Reflections of the Past Year - Goals for the New Year!

So as this year comes to a close I can't help but think what a different place I'm in from this time last year.  I head into this new year feeling happy and optimistic about what the future might hold.  Yes, of course it will continue to be an uphill climb but I feel I'm up for the challenge!  I haven't felt this energized and happy in a long time!

What a change from last year!  This time last year I felt aimless and like I wasn't achieving all I could and I was sort of just drifting along.  I was depressed.  I was in an unhappy relationship which in turn was making me unhappy and stressed.  I wasn't being true to myself and going after the things I wanted.  I felt like I was sort of spiraling downwards and I didn't really know how to stop it. 

I think one of the most positive changes that came from last year was getting out of the unhappy relationship I was in.  This is not to say this person was/is a bad person we were just bad together...in fact I wish them nothing but the best and I really hope they find happiness in the future. 

During the relationship I sort of felt paralyzed like I was falling deeper and deeper into a black hole and I didn't know how to get out.  I was scared shitless when it first ended b/c I had to find a new place and I was pretty broke at the time and literally had almost no belongings (b/c I gave them away before I moved to Shanghai) but you know what I'm a survivor and like many other times in my life I picked up the pieces and moved on and I know I'm DEFINITELY stronger for it and it was DEFINITELY the best thing for me...in fact I wish I would of had the balls to do it sooner!

After I moved out I started to feel like myself again.  I would find myself smiling as I walked down the street w/ a renewed sense of self...something I hadn't felt for awhile.  And you know what...w/out getting too bullshit, sappy, mystical, the secret on you -  it's true what they say - you throw positive energy out into the universe and it will come back to you!

Moving out also gave me a sense of urgency about my career.  I knew I had been wasting way too much time and not focusing on the things I should have been focusing on b/c I was just too unhappy and hopeless feeling.  I started to tackle the things on my New Years Resolution list from last year.  And you know what I looked back on it and I actually did a pretty good job!  I did do more editorial shoots, I built my bridal website, did my bridal photoshoots and REALLY worked on my hair skills!

I think the biggest accomplishment for me this year has been seeing just how quickly my bridal business has grown.  I really wasn't expecting it to be so successful...esp. since I didn't get my wedding website up until May!  I've also worked w/ a lot of other great artists on weddings and really built a great network of artists to call on if I need help or they can ask me if they need help on a job.  It's important to remember that every artist has their own style and we shouldn't treat each other as enemies or the competition but instead learn from each other and lean on each other b/c there is way too much bullshit, stress and fake ppl in this biz to be making unnecessary enemies. 

Another HUGE accomplishment of mine this year has been supporting myself through makeup artistry w/out having a side job.  Of course some mths are tight...very tight but it's nice to know that I'm on the right track and I really feel that I will only go up from here!

I've also gotten the opportunity to go on a couple of really awesome trips this year!  It's not career related but traveling is an important personal goal I have so I'm really proud and excited that I got the opportunity to go to Hawaii, London, England and Paris!

Late in the year I feel I've finally also started to get somewhere w/ another BIG personal goal for myself - my weight!  Anyone who has followed this blog from the beginning knows my weight is a HUGE struggle for me.  If you read my blog while I was in Shanghai you  know I lost a SHIT LOAD of weight and I felt SO GOOD and PROUD of myself.  Unfortunately, when I came back to Toronto I put a lot of it back on.  Sort of a cycle thing - I ate b/c I was unhappy and I was unhappy b/c I ate and was putting on weight.  I've been going up and down a bit this year but after I came back from Europe I decided to get serious about it again!  I've been really good at working out this entire year which is great but I really needed to look at my food choices.  After seeing how puffy I looked in my Europe pictures I knew something had to change.  I've lost about 12 pds since then (although a couple have come back on b/c of the holidays...hey I'm only human lol) and I plan to keep on going and hopefully lose another 10-15 lbs.  My goal is to fit back into my Shanghai skinny jeans!

So after reflecting on last year let's look to the future and goals I have for myself in this upcoming  year!

1. Keep working out, eating healthy and losing weight - Fit into those God Damn Shanghai Skinny Jeans!

2. Grow my bridal business even more - ideally I would like to DOUBLE last year!  Also redesign my bridal website...not happy w/ the first one I did.

