It has been TWO YEARS since my last post. To the awesome few still around who give enough craps to actually notice or read what I write: virtual brownies, my dears. Many virtual brownies. If you're reading this now, even if it's for the first time, you're beyond amazing. Seriously. Welcome, or hello again!
No lie, extreme gaps between my posts are nothing new. I unplug when there's nothing special to report. So, what brought be back this time? Well, readers, a lot of things have happened. Wonderful, incredible things, that have pushed my excitement to the limit and got me back on the 'ole websites again. But before I make the big announcement--announcements, actually--let me tell this story from the very beginning.
Three years ago, Jan. 31st, 2014, I was this girl:
Awe. Such cute.
Mentioned in the video are details of my life, prior. To reiterate more vividly, I come from Mt. Pleasant, an extremely small town in the country. There, I was home schooled until the time I was old enough to attend my local high school. Not to polish my medals, but I always considered myself a very hard-working, "straight-A," student. I graduated with honors, got my diploma, and was headed to Cedar City's, Southern Utah University, with a full-ride scholarship in hand at 18 years old. I was ready to find similar success there, but college life hit harder than expected.
It wasn't that I couldn't keep up, it was that I didn't know what to do. My family never was, nor will be, on the wealthy side. I struggled with one dead-end job after another during this time, as anyone can attest who has seen my resume. Had it not been for my scholarship, school wouldn't have been an option at all. Where financial struggles didn't concern me, my lack of focus did. Every semester, my major was changing. Nothing felt right. Money and time started to feel like a waste, so the decision to leave was made.
I packed up my things and chased better employment in St. George. It was the time I needed to stop, think, and ultimately choose what I wanted to put my mind to for the rest of my life. Art, theater, and writing--among other things--skimmed the top of a long list of things I favored. It wasn't until a chance opportunity presented itself that my passion would be realized.
Taylor Andrew's Academy of Hair Design was hosting a makeup artistry certification course. It was two weeks long, and $2,000 out of pocket, but I had the savings, time, and--honestly--not much more than a, "Well, what the hell, why not?" attitude that had me waltzing into class, day one. By night one, I was sold.
Makeup artistry was so many things I wanted, combined. It was complete artistic freedom, spread across a million different mediums. The passion was born. I completed my certification, and was determined to put it to good use.
My job focus shifted. I relocated again, this time to Salt Lake City, on an extremely small job offer from Macy's cosmetics' department. It was flex scheduling, meaning indefinite hours on minimal pay. After a few, late night conversations with Mom, I decided to risk it all and take the plunge. On the charity of a friend, I was able to share an apartment until a solid pay-rate was achieved. Within a matter of months, I became an official Estee Lauder/Clinique employee.
The risk paid off. Salt Lake City brought some of the most enjoyable times I had in Utah. I was eventually tossed into the artistic community, connected enough to participate in a variety of creative photoshoots. Armed with my certification, cosmetic employment, a portfolio on the rise, one might think I had hit the jackpot and was set for life. Alas, not just yet.
I got the MAC Cosmetics itch. That's not an uncommon itch in the cosmetic industry, but mine was fierce. The MAC aesthetic was everything I embraced: not just beauty makeup, but pushing the boundaries--artistry, under the creed, "All ages, all races, all sexes." However, with only so many MAC locations available in Utah at the time, I was a greenhorn up against an extremely competitive market.
I knew I had to move on. I also knew that meant going back to square one.
I moved home, and in the process left Estee Lauder, Clinique, a financially promising hotel reservations job with Marriott; a beautiful apartment, and most difficult of all: the art community I had grown to love. It was St. George all over again--stopping and thinking--but I this time, I had a plan: I was going to move home, find work, and take the midnight train going anywhere as soon as I had the money. It didn't matter where I went from there, really. The world was my oyster, but I had a very close online friend in Houston, TX, that agreed to take me in. She believed in me, and on that confidence, Houston was where I headed. I just needed to means.
The most work I was able to find in Mt. Pleasant was at a Walmart an hour away from my home on holiday pay. I was confident I could survive the mundane labor until I became financially fit. However, not a month in, (on Christmas Eve, of all days,) Walmart informed me I would not be keeping my job when the holidays ended due to position unavailability. Well, by then, I already had it. I wasn't going to stick around any longer.
