A makeup artist apprenticeship is a great stepping stone toward realizing your own beauty related dreams!
Paying Your Dues
Makeup artistry is a competitive industry, with its fair share of stress and frustration. Like any occupation in a creative field, many people want to succeed at it, and even more are consistently banging at opportunity's door.
For this reason (unless you are extremely lucky), it is important you follow the right steps toward becoming a makeup artist known for excellence. Going through the proper channels and really learning as you go through the process of pursuing your ultimate goal can be a rewarding and exciting experience.
A makeup artist apprenticeship is a great way to get your foot in the door while gleaning wisdom and expertise from others as you travel down that rookie road.
Before Your Makeup Artist Apprenticeship
Before you consider apprenticing, it is important you prepare yourself as much as possible. For many people, the response to this idea is to go to cosmetology school. Located all throughout the United States as well as overseas, attending beauty school is often a convenient and helpful first step toward a career in makeup artistry.
You can find these schools through your local yellow pages or through word of mouth. The best way to locate an excellent school is to study the educational path of successful makeup artists within your region. Follow in their footsteps regarding their academic selections, and you will not only ensure you receive great training, but you will have something in common with those you hope to apprentice for in the near future!
Finding an Apprenticeship
After you have completed cosmetology school (or have gained a fair bit of experience in some other form), you can begin to look for your first makeup artist apprenticeship. There are a few avenues you can take toward finding an appropriate apprenticeship.
Self-Promotion
Sites like Craigslist and Meet Up have made it possible to get the word out about what you have to offer the world. Additionally, personal websites, blogs, and other public Internet forums you may be use to promote yourself.
On Craigslist, there is a section completely devoted to creative occupations looking for new clients. For free, you can post an ad expressing your desire to find an apprenticeship; the responses you receive may come as a pleasant surprise! Just as you are looking for a mentor, many out there are looking for an assistant, and chances are you can find your perfect match following a simple email exchange and demonstration of your makeup skills learned.
Pursuing the Pros
As previously mentioned, finding a makeup artist apprenticeship can be as simple as contacting the current cosmetic superstars in your hometown. If you live in a major metropolitan area such as San Francisco, New York, or London, you will obviously have a much larger selection of artists to choose from. However, even small towns throughout the country will have a few resident makeup artists that specialize in high-demand procedures such as bridal makeup and local newspaper photography. You can locate artists through the yellow pages or through your favorite full-service salon. Additionally, your beauty school instructor should be able to provide you some leads. After you have found a person willing to consider taking you on, be prepared to have a portfolio ready to show and a steady hand ready for what can be a nerve-wracking demonstration of your newly acquired abilities.
Calm your nerves by reminding yourself that these professional also started on the ground floor, and many are willing to pass on their knowledge and offer a helping hand to those just starting out.
Using Your Resources
Your school will be your best resource for finding an apprenticeship. In fact, when choosing between cosmetology academies, one important aspect you should look for is what sort of job placement program they offer. Many high-quality schools will help you find an excellent internship, and many assist with employment post-graduation. Sometimes in order to shape your future, you must use tools from your past. Don't be shy about asking your teachers, fellow students, and even the school director for some guidance when it comes to makeup artist apprenticeships.
The Length of Learning
Expect the common apprenticeship to last for about one year. Your time assisting a certified artist can be much longer or shorter than this, however a year is standard to gain confidence and personal connections you need to launch your own independent career.
Following your apprenticeship, you may find yourself working in a salon or back in a beauty school as a teacher rather than a student. After you have built up your resume, you can consider taking the leap and becoming a freelancing makeup artist, for many, the ultimate dream of the profession.