3. Make more money...and not just from bridal work but also do a lot more paid commercial or on set work

4. Get an agent - I had one, we didn't click but I think I'm ready to get one again and I think it's the only way I'll be able to get to the next level for paid commercial work

5. Continue to network w/ great artists, photographers and stylists in the industry and really make an effort to work w/ more ppl and new ppl on different projects

6. Continue to work on my Hair Skills and get EVEN better...also work on my airbrushing...started last yr but there is always room for improvement

7. Start aggressively paying off some of the debt I've accumulated from school, Shanghai and building my business...also start investing and saving for my future.

8. Repeat from last year but I think I can do EVEN more this year - Update My Blog More!

Well that's all I can think of off the top my head at the moment but I think it's a pretty good list to start with!  Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and you're feeling as Motivated, Driven and Excited about the Future as I am!

Magazine Submissions

So a lot of newer MUAs wonder how does one get their work into those elusive magazine. Anyone who wants to work in Fashion know that tear sheets (magazine editorials for those not in the biz) are an important part to any makeup artists' portfolio. It shows that you are actively working in the Fashion Industry, you work w/ good teams and it helps when you want to approach agencies for representation. The problem is how does one get themselves into these cool mags? It often feels like a catch 22 situation - you need the magazine credits to get established but you have to be established to get on the teams that are submitting to the magazines.

I'll be honest I really lucked into my first editorials. Anyone who has read my blog from the start knows that my very good friend and photographer Todd Anthony Tyler took a huge chance on me. He was visiting his family outside Toronto (he lives in Shanghai) and he was planning on shooting a few editorials while in Canada. He put an ad out on Craigslist of all things looking for a makeup artist and I was 6 mths out of school and I responded. We totally clicked and shot 2 editorials together while he was visiting which led to me going to Shanghai to live/work and the rest is history. That of course is not how it usually ends up working for most MUAs.

I'm not going to lie it usually takes a long time like 1 to 2 yrs before an MUA can get some tear sheets for their book. That means a lot of testing w/ photographers, building your portfolio till it's good enough to work w/ better photographers, testing w/ those photographers and hopefully after it's all said and done you'll get the chance to work w/ a great team that can get something published.

The positive thing is that there are a lot more opportunities to get things published nowadays. W/ all the online magazines popping up all the time there are a lot of great opportunities for newer photographers, MUAs, stylists to get their name out there. The problem is sifting through all the crap to find places that are actually worth submitting to. Not all tears are created equal! IF you want to do Fashion and you see an ad for a photographer looking for a free makeup artist for a submission shoot and the theme is Glamour or Alternative then that shoot even if it is published might be kind of useless to you b/c guess what...it can't really go in your FASHION portfolio...remember that when accepting submission shoots. I would only do Glamour or Alternative editorials if they were paid b/c otherwise they are of no use to me...remember how I mentioned before to only accept TF* shoots that will help your book...the same kind of holds true for this too.

Also a lot of times nowadays newbie/amateur photographers throw out the statement doing a shoot for submission in hopes that they can attract some good talent to the shoot. It takes a whole team to create a beautiful shoot and the shoot is only as good as your weakest link. Just b/c a photographer says they are going to submit the shoot doesn't mean it's going to be picked up by anyone so be aware of that before you possibly waste your day. Make sure you know the facts before you agree to shoot just like you would for any creative you were planning on getting involved with.

Do you like the photographers work and does it compare to things you see in magazines? If you don't like his/her work or it's not good it probably won't get picked up no matter how well you do the makeup/hair that day. If it's a fashion shoot is there a stylist involved and what kind of connections do they have to good brands? I can't stress this enough no matter how great your makeup looks and how great the photography looks if it's styled using only H&M clothes it has a very small chance of getting picked up. A good stylist w/ good clothing connections is an invaluable asset to any shoot...I've been on several shoots where the styling either made or blew the shoot. I give all the props in the world to the stylists out there b/c their job is hard and good stylists are GOLD! Also remember the model needs to be an agency model or at the very least agency standard so make sure the photographer you're working w/ works w/ agency models. Btw the photographer is the one responsible for submitting the story. We can suggest magazines for them to submit to but they hold the rights to the pics so it's up to them to do the submitting.

