon. I have no idea how but they agreed to it! I knew then the love they had for me was more than real. I felt so many different emotions & insecurities about this journey actually becoming real. My boyfriend told me the only way for this to become your actual day to day life is to put it into practice. I started advertising my services & actually getting clients to come get their hair done! It was a huge step for me.
I was learning more than ever practicing on real client’s hair & making real mistakes to correct & learn from. I started getting so many inquiries from people around the valley as well as being a waitress on the side, I was able to afford a chair every so often at my friend Megan’s dad’s salon! He was gracious enough to let me rent per day I was there! I was beyond fortunate for that opportunity. I went from washing girl’s hair out in the bathtub with my boyfriend’s help to having an actual shampoo bowl to use! It completely changed the game for me. I was able to level up my skills while feeling so confident in my ability to be a great hairstylist! It got to the point where my skills were being noticed more & more, I was able to lean off serving & fully support myself financially from doing hair! Looking back I get very emotional thinking about what my boyfriend did for me because I have never had someone other than my mom care about my career & life path in such a passionate way. It actually blows my mind how I got so lucky to have such an amazing soul as my person. I like to think somehow my dad brought him in my life at the most perfect time because our connection is so strong!
I am now at a salon in the San Fernando Valley three years after being an assistant then quitting thinking if I even wanted to be a hairstylist anymore to having a pretty full clientele, creating AMAZING hair goals for anyone & everyone! Inspired as EVER & learning every single day. I am starting a life in an amazing new house with my boyfriend as of this past year. We inspire each other every single day & constantly thriving to become GREAT! I have created SIMPLY INSANE as a way to express myself & I think it has the power to inspire others in many ways. I want SIMPLY INSANE to be a way of life not just the name of my brand. We should all keep things Simply Insane. I know I am the woman I am today because of everything I’ve gone through & the ways I’m deciding to handle it. I still feel like this is just the beginning of my story you guys! STAY TUNED!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Simply Insane Hair – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am a Hair Stylist! I specialize in all BLONDING & COLOR. I absolutely love Hair Cutting as well. Simply Insane will be a brand throughout the ages once I bring all my visions to reality! What I have started thus far is art I create on people’s head of hair, it’s Simply Insane. I do what I do for the reaction I get after being able to completely create a look for someone to feel their best self & gain the confidence of a lifetime. It’s definitely a look for EVERYONE! I like to customize people’s desires & hair goals to create a perfect simply Insane look for anyone & everyone! I have apparel I have created from scratch. I truly believe slowly but surly, Simply Insane will be a hair salon, apparel line, and an everyday way to live! I spread the Simply Insane vibe everywhere I go. I feel as though anyone can achieve their biggest goals if they just put in the hard work & dedication!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan on opening a Hair Salon! I want to create a team of Simply Insane stylists who inspire each other & everyone that walks in! I want a whole team who can see & feel my vision that can touch so many souls with their craft. I also will be starting a podcast/vlog about ME & how Simply Insane started & what it’s all about! I want to share my views with the world & see who I can inspire to create whatever they want & know it is totally possible! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! More people need to believe in themselves. I want everyone to know I believe in them! No matter how big or small the vision may be! You got this! It’s YOUR life. Do whatever & work as hard as you can at it!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharon.simplyinsane/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/sharon.simplyinsane/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/sharonspelll
Image Credit:
Simply Insane founder Sharon Spellman (me)
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