A Makeup Artists Keys to Success
When she was little, Jamie Greenberg would watch her mom do her makeup and thought it looked like so much fun. As she got older, makeup was just something she did for her friends on the side, but she soon realized that her main loves were art, makeup, and creative people. In college she studied film and photography while doing some stand-up comedy and improv, but felt like something was missing. “I wanted to be around people more, so one of my many odd jobs was working at Ulta.” She admits that even though she made no money, she realized that she loved being surrounded by makeup and, most importantly, helping people with their makeup and skin. “That was the experience that made me realize I wanted to do this for real.” So, she honed her skills there and through working at department stores, and finally became a freelance makeup artist.
There are a lot of passionate aspiring makeup artists who may resonate with Jamies love for makeup and art. The advice she would give those who want to become a makeup artist would be to put in the hours. “I spent years working at Ulta, then department store counters, truly just practicing.” She learned about the products, learned how to communicate to clients in a way that made them feel good, and of course she learned how to get better and better at doing makeup. The other key to success Jamie notes is to learn from the masters. She worked for the mega-artist Jillian Dempsey early on, and just learned and assisted her where she could, which helped her gain so much insight. “Reach out to artists you love and try to assist them.” She believes that this will not only inspire you, but it will help you meet people, learn new skills, and figure out exactly where you need to focus your efforts.
“Don’t get discouraged by the time and energy it takes - it’s a hustle, but you can do it if you really want it.”
Jamie is a well-know, successful, makeup artist. I asked her about her transition from beginning out her freelance career as a makeup artist to becoming the makeup artist many celebrities rely on for events, award shows, and parties. “At the end of the day, it’s always been about the people for me.” She says that makeup is a way to make people feel more confident and to help people express themselves. “I have fun no matter whose makeup I’m doing, and I love seeing them enjoy it too.”
She admits that transitioning to celebrity clients was scary at first, “I won’t lie!” She says that she had imposter syndrome and was worried that she might not be able to handle it all. “But I realized quickly that celebrities aren’t very different than anyone else.” Sure, their lifestyles may be different from most, but she found that her clients were kind, creative, and fun and complicated just like all of us. They’ve become her best friends, and given the excitement of their careers, she gets to be constantly inspired and proud of everything they do.
“I get to help people express themselves through makeup. The dream!!”
When it comes to turning your dream into reality, Jamie suggests for you to do four things to not only become well known, but to be successful in your career.
1.) Gain experience through assisting better makeup artists. Always surround yourself with people who push you and inspire you.
2.) Put yourself, and your work, out there - Instagram has become a great place for artists of all kinds to share their work. I’m not saying you have to follow all of the Instagram trends (I certainly don’t), but share what you LOVE to do with makeup. If it’s genuine, others will see that.
3.) Get out and meet people. If you think you want to work in a certain city or community, go there. The more people you meet and talk to, the more people you’ll find who want to help you!
4.) Be nice to everybody. This industry is small. There is literally no reason NOT to be nice to everybody!!
As she mentioned earlier, social media is a great platform for a MUA to use to promote their work, meet other artists, and gain clients. She says that her growing Instagram following has helped her with her career. “I am so grateful to everyone who follows along with my crazy life online. Social media has helped me meet some amazing people, find incredible new brands, and launch my website and subscription makeup bag.” Which is called Swag Bag, you can check it out on jamiemakeup.com! She says that she tries to be honest about her work and her life online because that’s what she likes to see…”none of the fake stuff. I’m so glad it speaks to people.”
When doing makeup for someone who will be going to an award show where their makeup will be seen by thousands and possibly judged and looked at closely, I wanted to know if she felt any pressure while doing makeup for these big events. “If there isn’t a little pressure, you’re not pushing yourself!” Jamie takes time to focus on her health, mindfulness, family, and relationships. “At the end of the day, having those things are all that matters!” She likes to think about that whenever she gets super stressed or feel a ton of pressure about a job. To help with this she tries getting back to the fun of what she does. “I am so lucky to be a working artist with such amazing people, so we might as well have fun with the opportunity we’ve earned!”
I asked Jamie to picture herself in five years to see what she hopes to have accomplished as well as what she sees herself doing. “Oh honey, there are so many things in the works right now.” With her business, she hopes to have expanded Jamie’s Crew into an online community for people to learn more about their beauty routines and feel inspired and empowered to express themselves. “I also hope it makes their lives a little easier - I try to offer affordable, efficient, and fun ways of doing makeup and beauty.” She would love for her Swag Bag to reach more people, “I would love my MAKEUP PRODUCT (It’s still in development…I cant say more yet) to be in the bags of many!” If anyone wants to stay up to date on all of this, just join Jamie’s Crew on jamiemakeup.com.
Jamie is also starting a podcast with Christine Symonds, a celebrity hair stylist and her bestie. “So I hope that is still thriving in five years. And of course I hope my clients are still feeling gorgeous and confident as ever!” Personally, she says her kids will be like “senior citizens” by then…”ok, maybe not, but close…so I hope they are all working hard for their dreams and still hang out with me sometimes. Family is everything, so five years from now I want us all to be thriving together!”