Meet Alexandra Stamper of SpiritedGold in RiNo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Stamper.

Alexandra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I suppose I will start at the beginning to explain how I got to where I am today. It’s a full circle. I grew up in the then small town of Chattanooga, TN, only a town of 150,000, now rapidly growing. When I was little, I would sing in my room, dance all over, put glitter makeup on my mom and even put on fashion shows for my family. I used to take walks around the lakes and forests near my house listening to songs just imagining the makeup, hair, and visual design, that I could create for each song and artist. I also loved the simplicity of these natural places. I am a simple person, I like things to be real and straight forward. It’s interesting how as you grow up you go away from those roots sometimes.

As I went into middle and high school, I became much more focused on getting good grades, hanging with my friends and being an athlete. I became a little unconscious, about who I was. One thing about me is that I always rejected and strayed away from what was on trend. I wanted to be how I wanted to be and nothing and no one was going to stop me. I went from punk, hot topic and Avril Lavigne loving, to a rebel phase and then in college highly free-spirited phase. I love the feeling of expressing my current spirit and mood so much, it makes me feel like I’m on top of the world. So, when I graduated high school, I was dead set on heading to Boulder, Colorado. This was not a very common place for someone to go from my town for college. I headed out here at 18 with no friends, no idea of the city of Boulder and only 1 family member nearby. I took that risk because something inside of me had called me here. I knew that I needed to come to Boulder to be just Alex. I love adventure, I love seeing new places, I love a challenge of the mind.

In college, I still focused on my school work and grades. I was in a few school clubs, went skiing on the weekends and truly took advantage of all Colorado has to offer. I have a Psychology Bachelor degree and a minor in business. I will always have a fascination with the human mind. Why are people the way they are? I love listening to people and helping them to feel understood. I love seeing deeper into actions and deeper into the underworkings of corporations, society, academics, etc. It’s all connected. However, when it came to graduate and pick a job, all I could feel is anxiety. I really feel that anxiety is your body telling you that whatever path you are taking or what you are doing to yourself is not right at that time. When I was looking at the psychology jobs, all I could feel was anxiety and fear. During this process of looking at jobs, I got called again: I should do makeup. I feel that I came to this decision by thinking of what the child in me used to love and really accepting that connection. Close friends around me would also tell me “You light up when you do this.”

My favorite quote, that my favorite teacher showed me in school is, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive” This quote has impacted my life so much. I had only been thinking about grades and academics for so long, I had never thought about this being a possible career until these moments leading up to graduation. I connected back to the wonder and dreamy feelings I had as a younger girl. I met with a couple of mentors and decided to go for it as soon as I graduated. I went to open interviews with MAC cosmetics and got the job. Once I got that job, I began SpiritedGold which is my makeup portfolio on Instagram. SpiritedGolds saying is ” Find your spirit and dress it in Gold.” My main mission was to find myself and express whoever that was and rep that person every day. Never change for anyone, you don’t always need to fall in line. And I want to convey that to everyone else I come into contact with. Inspire others to be ok with who they are and to rep it everyday or “dress it in gold.” It’s not about being on trend, it’s about authenticity. My horoscope is Leo, the sunny lion. I was originally inspired by the lion, purple, gold, forest green, deep blue, and the colors and comfort of Tennessee. Harmony between hard and soft. SpiritedGold is focused on classic beauty makeup with a twist of modern color.

I have been working at MAC now for a year and it feels so amazing. My personality has centered into itself, I feel like myself more than ever. I feel strong, passionate, caring, and humbled by how comforting this entire experience has been. It is like I am back reunited, after all those phases, to who I truly am, to the girl singing in her room. I have been told from so many people to play it safer. Have a career that is more stable and more straight forward. But that has never been me, I’ve always been dreaming! Without risk comes absolutely no reward. That’s a cliche saying but it is true to the core. Now, my main goal is to become the best person I can be, work hard and better my faults. and HAVE FUN!!