$1,000--one month's worth of Walmart pay--was all I had to my name, but it was going to get me to Texas. 85% of my personal belongings were sold to make up for the rest. I kissed my cat goodbye, my family and loved ones; then mailed whatever couldn't fit in my bag to my friend's home in Houston.
My friend and I were able to establish a job for myself there at a nearby Kroger grocery store. Times were good for a while, but I will forever consider this my "cosmetic dark period." While I told myself in the video above I would utilize YouTube as my artistic outlet, the new home atmosphere wasn't fit for it. I'm also not the most video-savvy, and still don't own a decent camera. Excuses aside, I instead succumbed to Kroger, to focus on finding cosmetic employment once again.
I was eventually able to purchase a car, and therefore, seek out the employment I had come all this way for. Naturally, MAC was the first place I went. I'll spare the gritty details, but unfortunately, the interview process did not go well. It went so badly, in fact, and on part of MAC employees in one instance, my MAC fire had been completely snuffed. I was devastated, but reminded myself I had been out of the makeup swing of things for a while, and perhaps just wasn't ready yet. I turned to Sephora for solace, and found a literal family in the process. Just in time, too.
Friendships don't always last. The friend I was living with and I called it quits, and have not spoken to this day. Again, no nitty-gritty details necessary, but it was a split for both our benefit in the end. It was time for me to go. I had been working both the Kroger and Sephora jobs at the time. The stress and extremely demanding schedule had stretched me to a breaking point. I moved out as soon as possible.
Nothing wrong with a little, happy, pampering time. I left Kroger to commit to Sephora. It was the big, soft, squishy pillow I needed to cry into. I loved everyone I worked with, was able to reestablish myself as a competent makeup artist, and got a wealth of product knowledge in the process. But time ticked by, and I was feeling that desperate need to stretch all over again. I'm, admittedly, an impatient soul. I don't give myself time to settle, but I also think that's how I got this far. I don't settle for less than I feel I deserve, so push until I get it. I was ready for more.
Another MAC employment opportunity presented itself at this eerily convenient time. Like the force that had me walk into an over-priced, two-week makeup class on a whim; next thing I knew, I was filling out an application. Two eventful interviews later, I received a call from MAC, offering me a part-time position.... This was 6 months ago.
Dear readers, I AM A MAC ARTIST, AND HAVE BEEN ONE FOR SIX MONTHS. But wait, there's more! Within the past couple of weeks, I have been contacted by Houston's RAW Artists community, offering me a spot in their showcase; and received the more demanding of my required initial MAC artistry certifications.
I may not be at the fairy-tale ending of this story just yet, but this is the most accomplished I have felt in years, and I've caught myself explaining my story to a number of people recently because of it. I realize I haven't written for so long, and I didn't talk about my life, because I didn't want to ramble on about my struggles, unless I knew I made it in the end.
So, this post is my gift to you, dear readers: a novella-worthy post, because there aren't enough words to describe how happy and grateful I am for the position I'm in today, and the experiences I've had--for better or worse. This story has a happy ending for now, and because of it, I can tell you this:
- Hard work pays off.
- Do not settle for less than you deserve.
- You are perfect, beautiful and important.
- Everything happens for a reason.
- You have a purpose.
- You have to risk failing in order to succeed.
- What makes you successful and happy should be the same thing.
- If you have to pretend to be happy, you're only fooling yourself.
- The triumphs you'll appreciate most are the ones you give everything for.
I hope, if nothing else, my story can be of some comfort. Better yet, an inspiration. A little hope and cheer is the least I can do for someone who has read into my life this far. You never know who's listening. Just know that I'm an ear if you need one.
Thank you so much, and from the bottom of my heart.
I couldn't get by without the support of my family, friends and loved ones. I have all sorts of exciting new challenges ahead, and will be making individual posts on them soon. For now, I'm bracing myself for Thanksgiving/Black Friday week. God speed, fellow retail workers!
Until next time!
