A Self-Taught, Self-Made Artist

I started doing makeup when I was in 8th grade, teaching myself exclusively through trial and error and hundreds of hours of makeup tutorials. When I was in high school, I realized that makeup wasn’t just a fun hobby—it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

As a 15 year old who knew pretty much nothing about starting a business, I didn’t accomplish much in the way of being a professional makeup artist at first. I did friends’ makeup for dances and events, charging barely enough to cover the cost of product, but loving every second all the same.

I continued to grow in other creative aspects as well, spending my time after school working on the tech crew for my high school’s theatre productions, coming home covered in paint and sawdust and filled with the satisfaction of a job well done.

Among my friends, I quickly became known as “the makeup person”—the one you went to if you had any makeup-related question, whether it be product recommendations or color matching assistance. The advice was free, but helped to build my confidence just the same.

My more short-term goal ever since I had gotten into makeup had been to work at Sephora, but the age requirement of 18 prohibited me from applying throughout most of high school. Instead, I made money working after school and rehearsal at Olive Garden as a hostess. Not exactly the glamorous career I desired, but it helped fund my various hobbies, so it was worth it in the short run.

And then, of course, the unthinkable happened: COVID hit, sending the entire country into a lockdown. Stuck inside with unlimited free time and no school, job, or other responsibilities should have meant that I was more productive than ever, but unfortunately my ADHD brain had other plans. I spent most of my days watching Project Runway and reading rather than honing my craft and posting makeup looks, but I decided to cut myself some slack given that we were in the midst of a literal apocalypse.

My senior year of high school arrived (entirely online, of course), and with it a whole host of new responsibilities. College applications, admissions essays, scholarship research, all on top of my regular course load. All of this coupled with the fact that I attended class via Zoom every single day meant I unfortunately didn’t spend much time doing makeup.

Senior year did bring with it a good change, however—I finally turned 18! I waited until some of the craziness from senior year died down before applying at Sephora, and then spent the summer before college working as a beauty advisor. I learned so much about products and techniques, even though I wasn’t actually applying makeup on anyone at work.

College was a huge change in my life, but really allowed me to figure out who I am, both as an artist and as a person. I experimented with more avant garde makeup, became more confident in my abilities, and even set up photoshoots. I still didn’t have any actual clients, but I was growing as an artist and honing my skills, as well as slowly but surely building a following.

During my second year of college, I finally got my big break—a spot on the beauty team of a local magazine. Not paid, unfortunately, but it allowed me to grow my network and really develop my skills, and gave me the opportunity to work on actual photoshoots for the first time. No longer was I just another girl who’d taught herself how to do makeup from YouTube—I was a published makeup artist.

This opened the door for a whole host of other opportunities: a position with another local magazine, photographer and model friends, and a much more impressive portfolio. I’ve continued working to grow as an artist and constantly push myself to try new things, remembering that every experience is valuable. Makeup is my passion, and the greatest gift in the world is the opportunity to share that passion with others. I hope to get the chance to share my creativity and talent with the world, one client at a time!