I am always asked how to get into the film business as a makeup artist. Quite frankly I think the rules are the same for any career where you want success. The first thing is to be specific about what direction you would like to travel. I know that may seem a bit dangerous especially if you change your mind mid stream but I find people never get started because they are waiting for some divine intervention to come in and tell them what to do. The time wasted could have been used to really discover what your love is to sustain you through the years.
For example, when I am asked what is the best way to get into the makeup business and when I ask whether they want to do effects or fashion or beauty make up (mostly print, press junkets, fashion shows, etc or editorial as it sometimes is called), the decision is never really made. I must tell you that being really good in effects is a full time job. There are so many areas to perfect (sculpting, mold making, color knowledge, prosthetics applications, etc.). The list never ends.
And with the beauty makeup, it sometimes involves film or television but mostly print or press. Then there is the area of department heading as well as knowing your craft. It’s like running a small corporation on the bigger shows. That is a whole other expertise.
I remember a very successful makeup artist who has won numerous awards including an Oscar shared how his right hand person had started out as an intern. He had visited her school and she was determined to work for him once she graduated. When the time came she called him and asked to work as an intern for free. He said she patiently continued to contact him and finally he said “yes”. She went to work in his lab sweeping floors and doing whatever he asked for two years! He finally gave her the opportunity to do the work and flash forward years later she has won an Oscar for her work with him. She went on to be nominated on her own for another Oscar. Her determination, dedication and hard work paid off. But it wasn’t overnight. This can happen in any career. You must pick the work you love and everything else will follow. Even if the path changes, the focus of what you want must stay the same. “Overnight success” is a tricky term, mostly inaccurate.
I know this can sound frustrating as it seems everything you read or hear about from the success stories pretty much follow the same line. Malcom Gladwell’s book “Outliers” is much about how circumstances occur during the journey of success but the people traveling that road continued to put themselves in a path that brought them to success.
Take every opportunity regardless of how it may not make sense because later on the knowledge you learned whether good or bad will be the lesson. No just means later not forever. That is not to say at times it won’t be frustrating or even unthinkable but just doing it will get you a lot farther than saying “I quit”.