Have you ever entered a makeup artist competition? Have you ever WON a competition? Being a competition or award winner looks great on your resume, and provides more social validation in the eyes of your potential clients, whether they be brides and personal clients, or decision makers in the commercial and editorial industry.
Full transparency, I have never entered a competition! But, I have judged quite a few over the last few years. I’m always surprised that more artists DON’T enter, and I’m sure its because, like most of us, they feel that they are not good enough.
Win or not, I think entering makeup artist or hair styling competitions, especially live competitions, can be a great way to step outside your comfort zone and push yourself to be a better artist.
This week I had a chat with Vivianne Tran, an Australian makeup artist who has worked in Asia, Europe and most recently, Africa. Vivianne spoke about how entering competitions has been a big part of her success as an artist, as it not only brought more brides to her business, but also helped her to get known by other artists who she was then able to assist, and who recommended her for work.
Vivianne also shared with me the importance of your portfolio – if you want to work in commercials, its important to have that sort of work in your portfolio. She shared her tips for how to go about getting those images.
As restrictions ease, let’s hope there are more opportunities to stretch ourselves out of our comfort zones and perhaps enter a competition!
You can find out more about Vivianne’s amazing career at viviannetran.com
Sue Louise McLaurin 