Mistakes I see makeup artists make, that keep them STUCK
As a coach - I see a lot of patterns of behaviour particularly with makeup artists. These patterns, habits, or mindsets often stop that individual from achieving greatness, keeping them stuck in the same place for years and years. Today I want to talk about these mistakes and hopefully, this will help some of you get unstuck!
1) Comparing yourself to other artists
You know I couldn’t resist it. If you follow me on Instagram you know that I preach about the number 1 mistake, being comparison. It’s so cliche and SO overused, but its so correct. Comparison is like chains, keeping you guys stuck in the same place because you believe your journey should be like Susie’s journey when she is 10 years of hard graft in. Comparison is a sticky place. It makes you feel unworthy, it makes you feel bad at your job and it makes you jealous, shut in and against creating community, collaboration or friends within the industry. This keeps you in the same place, year in and year out. Growth comes when you stop comparing, growth comes when you realise your journey is your own and nobody else’s.
2) Thinking your journey is linear
Oh gosh, this one. I see it time and time again - artists thinking “OK, so I work at MAC for a few years, take on all the test shoots and work for free, and then I’ve made it right?”. Every makeup artists journey is so different and so complicated, no two are the same. We especially shouldn’t be thinking our journey and the road to success is the same as Kevyn Aucoin or Francois NARS. Times are so so different now and we should be celebrating our own unique journey and carving our own path to success, whatever that looks like to us. Doing X and X steps, doesn’t mean you will be successful. You can do 100 test shoots in editorial and fashion, and then book your first paid job. You could do one free shoot and end up fully booked for your career, just by meeting the right person. Once you understand and come to peace with the fact that your journey is your own, and your growth is your own - everything becomes easier.
3) Caring about what Sally at MAC thinks
Good lord, this held me back for years personally. I was so concerned with what my ex colleagues would think. I was so concerned with what people from my old job at Tesco would think OR even old school friends. It took me a long time to get unstuck from this, years in fact. If you are not creating, or not putting out great content, or holding yourself back from that great idea because of bloody Sally at MAC - think again. WHO CARES. I know, its so much easier said than done, but you could be stopping yourself earning millions (YES MILLIONS, you can earn that!) by worrying about irrelevant people who aren’t your friends. You should only worry about the people who care about you and who you care about, not acquaintances from years ago who you don’t speak to anymore.
4) Being afraid of technology
Perhaps the number one thing that can hold your business back - is being afraid of technology and how it can help your business. You can only go so far in business, by manually posting your own Instagram posts, by not allowing online bookings on your website and by not allowing yourself to learn new systems and practises. The best thing I’ve done, is let go of control for the purposes of scaling. By outsourcing and by automating, I am allowing myself to be more present in my business and give myself more organisation and structure. Using the excuse “I don’t know how” doesn’t cut it. Nobody knows how when we first start, but you learn. Let yourself learn these new systems and see it as a fun puzzle to solve. If you want to be more “present” on social media and that’s why you allow yourself to be a slave to posting manually, you are actually not allowing yourself to be present in your business. Don’t let fear of technology or rather, unwillingness to learn it - stop you and stick you in the same place.
5) Not dreaming a little bigger darling
One of my favourite quotes - where is it from? It makes me sad to see that makeup artists think their earnings stop at £20 a head. When I ask them why, they tell me nobody will pay more. But my darlings, people pay for Gucci. People pay for Dyson hoovers over an Amazon one. People choose to spend their money on luxury things, which means there is a luxury market and untold potential for makeup artists. Don’t let yourself get stuck, always remain hungry and dream bigger. If you think “there is NO way, I’ll ever do makeup for the met gala” guess what… then you never will. Don’t let the pessimistic side of your brain determine what you are capable of. If Mario said that, he would never have met Kim. Don’t set yourself a glass ceiling, your potential and your limit for earnings, is endless.