At the beginning of August we introduced Janet Price, a Portland makeup artist we love. Janet had so much great advice for achieving professional success that we thought it deserved more than one blog post!
Process and technique can sometimes be hard to communicate to the average person, when you work in a creative field. Part of the puzzle is finding a way to educate your audience about why your service is particularly good or special. But, as a longtime professional makeup artist, Janet has learned a few other important ways to build trust as a creative pro.
Keys to Professional Success
Janet credits her success as a professional to the following three keys:
- Be Dependable and Honest. Janet says it’s critical to show up on-time to do the thing you are committed to do (ie Don’t be late to your job!). Just as important, she says, is being honest about what what your skills are as well as what you can’t do — in contrast to the popular fake it to make it mentality, Janet has always been clear and open about what she can do well and what would be better left to someone else. She says she’s never felt penalized for declaring her limitations.
- Do Good Work, Stay Current. Do a good job, of course, and continually push yourself to keep building your skills. Don’t rest easy on your current skill set or position.
- Don’t be a weirdo! While Janet is always herself on the job, she says it’s important to remember that she is not the focal point of the job. With anyone you work with, employ discretion, refrain from gossip, and respect the privacy of others.
Being A People Person
Getting close enough to another person to apply makeup to their face can be a very intimate act, especially if her clients aren’t accustomed to it. Janet says that some people are more comfortable with this than others, and often one of her first tasks in beginning a job is to establish rapport with her subject.
Indeed, Janet is very easy to talk with, whether that initial conversation is about the shade you like to wear on your lips, her love of Marilyn Monroe, or your opinion of animals with people names (Janet’s house cats are Greta and Sammy, so she’s all for it). Rapport is very important, Janet says, and she usually has to build trust with the people she is working with very quickly, especially with film and television jobs when the pace of the work is quick and time is usually short.
Diplomacy is important, too — sometimes the person who gets makeup is not always the client to whom Janet is responsible, and she must balance the needs, wants, and comfort of both client and the person whose face she is painting.
Sometimes Janet is the only makeup artist on the job with full creative control, other times she works as an assistant on bigger projects, when it’s her job to execute the vision of an art director. The more players in the game, the more great communication, personal rapport, and professionalism need to be spot on. Her approach is to emphasize each individual’s unique beauty and work in partnership with talent, production, and crew.
Oh, the Humanity!
Whether you are a makeup artist like Janet Price, a fashion designer and small business owner like Tori Tissell, or any other creative professional, you know that the work is more than making a great product: at some point you’re going to have to come out into the daylight and talk to other humans. Janet Price makes it look easy, and with her advice and some practice, we know you can too!
What’s your next creative venture? Let’s talk about discovering your authentic and compelling brand story that will help you connect with your ideal audience. Start your branding project by scheduling a Free Clarifying Consultation with Team Upswept.