So now let's pretend that you have all those elements together you have to remember that Fashion editorials are shot usually several mths in advance. Therefore you have to make sure the shoot is for the appropriate season. Don't shoot a Summer story in May...all the Summer submission deadlines have already passed. You should be shooting Fall at that point. If you're working w/ a good photographer they should know this but still it sometimes needs reminding b/c sometimes photographers can get very busy w/ things and retouching can get put on the back burner and then unfortunately if you aren't shooting it far enough in advance the due date for submissions will pass and the story will have a hard time finding a home :( (I've had this happen on a few occasions and it's always sad esp. when the shoot is good but just too late).

Also a very important thing for newbie MUAs to remember - Editorial pays little to nil! You will not get rich doing editorial work! The money is in commercial work! You know those ads you see on the subway, magazines, tv...that's where the real money comes from! But editorials let us get our creative juices flowing and they help build our books so that we can get those lucrative commercial contracts :)

I should also mention there are different ways to get your work in magazines. You can do a shoot w/ a team and the photographer can submit it to various magazines hoping that one will pick it up...usually you will do this type of shoot for free. Or you may be part of a team that has been commissioned to do an editorial for a magazine. When you're starting out you'll probably have more luck w/ the submission then the commission side of things. Truthfully, most of my commissioned (paid) work for magazines came from when I was living in Shanghai. I think to date I've only been paid once by a North American magazine...but I'm still pretty new to the game ;) But that being said doing those so called "free" editorials can lead to a lot of PAID work b/c they really help build your portfolio...so like I've said before you aren't really working for free then!

A way that I make editorials a little more lucrative for myself is I make sure to credit cosmetic companies whenever possible. If it's a Beauty story it's easy b/c the story will require you to give a full credit list for each look and you can later show that editorial to cosmetic companies who will hopefully give you gratis (free product) for the credit mention. I also frequently mention cosmetic companies I use in Fashion editorials ie. Makeup & Hair Jessica Jean Myers using Yaby Cosmetics (I use a lot of Yaby Cosmetics lol). So if the editorial is strong and in a decent publication you can get some gratis from generous makeup companies which helps replenish your kit therefore saving you money...so technically it's like getting paid for an editorial ;)

Hope that answers some questions about magazine submissions :) For fun I've included a few images from MY first published editorial...man I've come a long way in 2.5 yrs! Good thing there were a lot of hats b/c my hair skills have DEFINITELY improved an insane amount lol! I won't even go into how long it actually took me to do a clean red lip b/c my hands were shaking lol. That being said I still think it's a pretty cool shoot..the location was amazing! This was shot Oct 07 I think.

Photographer Todd Anthony Tyler
Model Victoria (Elmer Olsen)
Makeup & Hair Jessica Jean Myers

Thieves Look Book

Yesterday I got to work on my male grooming skills for a look book shoot for a clothing company called Thieves designed by Sonja den Elzen. The model Brett was from Elmer Olsen Models. What a sweetheart! He's only 18 and just got into modeling not too long ago but what a great look. Hopefully he'll go far.

The photographer was Maxime Bocken. A great young shooter in Toronto that I was actually hoping to meet so what a great opportunity. We did some outside shots as well as some in studio stuff. Can't wait to see the pics!

While I was at the shoot I also got a call from my agent for two half days of assisting which was a nice surprise. They know I want to get better at hair so basically the assisting job is helping out w/ hair and nails for the campaign and look book for Nada, a really cool Canadian designer. I did the campaign today (talk more abou that later ;) ) and the look book tomorrow. I was assisting a really talented (and nice) artist w/ Judy Inc. named Sabrina Rinaldi. She was totally helpful and I was a bit nervous...if you can believe it it was my first time EVER assisting lol. Nice not to have to bring my kit though I can tell you that ;)

Well here's some behind the scenes pics of the very sweet Brett for Thieves.

Me Fixing the Hair
Maxime Shooting

Jen Tse the Stylist adding some Accessories

Brett looking Pretty lol!

YTV Bumpers!

