Stay In Your Lane

There have been quite a few things that have triggered this post. If you follow me on social media or are part of any of the pro artists groups I'm involved in on Facebook, then you know part of what led me here to this here rant. The thoughts below are not exclusive to the makeup artistry world. You can apply them to any thing in life that you want to do.

I am an artist. I'm sassy, spitfire personality and I say exactly what I mean, and I mean it. I specialize in beauty and bridal work.That's my lane. I'm going to stay in said lane until I acquire and master some new skills. I can't pick a lane and/or skill that works for someone else just because I see them making money off of it. That may not be for me.

Makeup artist is definitely a term that is being used loosely these days, and I would attribute a lot of this to Instagram and YouTube. No shade, just keeping it real. These internet artists that you're seeing often times are just popular, but they are lacking skill and business acumen. However, popularity doesn't mean paid. But everyone wants a coin and wants to monetize what they do. I wholeheartedly understand that. But monetize YOUR lane and stay in THAT lane. Don't come out of that lane until you're ready.

Here is what I mean by that if you're lost. If you're not an artist, then go get some classes and practice until you are. If you're not a teacher, then don't teach. If you don't have information to share or value to add, don't blog. Everything that you can monetize is something that is true and authentic to you and your brand that someone else can benefit from. Stop creating lanes for yourself and then you don't have the skills/foundation to pull it off. Stop trying to make fetch happen ladies and gents.

People are only going to pay for something that they can find true value in. There are so many things and resources that are free these days, so if you are charging people, you most certainly need to be a subject matter expert and be able to provide stellar value to others. But what you're not going to do is charge people to watch you do makeup...and you can't even match your own foundation. Hone in on your skill, get back to the basics. Build a brand and an image. Find your lane, and stay in it.