Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Thacker.
Brittany, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I got my creative start in high school. I enrolled in every art class my school offered and was always doodling. At that time, I would have considered myself a decent artist, but certainly not the best. Later towards my senior year of high school, I discovered a new love and traded my paints, charcoals, and clay for eye shadows. This began the makeup obsession. I worked at Shanes rib shack in the mall, but always bugged my customers who I knew worked at Sephora. All I wanted was to be around makeup and I knew to work at Sephora was my start. Long story short, I worked with Sephora for seven years while I got my Bachelor’s Degree at Kennesaw State University got to paint hundreds of faces, went to NYC for training, and quickly became a product junkie!
After graduating, I worked in corporate HR and Recruiting for three years, but eventually decided my need for creativity and flexibility did not work well in this setting. I loved the work I was doing but the environment did not suit me. I then decided to branch out into full-time freelancing and entrepreneurship. I am now a makeup artist and product innovator full time and run my own business Makeupology (a brand devoted to developing products that solve common makeup problems).
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I would call myself a makeup artist and product innovator. I have worked in film, photo shoots, weddings and more. The face is my canvas and I love making my clients feel beautiful or working with directors to make the visions of their characters come to life. On the flip side, I love to collaborate with photographers and models. To me when I collaborate with them it is an opportunity for me to play around with colors, lines, textures, and shapes. I specialize in perfecting the skin. What most people notice about my work is while it is very versatile my style is soft on the eyes with smooth buttery skin.
As for the products I create, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing your product design is creating a solution for another artist. Many may not see product creation as an art but the process of prototyping is most definitely an art. Sketch, prototype, and produce.
I run into so many people who have horror stories about getting their makeup done and my goal is that my work and client experience transforms the way people view makeup as an art. Through my company Makeupology and through my artistry, I would love to see the artistry in Atlanta be elevated to a whole new level of professionalism. I want to inspire other artists to try new things, and set new standards for themselves.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
This is a good one. I wish someone had made it easier for me to distinguish what I needed in my makeup kit early on. Early on in my career at Sephora, I would always spend half my paychecks on products that to this day, I still have only touched once, and that was right after I bought it. There are just certain products that look really cool but you definitely do not need them to do your job. That is a huge goal of mine with Makeupology is to help artists by only selling must-have products.
Also, don’t compare yourself to another artist when starting out. Work hard and be open to learning and continue to perfect your craft and you will get to where you’re going. Don’t give up because you feel like your work isn’t the best! Practice, practice, and practice. Practice on people from ALL walks of life.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Website: www.barrybeautyartistry.com and www.makeupologyus.com
Instagram @barrybeauty and @makeupologyus
Referrals go a long way 🙂 Social media and word of mouth are the biggest ways that others can support my art. Give me a follow on Instagram… know someone in need of makeup services, or know an artist who could benefit from my product? give them a tag and let them know about me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.barrybeautyartistry.com
- Email: brittany@barrybeautyartistry.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/barrybeauty
- Other: www.makeupologyus.com
Image Credit:
Jesse Garret, Elle Wood, Stephen Michael Jones
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
