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I'll begin describing my journey into the wonderful artistic field of Coloring Hair from it's creative conception...
I was born in Wheeling, WV in 1965. My heritage is Polish/Italian.
After completing High School in 1983 I attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio for one year. While attending Art School I studied Color Concept and 3-Dimensional Design in depth. I also began coloring and cutting hair for extra money so I could purchase paint brushes, canvases and art supplies. Little did I know I was creating a new future for myself as a Hair Colorist and would one day gain National Recognition for my artistic Hair Coloring results.
In 1984, I moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with my Mother and Father. My Father advised I go to Beauty School so I could learn a trade that would enable me to create my own income and support my career as a Fine Artist/Painter.
My family and I had frequented Fort Lauderdale and had become fairly well acquainted with the owners (Jesse and Flo) of a very popular Hair Salon - the Yellow Strawberry.
My Father arranged a meeting with Jesse and Flo to discuss my future understudies and employment as a newly licensed Cosmetologist. Jesse and Flo agreed to take me on as Flo's Hair Color apprentice.
Upon completing Beauty School (1985), I began assisting under Flo. Flo was a very talented and accomplished Colorist and Stylist. For one year I personally apprenticed under her.
As a Hair Colorist/Stylist at the Yellow Strawberry Hair Salon, I also became part of the newly developed "Hair Color USA" Hair Shows. It was Jesse and Flo and several other leaders in the Hair Coloring Industry that began the well known, "Hair Color USA" Hair Shows.
As a Stage Artist, I performed on stage when Hair Color USA was first presented at the Fountainebleu Hotel, in Miami, Florida.
After a while, I left the Yellow Strawberry and continued my Hair Coloring Career in Fort Lauderdale. In 1993 I decided I wanted "more" and headed west to sunny, southern California! I landed in Hollywood on October 3rd, 1993.
In 1994, I opened my first Hair Coloring Studio in Hollywood. I named it "Artopia" as it was a combination of a Hair Coloring Studio and Art Gallery.
At that time I began doing some very original hair color foiling work.
One of Clients at that time is an extremely talented female musician who was soon to go on tour across the USA. It was for her that I first designed very original hair coloring foil work.
From that point forward my entire Hair Coloring Career began to take off like wild fire! She is still my dear friend and Client to this day! Hats off to kindred-spirited, brilliant musician, singer/songwriter, Beth Hart!
Although my spirits were high and my Hair Color Clientele rapidly expanding, soon came the "darkness" that can occur in highly-competitive "Hollywood". My fast growing Hair Color Clientele at "Artopia" had become a very large threat to a neighboring Beauty Supply/Salon Owner, who threatened me physically to leave the space. Rather than getting into a legal battle I quietly removed myself from "Artopia".
Somewhat shocked, I choose to continue working on my Clients in the comfort of their own homes, and I decided to find safe refuge by also working as a Program Manager at a very successful Marketing Firm located in Calabasas, CA.
Although new to an "office" environment, I was enthralled by the great success this company was having with major corporations such as Motorola! I was soon to learn the basics of computer, computer modems, DSL, and high speed cable! I was to learn all about product marketing and how the Internet was vastly expanding!
Although I had landed at the Marketing Firm somewhat gun-shy by what had occurred just prior, it took me no time at all to quickly adapt to the Marketing world. I loved it! And, little did I know that the computer, internet and marketing knowledge I gained from having worked there would one day play a very vital part of my Hair Coloring Career expansion!
As my Hair Color Clientele continued to expand I decided to leave the marketing firm and work for a very reputable Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, CA.
Upon entering the "private chambers" of the highly competitive "Beverly Hills" hair coloring industry I was told by the Salon Manager that I had to change my name! Although I firmly voiced that I was writing a book on Hair Color, I was advised that I had to change my name immediately. After several weeks, I gave-in and changed my name to "Zoey".
Once again my original Hair Coloring concepts and vast Hair Color Client expansion created a "problem" for others! At that time, most every single Hair Color Client was receiving a one-process base color with bleached highlights. One-for-one, every woman looked the exact same. And, yet, there I was doing something "very different" with the foils! It wasn't "long" before I was told that my Hair Coloring foil work was "too original", and that I should "go to Melrose" (the more artsy side of town).
I, again, not wanting to compromise my right to artistic license and freedom of expression, left Beverly Hills... and my very loyal Hair Color Clients followed!
I finally decided that if I was going to be an Artist at Coloring Hair, then I needed a safe space in order to freely create my original hair color foiling work! To provide myself with a safe, artistic space, I opened my next Salon - "Ciao Bella" - on Sunset Blvd., in Hollywood, CA, in 1997. I created a unique, very private, artistic Hair Coloring Studio that no one knew was a Hair Salon!
However, through word-of-mouth alone, I was receiving at least 5 new Hair Color Clients per week! My Hair Color Clientele was continuing to rapidly expand! But, this time, I was able to freely create the multi-color foil weaves with no one threatening me to vacate or telling me that my "type" of foiling work did not belong there! I had made the correct choice by creating "Ciao Bella"!
Within 3 years after opening "Ciao Bella", I was contacted by Elle Magazine and I was asked to be included amongst the "Top Ten Masters of Makeovers" in the December, 2000 Edition of Elle Magazine. The word-of-mouth had spread as far and wide as to land me an editorial in Elle!
I proudly accepted.
In 2003 I was asked by an Italian Hair Color manufacturer, and owner of the Polverini Beauty School, Maurizio Polverini, to arrive in Florence, Italy to study his hair color line, and appear as his Guest Star at the Florence Hair Show using his hair color line.
I proudly accepted.
In 2003, I also decided to create an educational Hair Coloring video/DVD - "Panels & Chunks" - to share my original foiling technique and Hair Color marketing experience with other Colorists, so they, too, could have the same success in their hair coloring careers. I was amongst the first to have a DVD within the Hair Coloring Industry.
