Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley.
Hi Ashley, 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 have always loved makeup and beauty related content. I used to watch itsmyrayeraye, irischel, and Jackie on youtube when I was younger but never had the money to purchase the products to practice. My mom also wasn’t a beauty lover so I wasnt blessed with the generational wealth of a stacked beauty closet. However, my sisters, whom I shared a bathroom with all the time, would always get ready with friends at home and sometimes would let me use their products. When I got to college and got my first job, I could finally afford some colorpop concealers and eyeliners and from there I kept building my stash. I would purchase the new drops from Jackie and the other girls I enjoyed and started getting likes/comments on IG when I would post transitions. That’s when I decided to take it seriously and practice everyday using how to videos from professionals. When my sisters needed looks for events in the city they would let me practice on their faces and I got better each time. Now, I look back at some videos and cringe because my style has changed so much as I’ve progressed but it’s great to have a portfolio of my improvement on Instagram. This past year I made a goal to try to get hired as a fashion week makeup artist so I found a mentor in the industry who to me to build my portfolio and research the brands I want to work with. I want to work with heavy hitters in the industry and some smaller brands so I started researching those shows to find their makeup artists. I followed and found some inspiration for the types of shots I need in my portfolio to show that I can be amongst their artist during fashion week. This year, I am putting that research into action. I made a plan to build my portfolio by doing a photoshoot every other weekend until fashion week so my portfolio can be presented when the lead makeup artists begin searching for their team. Honestly, it’s been a great experience overall. I’ve met some wonderful photographers, models, stylists and I can’t wait to keep going on this journey. Since March, I’ve completed 5 shoots in 4 different locations. This has been the best decision, so whether I make it to fashion week or not ill be very proud of my work. I’m so thankful for my followers and the Atlanta community for being supporters of my journey and I hope I make my city proud!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
– No, mainly technical struggles. I am not a licensed makeup artist and though I want to get the certification and necessary education to actually feel prepared, I don’t have the time outside of my work schedule to do so. For now, I follow pro muas and plan to shadow some pros that are open to this to gain the knowledge to be the best at what I love.
– I have felt some frustration with people on my teams when trying to execute photoshoots. Some people think I’m supposed to just sit back while they direct my creative ideas and that is really hard to manage. Especially when they’re the photographers because I want them to get work for their portfolios too. Some shoots have felt like failures but I’m going to take those as lessons to speak up more for myself so I don’t waste time not getting my vision across. I’m a makeup artist AND a creative director and that needs to be acknowledged (by myself and others) for any of my future shoots to be successful.
– I have some haters online and that can be saddening but I just take the criticism from professionals and use those to do better then scrap the rest. I’m not about to let someone who isn’t where I want to be fill my head with doubt.
– Creating unique ideas from scratch means I truly don’t have any references for certain aspects in the creative process. I’m forced to be a posing expert or give advice on styling, hair, etc that takes away from time to shoot. I learned to create presentations to send out beforehand to give everyone involved time to understand the concepts.
– Financially, this journey is TAXING! photoshoots are not cheap, especially the ideas I have. One of my photoshoots required 3 beds, flowers, props, etc. I had to get creative and use second hand apps to find some things but it all came together in the end. I have to pay some photographers, models, and photo studios, but I’ve found some people that are ready to work without and I truly appreciate them because that leaves budget for more. I hope to work with those people again with actual wages when I get to a point in my career where money is not an issue.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a creative makeup artist and creative director with a focus in content creation, editorial photo shoots, and runway makeup. I am most proud of my journey to fashion week series where I’m posting about my photo shoots every other week where I partner with photographers, models, and stylists to make masterpieces to build our portfolios. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with other content creating makeup artist. I’ve been blessed with a gorgeous network of people that want to perfect their crafts and I hope to show my efforts too. I am also very proud of my short lived blog about makeup trends. My first post got 700+ views and people enjoyed it. I want to bring that back eventually and perfect the format.
My work is different because I am intentional about my creative direction. I want people to feel connected to my work and see the effort put behind each shot to convey deep emotion. My content has always been educational, but I want to get better at that as time progresses.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Stay tuned for my journey to fashion week series! More to come and definitely reach out to me if you want to collaborate. I love getting to know other creators!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleytou?igsh=MWNvaGQ5ZnVhNTZycw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@ashleytou/featured
Image Credits
JZ, Yvette Glasco, Ryan Stokes, Spliff
