Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenya Haynie.
Kenya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
If you would’ve asked me at my early age, “where do you see yourself in 5 years?”, the beauty industry would’ve probably been the last thing to come out my mouth. As a young girl, I grew up as a tomboy and always playing sports with the guys not even thinking about your girly things like lipstick or earrings. However, that drastically changed in my teen years and my passion for makeup began to develop. The products, techniques, and looks suddenly became an obsession when I have seen my sisters and mom walking around sporting their glam. I too wanted to look like that, so I took the initiative to do some research of my own and start practicing on myself and friends. Mind you, I was very young so it was just all fun at first.
The passion for makeup followed me as I grown older, but I feared of taking it seriously. I was too busy satisfying others in what they thought was “right” for me. I was working everywhere and towards everything except for what I truly wanted to do.
One day, I noticed I was completely unhappy with where I was in life. At the time, I was in school for Project Management and working a 9-5. I decided to take a break from school and I quit my 9-5 hoping that I could pursue my passion. I was LOST! I didn’t have a clue about how I was going to get the supplies I needed or where to even begin with no money and barely having a portfolio. I began to reach out to well-known makeup artist here in Atlanta, just looking for someone to shadow to gain some experience and help me grow as an artist. I traveled to about 6 different MAC counters hoping someone would give me a chance at freelancing. No one at the time reached out and I started to get hopeless, but I kept pushing my work on social media. Months later, I received a phone call from the manager at MAC Cosmetics offering me a freelance position which lands me a Pro Artist position later. Next, it was a call from Mi Mi J, owner of the best beauty boutiques in Atlanta, The Glamatory and celebrity makeup artist. She offered me a position at her studio and I was elated! Working at The Glamatory as opened so many doors and truly helped me gain my confidence as an artist.
I am forever grateful for the women in this industry who believed in me and simply gave me a chance. Every day is a growing experience and to this day, I am still learning. Every time a client sits in my chair or I land that job on set, I get excited like it’s my first day starting my career. It never fails! This journey definitely has its ups and downs but I can’t express enough how happy I am to wake up and do what I love.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been a rough one, but I embrace the struggles to the fullest! I think that’s what truly molded me into the woman and artist I am today. The biggest struggle I had to face along this journey is probably understanding my worth in this industry. Although I am fresh to the industry, I think it is very important to make it known who you are and what you can bring to the table with confidence. After all, this is YOUR brand and no one can run it like YOU! I struggled with that because I was very intimidated by the other artist and always seeking inspiration from others instead of within myself. I felt that way because I was “less experience” or I didn’t feel like my work was worthy enough to be featured in a movie or a magazine. I thought everyone’s ideas were right but mine. Just because you don’t have a billion followers/likes or you feel like no one is noticing you, doesn’t mean your work is not worthy. I had to learn the amount of passion. Work, practice, and sacrifice I put in to ensure that my dreams come true are valued enough to me.
If you are beginning your journey, understand every road will always have their challenges, but when you give your all while knowing your worth, you will always win!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kenya Haynie Makeup Artistry – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a full-time freelance makeup artist and an upcoming artist at The Glamatory in Atlanta, Ga. I specialize in clean natural glam that enhances natural beauty and known for creating a flawless glamour outlook for your special day. I’m available for various makeup artistry needs, including bridal and bridal parties, editorial, print, special occasions, video and photo shoots. I am extremely proud of how far I’ve come as a brand. I started with nothing! Not a kit, not one client, and not a clue! I was doing makeup with my bare hands and learning from youtube videos to achieve looks. My hard work, passion, and dedication are what set me apart from others. My goal is to make sure my clients feel beautiful and like themselves every time my brush touches their face. I embrace the term beauty over “beat”. My aim is to simply enhance your natural beauty so that you can feel comfortable in your skin.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
The experiences I had growing up definitely played an outsized role in setting me up for success. I wasn’t the girl who had everything or the girl who got what she wanted in a blink of an eye. I think my parents raised me to not measure success by the things that I have but by believing I can do anything even when I have nothing and when I put my all into it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kenyahaynie.com
- Email: kenya.haynie@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kenyahaynie
Image Credit:
Lauren Kyearra, Sydney Hall, Scottlyn Terry, Jadin Nardella, Omar Farlow
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