Has it been a smooth road?
I think the biggest struggle is the anxiety that comes with taking a risk. When I told my family that I wanted to be a makeup artist, they were supportive but definitely were a bit worried and confused since I had just graduated from college with my degree. I want to make my mom and dad so proud of me so I was very hard on myself questioning if I was going to be able to make them proud doing this career. By taking this risk, I put myself out there to do this on my own. By taking this risk, I am responsible for my own work ethic and have to hold myself responsible for all my actions. The biggest personal struggle was doubting myself. As I mentioned before, I had been focusing on the only school up until this point so I didn’t even really know if I was a skilled artist. I would see all the other amazing makeup artists and feel like I couldn’t be on their level. It is very hard to be a judge of your own artwork especially first starting out. This was so far the most difficult time in my life. The transition from college to life is very hard. I moved away from Boulder to Denver, my housing situation turned out bad for this year and I felt very lost in the early months. My entire world changed and the comfort of the university community felt so gone. Anxiety in the mind always comes in questioning you, “Am I good enough?” “Will I fail?” “Will I look like a fool, not be able to do this and let everyone down?” These are some of the questions that ran through my mind daily. I was now an independent artist and taking an unsure route. My family was very far away and friends were on a completely opposite schedule than me. It was a shocking transition and I think it should be talked about more how hard it is to change from a student to living after being a student. The biggest struggle of an artist is to not give up and to not let these negative thoughts take you down with them. Your mind will be your biggest critic during this time. When people ask you, “Why not just get a 9-5?” and your innermost thoughts are also asking you that, it can be hard to stay strong. You have to believe in yourself more than any other belief you could have. And when you want to give in, you have to remind yourself why you started in the first place. You have to be the friend you can rely on when you are lost. I trusted in my decision to become a makeup artist, but I had to learn how to overcome the anxious thoughts that arose from this decision. I had to learn how to be the most confident in myself than I had ever had to be. It was a journey of understanding what self-love really is.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with SpiritedGold – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
SpiritedGold is known for makeup and art. I also throw in some of my own thoughts or life advice into the captions. I want it to be a whole experience going to my page. I do my own makeup and try to showcase it in an all-encompassing way. In other words, I try to set a complete mood. Sometimes, I am inspired by a certain song and create a look while listening to that song. I have made videos (I want to make more) that create a vibe as well. It is really just about expressing what I think is dope and what kind of mood is in me that day. It isn’t just a picture of the eye with the makeup, it is an overall feel to each post I make. I also do clients makeup at work or on my own time and post the pictures of my clients as well. I am most proud of how SpiritedGold has matured. I do have a tripod, camera, lighting accessories, and makeup desk now. But in the beginning, I was taking selfies all over my apartment complex trying to find good lighting, then I had a ring light attached to my phone, then I moved to balance my camera on top of stacks of items in my kitchen so I could get a good shot. I’ve used all kinds of things to make my set look how I want it to look. I am also most proud of every single person I have been able to inspire or to make feel better about themselves. That is all that matters to me, that I am evolving and that I am helping people.

I think what sets me apart from other makeup Instagrams and other makeup artists are two things. Personalization and being extremely transparent with my audience. The first, personalization is about really keying into who my client is and doing their makeup not based off of what I like, but on what they like. I know what looks good on me, but that may not look the same on my client and it most likely won’t feel like their style. So, I really want each person who sits in my chair to feel like I was able to bring out of them how they feel on the inside. Bring out their spirit and have them feeling themselves. I want people to feel connected to their soul by dressing them in their favorite colors, styles, etc. The second is being extremely transparent. Every caption I make is made as if I am talking to a friend. If you met me in person, it would be exactly the same as it is online. I don’t want to fake or force anything. I want you to see me as the full person I am in my day to day life. I like to include my southern roots by opening each posts saying “Hey Yall!” because that is exactly how I would greet my friends. I think this sets me apart since it isn’t just makeup posts with all the products listed below and brand deals. I want going to my page or meeting me in real life, to be comforting, unique and positive. I also love going out into nature and taking some pictures since that was one of my original inspirations. I did some pictures at the Flatirons in Boulder, outside with the mountains in the background, outside in the grass of my backyard or in the snow. I just love bringing it back to nature. So, I hope to inspire people with beautiful backgrounds and evoke some emotion from them.

And in the future, my goal would be to do more makeup classes, personal classes, makeovers and even be a creative director for music videos, sets, runway, etc. I love creating an entire vibe through makeup, clothes, and location. I love seeing what’s in my mind come to life.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I like best about Denver is the good vibes that can be created here. It is one of the best cities to meet new people at concerts and out on hikes. Every single concert I have been to whether it is Red Rocks, the Ogden or the Gothic, doesn’t matter, people are always dancing away and having a good time. It is impossible not to smile and feel alive when you are in these crowds. I’ve also met such peaceful and nice people when on the mountain skiing, hiking, really anywhere there are such dope people. And I love the breweries and awesome places to try downtown. And the street art I see, it’s unique and cool.

I think what I don’t like is it being cold for so long, and I think the lack, of things to do when it is cold and the lack of being near water. None of these things Denver can really help but I think it’s a personal preference. Great, nice people and safe cities. But I can’t stand not being able to swim in a big lake or be near the ocean, or do something when it snows! Your options are museums and eating at that point. Maybe I just haven’t heard of the best things to do. Overall, Denver is a great city there aren’t many negatives!

Pricing:

• $55 for an event full makeover
• $40 for a personal lesson (one hour)
• $15 driving fee if you are in the mountains!

Contact Info:

• Phone: 4236451533
• Email: spiritedgold@gmail.com
• Instagram: spiritedgold
• Facebook: spiritedgold

Image Credit:
Alex Stamper

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