To sell the "Panels & Chunks" DVD I launched the My Bella Color website in 2004.
In 2004 I was asked to present the My Bella Color DVD at the Puerto Rico hair show.
Again, I enthusiastically accepted and added the Spanish version to the "Panels & Chunks" DVD.
After 8 years at "Ciao Bella", the property was sold and I was told that the building which housed Ciao Bella was going to be torn down in June, 2005.
I decided it was time to EXPAND into the Public Eye! I decided to secure a larger space near the major motion film Studios in Burbank, CA, so I could be in the heart of the Film Industry and expand my Hair Coloring Service and Educational facilities around other creative professionals.
The larger space would also enable me to offer in-house educational hair coloring seminars. (The educational hair coloring seminars emerged from a need expressed by Stylists emailing me from the My Bella Color website.) I secured the lease of a larger space in the heart of the Burbank Media District in February 2005.
After 4 months of me personally running the demolition and construction I opened the all new - My Bella Color Studio.
After opening the My Bella Color Studio I again was asked by another leading Fashion Magazine - "W", to be included amongst the "Top Trend Setting Salons". Again, I proudly accepted.
For the year and a half following the opening the My Bella Color Studio I continued to maintain the salon expansion, sales of the DVD, and personally handled all email inquiries coming in from the original My Bella Color site. I called this time my “grass roots movement” because I was personally writing/responding to hundreds of Hair Colorists, Stylists and Hair Color Clients from around the world that were seeking professional hair color help and/or assistance.
The My Bella Color website traffic expanded to receive over 1000 hits a day!
I then decided it was time to create an online Hair Coloring concept that would fully handle all email traffic inquiries. After much thought, research and study I figured out a way to answer the thousands of emails. After studying Internet technology, I leaned that the computer programming aspects that would be needed to create the extensive, online, Internet Hair Color marketing concept I had in mind was now possible!
My research included studying award winning websites, finding out who designed them, locating additional sites that included the programming elements I needed – AND I learned the computer programming and internet “lingo”, so I could begin communicating to leading website developers.
After purchasing an Internet "College Education" from the local book store and reading through hundreds of pages, I was hot-on-the-trail of current web development, programming, and web page designing! Not only was I now able to converse on the subject matter, but I was able to layout the programming concepts needed for the complete Hair Coloring internet concepts I had in mind! I had successfully given "birth" to what I call the ten pound triplets! Three new sites!
A whole new My Bella Color site, and two other sites.
Together these three websites include every successful aspect of my Hair Coloring Career success!
After many weeks of interviewing web development companies I finally secured a very able and reputable web development company out of San Francisco to begin programming my three websites.
These sites evolved out of the needs expressed to me via email, over and over, from Hair Colorists, Hair Stylists, Salon Owners and Hair Color Clients from around the USA (and world)!
When asked "Why did you do this?", I respond humbly and very sincerely, "So that I can share my Hair Coloring success with others and help Hair Colorists, Hair Stylists, Salon Owners and Hair Color Clients from around the USA and world! I am now able to do this through a very well-thought-out, creative concept, that I have thoroughly enjoyed making available to all via the world wide web!"
The My Bella Color website has been created to include more than 100 educational products available through secure digital downloads. The "Panels & Chunks" DVD is still for sale, in-house educational Hari Coloring Seminars still announced, but the main focus will continue to be “helping Hair Colorists expand their Hair Coloring Career through increased knowledge and obtaining more Hair Color Clients" by offering online digital documentation, pre-designed, custom advertising and promotional pieces, through the My Bella Color Membership. Members also have the ability to post their technical hair color questions while remaining confidential on the Members-Only Hair Colorist Forum. Through the Forum, I am able to directly help Licensed Professionals in need of expert Hair Coloring advice and career guidance.
To help expand the My Bella Color Hair Colorist Member’s Hair Color Clientele I have created the Hair Colorist Locator site.
This is a free site where Hair Color Clients in search of a Hair Colorist in their area can easily access the free, online Hair Colorist Search Engine! The Hair Colorists that appear on the Hair Colorist Search engine are the active My Bella Color Members. What the Hair Clients in search of a Hair Colorist in their area see on the Hair Colorist Locator results pages are the My Bella Color Members personal Hair Colorist web page! (Each Member creates their own Hair Colorist web page from the My Bella Color web page template. And, I've made certain that simple instructions are also provided to help each Hair Colorist design the highest quality web page!)
Hair Color Career expansion has never been this easy!
To handle the needs of Hair Color Clients I created the Hair Color Consultant website.
This site offers educational digital download products and an online hair color consultation to Hair Color Clients. It has been intentionally created to answer Hair Color Clients questions and to forward the Hair Color Client in search of a Hair Colorist in their area to the Hair Colorist Locator search engine!
A tremendous amount of hard work, research, study, and software programming implementation have gone into creating the My Bella Color, Hair Colorist Locator and Hair Color Consultant sites.
This has been an experience of a life time because I have been able to implement for other Licensed Professional Hair Colorists, Stylists and Salon Owners, through the My Bella Color, Hair Colorist Locator and Hair Color Consultant websites all of the knowledge and successful actions that have enabled me to have the success I have had within my own Hair Coloring Career. All so that other Licensed Professional Hair Colorists can enjoy the similar success and expansion within their Hair Coloring Careers and Hair Color Clients can achieve the hair color results they desire by locating a Hair Colorist in their area!
It is my gift to YOU that I offer here.
I welcome you to become part of this exciting adventure by SIGNING UP TODAY!
With the utmost sincerity,
If you have enjoyed this ABOUT page, then you may also enjoy reading the Evolution of My Bella Color page too.
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