Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Garner.
Hi Brittany, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been working as a makeup artist since 2013. The first time I accepted money for makeup service was my graduation day from MSU, and I only charged because I was low on my rent and didn’t want to ask my parents for any money on a day they were supposed to be proud of me. Before that, I had done makeup for a few fashion shows and photo shoots on campus, and had been doing my friends’ makeup for parties and birthdays, but I had never considered it as a viable career choice till after I graduated when people started reaching out to me for service from seeing my work on social media.
I’ve always been a girly girl, and I’ve always loved experimenting with my beauty, but To be honest, I fell into makeup as a career. I always joke and say that makeup is the side mission that accidentally turned into the main thing, but I’m honesty so grateful for this journey and the way that my artistry and services have been received by my clients and supporters who admire my work without even sitting in my chair (yet!).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been easy in a lot of ways and difficult in a lot of ways. I mentioned before that I fell into makeup artistry and in that way, it’s been incredibly easy. I feel like I’ve never had to work hard to gain esteem or clientele. I literally decided one day that I would give this a shot, made an instagram to dedicate to my work alone, and then I put together a booking site all within the same hour at like 3:00 am one night in 2013 and it’s been relatively smooth sailing from that point on in gaining customers and keeping them. I am a pretty patient person, I’m reliable and I’m eager to make sure that my clients are happy so I think that makes it a lot easier for me as a service provider to maintain my clientele. However, even with my popularity, Sometimes a little imposter syndrome can creep in and that’s where it can become difficult. Like any other person with literally any other job, sometimes I have days where I’m just not confident in my ability to perform as expected especially when Detroit has so many exceptional beauty artists. I can get in my head and get very comparative, but I’ve learned to appreciate other people’s artistry without trying to adapt to it because my customers do book with me for my own signature spin on beauty. Also, sometimes I can be a little too available to my clients, which can lead me toward burnout. I’ve worked really hard to maintain my reputation for reliability and quality work, so learning to establish boundaries with my clients was something that I kind of struggled with for a while- learning that you really can’t please EVERYBODY was pivotal. Sometimes I just have to put my mentals and my body first and allow myself to rest and recharge, but because I’ve made it a point to prioritize my clients and their experiences I do tend to feel guilty for not being able to service someone for one reason or the other. There’s also the rare occasion that someone just isn’t pleased with the outcome of service- that’s probably the hardest part of this as a career; feeling like I missed the mark when a woman chose to trust me with her beauty and her hard earned money out of the large pool of artists that are available to her is lowkey anxiety inducing but luckily that isn’t something that has happened very often. I think my biggest and most consistent issue that I have is finding balance between working and having my own personal life since I work in heaviest volume during the weekends. I can’t front, the money is definitely the motive- as much as a girl can want her makeup done, let me be clear in saying that I want my money 20 times more than her desire to sit in my chair (lol). Between my bouts of people pleasing and bag chasing, I do have to remind myself that rest and fun are basic human rights and that the whole purpose of me wanting to work for myself is that I wanted to control how my time is spent. So yeah… long story short Work life balance really beats my as*.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a makeup artist, I specialize in editorial and what I would call sexy snatched glam and I think I’m pretty well known for both of those things. I think my ability to predict beauty trends and incorporate them into my work without completely losing my unique style is a big strength of mine. I’m really proud of my growth both as an artist and as a person after twelve years of servicing a good portion of Detroit’s most high achieving women.
What matters most to you?
Empowering women through beauty is really important to me. I love the transformative aspect of beauty artistry that you see take place when you hand a client the mirror and it’s like they’re truly seeing themselves for the first time. I love being a part of women seeing themselves as goddesses. I love feeling like I helped activate them. That’s the best part of the job. That part is intoxicating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brittanygarner.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: @beatsbybritt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16ytk7r5U3/