So yesterday I got to do my FIRST agency job! Considering it was my first I'd say it was a pretty big one. I got called last minute on Monday to fill in for another MUA who was sick. I got to be the Key MUA/Hair for a bunch of YTV Bumpers (promo ads) all revolving around a young magician. For those in Europe YTV is a kids TV network in the US and Canada...it's pretty big (at least to me).

So I was a bit nervous the night before b/c I literally had no info except my call time and location on Tues. Thankfully, my nerves were quickly put to rest once I was on set. Everyone on set was totally nice and what I had to do was super easy. One lead guy (the young magician Neil) and 3 sort of background teen actors. The magician Neil was a really nice young guy and he did some really cool tricks for us.

Thankfully the weather held out for us too. I was afraid of rain and in the morning it was super hot but it did cool down thankfully. So after the initial makeup I literally just had to powder all day (how easy is that)! Plus the food on set was AMAZING! I'm so use to doing crappy indie film work where they feed you crap food that it was so nice to have some great catering on set!

I was actually kind of hoping the MUA would be sick for the next two days of scheduled shooting but unfortunately for me she was fine for Weds. Still YTV is a great first credit to add to my agency resume and I was Key which is totally cool. I mean I didn't even have to assist anyone.

On another positive note I got my second agency job tomorrow! I'm working on a music video which is cool. What's scary is that I've actually agreed to a Key Hair Position. Not even doing makeup...JUST HAIR! This is beyond scary to me if you must know b/c hair is definitely not my strongest area. I've been trying to get better of course but I am after all still a makeup artist first and hair second. But guess what for all those newbies out there sometimes that happens. Sometimes even as an MUA you get called in to do Hair! So everyone wish me major luck tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have a story to tell :S ...hopefully a good one! I just need to keep tell myself - Fake It Till You Make It!

Aumnie Athletics

Finally got some of the advertising pics used by Aumnie Athletics in Shanghai. Some of you may remember this was literally the last shoot I did before I left Shanghai so it's nice to finally get a few of the pics. I think they're good lifestyle/advertising pics. Nothing crazy of course just good solid clean makeup.

A lot of times newbie MUAs tend to forget that clean makeup and advertising campaigns are what pay the bills at the end of the day not gluing rhinestones and gold leaf on model's faces. It's important to build a strong commercial book b/c that's what a lot of clients like to see when they go to hire you. Sometimes that really wild stuff might even scare them off a bit if you don't have the clean stuff to show too. So even though it's not the most exciting stuff in the world there is a skill in learning how to pull back and just accentuate the natural beauty of the model you're working on.

Btw finally decided on an agency...now just been meeting w/ them and discussing things like pics for their website, career goals and what I need to do next!

YABY!!!

So yesterday I met w/ the lovely and talented Liz Yu. Fellow MUA, friend and creator of Yaby Cosmetics. Liz is not only an amazing makeup artist but she is also one of the most generous ppl I know right now...not just w/ product but also w/ industry knowledge and time.

Yesterday we spent literally 5-6 hrs at her Yaby office just catching up, gossiping and me picking her talented brain. As some of you may know I've been meeting w/ stylist agencies the last wk so I was just getting some info and opinions from her about everything from assisting (actually terrifies me) to portfolio layout - which btw she helped me w/ tremendously! Seriously my book looks a million times better now...sometimes you just need an outside industry eye to help clear away the crap you know. I'll talk more about agency meetings tomorrow after I make my final decision...EEEKKK - Fingers and Toes Crossed People! Although I do have to admit so far the agencies have been very receptive to my work which has been nice.

Anyway, what was also AMAZING about my meeting w/ Liz besides all the amazing tips she gave was the GRATIS I got :)!!! I mentioned Yaby in a couple of editorials and I know I'll definitely be mentioning them in the future (b/c half my kit is probably Yaby now lol).

Liz was beyond generous and I can't wait to try out the products she gave me on a shoot. I did try a couple out today on myself and let me tell you they were a DREAM! I got some powder foundation palettes from her as well as a highlighter palette and they are beyond gorgeous! The powder foundation (can also be used wet) is really smooth and great for both men and women. It's great for men b/c it's great at evening out their skintone w/out making them feel like they are wearing "makeup" and for women if their skin is great just a light dusting might be enough or if their skin is "less than great" layer it over the other foundation for another layer of coverage w/out making things look cakey. The highlighter palette has highlighters and bronzers for all skintones and it's the perfect amount of light shimmer w/out making things look like a 70's disco ball.

