my mission:

TESTIMONIALS

“Come as You Are”

Scroll down for testimonials from some of Shaun’s most ardent supporters

The title of this mission statement is timely, nostalgic, and straight to the point. Shaun enrolled in beauty school in the Pacific Northwest the year Nirvana released the track Come as You Are. In the twenty-five years since, Shaun has sought to create a liberating environment for women to feel free to express themselves fully and without restraint. The Pacific Northwest’s progressive political bent made Shaun acutely aware of the pitfalls of ageism, sizeism, and racism–problems that still plague the beauty industry today. Armed with that knowledge, he co-created Seagull Hair Salon with Johanna Fateman.

Shaun seeks to help facilitate women’s agency over their own presentation in youth-centric beauty culture. These endeavors include working with but not specifically embracing OR covering up greying hair. His mission is to grow together as stylist and client, person to person, human to human. He emphasizes compassion for where you are in the moment, offers insight when possible, and values empathy in his relationships with clients. If this sounds like it’s up your alley, Shaun is probably a good choice for you.

Sometimes a little outspoken, never apologetic but always game to listen to new perspectives and shift his own, Shaun is a stylist for mature women who know what they want or are open to experimentation. You’ll dig this scene. And always, come as you are.

OOOOO

“Suppose you entered a motion-picture theatre just as the feature picture came to its end. All that you saw of the picture was the happy ending. Because you wanted to see the entire story, you waited for it to unfold again. With the anti-climactic sequence, the hero is displayed as accused, surrounded by false evidence, and all that goes to wring tears from the audience. But, you, secure in the knowledge of the ending, remain calm with the understanding that, regardless of the seeming direction of the picture, the end has already been defined.

In like manner, go to the end of that which you seek; witness the happy end of it by consciously feeling you express and possess that which you desire to express and possess; and you, through faith, already understanding the end, will have confidence born of this knowledge.

This knowledge will sustain you through the necessary interval of time that it takes the picture to unfold.”

—Neville Goddard—

I always see Shaun, and he is a consummate artist. I can always count on him for a very stimulating 45-minute conversation from a queer/feminist/magical perspective; and I so appreciate having his council as I confront the problems of self-presentation and aging.

Mr. Cottle (Shaun Surething) is tall, with a bleached-blond, shaggy bowl cut that frames his longish, scraggily bearded face. He describes his style as Middle America glam/West Village rent boy; on a recent day when a reporter had her hair bleached by Mr. Cottle, he was wearing jeans, a vintage-looking T-shirt and a hoodie. Around his neck was the Tiffany heart pendant he’d been given by his boyfriend. Mr. Cottle is slim, but boasts a cute belly that suggests an endearing lack of vanity. He has some tattoos—including one on his arm of an exploding pipe bomb—and a comforting, buttery voice that would sound terrific on radio. Despite his punk-rock look, he greets his clients with kisses and hugs. He’s a softie.

As a fashion reporter, it's imperative that I look the part—which means my mass of unruly hair needs be beaten into submission. Shaun's got the magic touch, and he's given me a definitive style that works with my everyday life. I love his salon.

He doesn't know this, but part of the reason I once cut my hair into a Jean Seberg pixie is so I would have an excuse to sit in his chair more often. Shaun makes you feel safe and seen in a way that encourages versions of yourself to emerge you'd sort of only hoped you might find lurking in there one day. I realize this sounds kind of esoteric, like Shaun is an emotional medium more than a stylist, but I think that might actually be true. Or, more to the point, Shaun gets that style is deeply emotional, and he's here to help you uncover yours. On a practical level, may I just say that I'm lazy and messy and yet people think I have great "tousled" hair - that's all Shaun. He is both visionary and practical. Till death do us part.

I think Seagull sort of takes the word ‘salon’ to a new level. It’s a laughable word in relationship to hair cutting and so on, but somehow the salon’s vibe is cultural. It’s not Gertrude Stein-y, but you’re in the art world while getting your haircut. I’ve known about Jo since before her Le Tigre days; she’s someone who understands feminist culture. She’s a player.

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Shaun for the better part of 5 years. He is a brilliant stylist and easy to communicate with. Aside from being a great stylist he is a joy to be around and getting to know him personally has been wonderful, he is hilarious. We are never lacking in topics to dissect together. He is a true artist.

I love the way that Shaun Surething cuts and colors my hair so much... I bought him a hair salon!

What can I say? He's a great guy and he cuts my hair right. Sometimes I need a statement piece but mostly he's just the best hair guy I've found in NYC and he's about a ten minute walk away.

It’s like I’m hanging out with my best girlfriends, who happen to do really great hair. I think what Johanna and Shaun have created is really special. It feels like family. The family you create — not the one you were born into.

I wouldn't let anybody but NYC stylist Shaun within a hair's length of my hair. In fact I would never go to another NYC salon. Whenever I leave after another beautiful haircut, I think about how this is what NYC should offer: insightful conversation (much like a philosophers' salon) and great style.

Shaun is a hair genius. He knows I'm a slob and that I barely even brush my hair so he gives me a haircut that looks great being towel dried.His cuts actually kind of freak me out, they are so easy and perfect, super modernwithout looking at all like you're trying. Who but Shaun can give someone with beyond shoulder length hair the perfect a wash and go cut? He is also really perceptive, so interesting and pretty fucking funny, I can't imagine going to anyone else!

I have been working in the fashion and art world for over 10 years now. I've been a stylist, an art director, event producer, and performance artist- to name a few. I am the most particular person about my hair style and cut, always changing it radically, and Shaun has always been there to take my hair to the next level. Out of the hundreds of hair stylists with whom I have worked, he's the best. Shaun has been cutting my hair every chance I can get him for over a decade. He always understands my insane punk herstorical references and obscure art moments that I need incorporated into the aesthetics of my haircuts and color! He cuts my hair to look like a hot gay boy if needed, or a funky old art teacher. We're talking range and serious sculptural hair magic. I tried to drag him into the wild world of fashion shows and editorials, but he is the captain of his own boat, Seagull. I truly think it's the best salon in NYC and I'm so happy I can always find him there.

As the director of Participant Inc. I come across artists of many disciplines . I am happy to include Shaun among not only my colleagues, but as one of my good friends. Shaun is fun, sincere and incredibly talented both as a NYC based hair stylist and artist in general and I am pleased to count him as one of my peers.