Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenya Robinson.
Kenya, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began doing makeup around 2008 when I started college. Being a science major — there wasn’t much room to express myself freely, therefore, makeup became my creative outlet. As a broke college student with a full course load, it became my only way of making money to survive. To my advantage, most of the girls were straight out of high school so they had never really worn makeup. Therefore when the weekend came around — I was in high demand and practicing on them gave me the experience that I needed to get on my feet. About two years later I had the opportunity to open a makeup bar — so I hopped on it! There I was able to meet photographers and jewelry makers which in return open doors for collaborations on photoshoots and fashion shows. One of the main turning points of my career came when I meet Emmy Award winning makeup artist Nyssa Green. Just as I was becoming wholly confident in my work I asked her to critique it and guess what? She tore my work to shreds! Lol! Although words could not express my embarrassment at the time, it wasn’t until that point that I became serious about my craft. Experiencing that pushed me to do more research, pull out books, and educate myself not only on the creative part but also on how to care for different skin types. She taught me the importance of fully examining faces, professionalism, time management, marketing, and truly knowing your product. After that it’s crazy how my business flourished! A few favors for a photographer or two turned into multiple phone calls and requests.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all! But it all depends on how you look at the situation. With anything, you have to learn to walk before you run. I was fresh out of high school when I started so my biggest struggles were time management and mental resilience. It took me a while to figure out that time management goes way beyond scheduling — it’s about predicting the worst case scenarios and having a reliable plan of action for those that arise. The most important of the two — mental resilience — was my poison that I turned to medication. Things hardly ever go as planned in this industry and many of times I felt as if I had gotten in way over my head. But what I learned is that mental resilience isn’t about never feeling discouraged — it’s about pushing forward to complete your job in spite of it.
Is there some part of you work that is particularly difficult?
Surprisingly, the hardest part is the physicality of it all!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is when you are in control of your life and doing things that you love. It’s quite simple — my sole criterion is happiness.
So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
My plans for the future are to continue doing makeup and to start a mentoring program for young mothers.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 404-754-0743
- Email: kenyarob@gmail.com
- Instagram: nottniice
Image Credit:
Morgan Lloyd, Angel Hall