Liz's line is also great b/c it's small and compact. I'm all about keeping my kit small and as light as possible. I walk and take public transportation and I just use and over the shoulder MUFE pro bag for my kit (no rolling wheel kits for me) so it's essential I keep everything to a minimum. Yaby is great for not only condensing their products w/ her amazing palette system but there are also empty palettes which you can purchase and fill w/ your other makeup brands. I did this w/ my lipsticks actually. I bought an empty Yaby palette and some of the Yaby empty lipstick pots and cut and smooshed my lipsticks very neatly into the little empties. Now instead of going through a million tubes to find the right container I just open my very small Yaby palette and there are 35 (I think) lipsticks right at my disposal...and they look so neat and pretty too. All the models always ooh and aww over my Yaby stuff and how cute and small it is!

I also have A LOT of Yaby eyeshadows and pearl paints from before which are amazing b/c they are small but SOOO pigmented...seriously it will take forever to go through them...and really how many times do you actually get a chance to use that lime green eye shadow you used once for a shoot anyway. Everything is also really reasonably priced esp. for the quality and she offers a pro discount and usually has bi-annual sales.

To let you know how much I REALLY love Yaby I should just say I think I mentioned to ppl more than once at the CMS Toronto trade show this yr to go to the Yaby booth...umm did I mention I was working the Face Atelier booth at the time lol...don't get me wrong Face Atelier is another AWESOME Canadian brand (and not just cuz they give me gratis too ;) ). Seriously, they have some great foundations and I love their shimmers and lip glosses.

Btw any beginner MUAs - a great tip for when you actual start to do editorials try to use brands that offer gratis for editorial credits ie. Jessica Jean Myers using Yaby Cosmetics. A lot of times editorial pays very low to zero so a great way to make something out of it is to mention a cosmetic brand that you featured heavily in the editorial and at least get some free product from it!

Portfolio Printing

So yesterday I met up w/ the wonderful and talented Sian Melton in Toronto's beautiful Distillery District to print pics for my portfolio. First off what a perfect and gorgeous day yesterday. We started w/ some yummy lunch at Cafe Uno...my treat for her taking the time to help a computer reject like me print stuff. Great to catch up and gossip ;) w/ other artists about work, life and all that jazz.

Got my pics printed...lots of double pagers so it ended up being like 18 new pages for my book. On a positive note they look fabulous and on a negative note I NEED a bigger portfolio lol...not really that negative but I don't have the money right now to get one from House of Portfolios like I want :(

If you're in Toronto I highly recommend Pikto for your printing needs. You can rent a computer station for an hr to print your pics and make sure they are sized right and all that (if your pic order is over $25 the hr is free..reg $15/hr for station 1). See when I first started I was naive and I was getting 9X12 which I could actually print from the downstairs computers which were easy to use. Now I know better and I'm printing the professional size pics 11X14 but unfortunately the easy to use computers don't offer that size...damn them! So it's either bribe my computer savy friends w/ lunch and have them help me or pay almost $20/print to have pikto do it...btw if you print it yourself using the computers upstairs it's $4.75/print AND you get the pics that day...can't beat that!

Unfortunately for Sian she saved her pics wrong on her CD so she couldn't print yesterday...this sucks for her but actually works out better for me. I have like 3 editorials that I'm getting in pdf format next wk so I can just go w/ her again and she can help me again (maybe this time I can actually learn how to do it on my own so I don't need to harass my overly generous friends lol). Now the big problem is where the hell am I going to fit them in my book!?! Right now I have 40 pgs but I think in the next portfolio I'm going to move it up to 60 pgs...or I could start separating my Beauty from Editorial work...we'll see.

Next on my to do list - meet w/ agencies and get a new business card (kind of waiting on this one till I know about the agency thing so I could put them on the card ;) )

P.S. Someone commented about Todd wearing the same pants for all the shoots lol! Trust me this is an on-going joke between he and I regarding his "uniform". Just so everyone knows he has several camouflage cargo pants...it's not the same pair lol. As many of you may have noticed he really likes to get on the ground a lot when he shoots so you know he has to keep it practical and comfortable.