Makeup Isn't Everything... But...

When I decided to go back to college in 2002 to earn my degree - I did so with the intention of completely changing careers. In a post-9/11 environment I felt doing makeup wasn't really a service to my community and I wanted to delve into a career that would "change the world." I had absolutely no idea what that would translate into; only a very broad sense: would I help starving kids in Africa? Work in a battered women's shelter? I just didn't know. I just felt very guilty that my life wasn't serving anyone but myself. I actually majored in journalism before changing my mind on a dime one day in class on a sudden whim. I got to thinking: what do most journalists really do to change the world? I mean, they talk about problems, but do they ever do anything to actually solve them? We have too many journalists who talk and talk and offer information that is more often than not fear-mongering gossip and blather.

Alright, so fast forward to today and you know what? I'll donate my money and time to various charitable causes in order to give back to the world - but as for my career, my talent lies in art and creativity. Doing makeup may not seem like a vocation that really contributes any real value to the world, but I have finally learned that value is not precisely in what you do - but how you treat people. Lots of women really need a confidence boost and an excellent makeup artist will help point out what's beautiful. Some women actually tell me they feel "ugly." Right there I have an unusual opportunity to help her recognize what is pretty about her: her hair or her full lips or long lashes. Every woman has something striking about her. I know its a shame that our world is so caught up in beauty. Darn it, we can't help it - we're human. The least we can do is learn to expand our vision of what we view as beauty - if only for the sake of making another person hold their head a little higher. I don't think that is far off at all from my original intent when I went back to college. As a matter of fact, I think that is precisely what I meant when I said I wanted to change the world.