Meet Trailblazer Sukhman Kaur

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sukhman Kaur.

Sukhman, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a small town in Alabama called Pinson where I spent most of my time outdoors. Growing up, I would say that I was very much a tom-boy. I played sports my whole life and I didn’t start caring about my appearance and beauty in general until much later in life when my family decided to move to the ‘city’ called Vestavia Hills. I would be lying if I said that I was a very confident girl growing up in the city. Being an Indian girl in a predominantly white town, I definitely stood out from the rest of the kids in my area and it definitely took a toll on my confidence level.

At first, makeup for me was a mask. I would try to hide and change all of the things that were different about me in order to “fit in.” However, somewhere down the line, I started to grow an interest in makeup which eventually led me to discover YouTube. I became obsessed with watching makeup transformation and tutorials and makeup eventually became less of a way to hide, and more of a way to express who I am and express my artistry.

During my senior year of high school, I decided to start my own YouTube channel. I initially started my channel because I was getting a lot of questions from friends and family on how I achieve my looks and they would often ask me to teach them. I figured it would be easier for me to make one video to show people what I do, instead of individually teaching them. I remember my first ever YouTube video got about 300 views, and I was so excited. Random people started commenting and asking for me to make more videos and share more of my tips.

Today, makeup and YouTube for me is a passion. I truly enjoy the process of transforming my face into anything I want.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth ride and new challenges continue to pop up every day. Fortunately, my parents agreed to buy me my first camera; however, they had no idea what I was going to be using it for. After I posted my first video, I was so nervous about the response I was going to get from everyone… my parents, friends, people from high school and even random strangers on the internet.

My parents are more supportive now because they see how this journey has led me to open myself up to so many more opportunities, but they weren’t always this supportive. Many of my friends ridiculed me at the beginning, calling me “just another wannabe YouTuber”, but they got more on-board as time went on and I started gaining more and more subscribers.

Another struggle, that I continue to fight is trying to separate my personal life from my professional life. With YouTube, since I am the creator, the editor, and the entire crew, it can be difficult to get up and commit to my work every day. There have been many times where I went months without uploading because I let my personal life get the best of me.

Some advice I can give young women trying to enter the YouTube world is that you just have to be consistent and be yourself. When I first started, I watched countless videos of ‘how to start a YouTube channel’ and these were the two tips mentioned in every single video. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘Consistency is key’ many times, and it definitely applies here as well. People are smart, and they will notice if you are trying to put on a front or be like someone else. The only way you will enjoy making videos is if you’re 100% yourself.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about your business – what should we know?
On YouTube, I specialize in just having fun with all things beauty. I really enjoy educating people on new tips and tricks on how to achieve certain looks. What sets me apart is that I feel as though I have a very relatable platform. I’m not trying to bash anyone or knock anyone down, but we live in a world where the standard of beauty seems to be very unattainable for the average person. When my interest in YouTube videos started to grow, the platform was very different in that people were more raw with their content. My purpose on YouTube is not to try to “bring back the old YouTube” because I don’t believe in going backwards. However, I do try my best to show viewers that it’s okay if you don’t have the perfect sculpted body, or the most expensive clothes, or the most extravagant life. Yes, we would all love to have those things, but I do my part in making sure my viewers can relate to me.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I do. Growing up, I looked very different from the people around me. I was a chubby, hairy, Indian girl who didn’t care to play with barbies and have slumber parties. I would have much rather gone outside to play touch football with the guys. I was often bullied and treated like an outsider for my appearance and for being a tom-boy.

I will admit that the whole reason I started getting my eyebrows done, wearing makeup, and dressing more girly was in order to fit in as much as possible. However, that soon turned into a very real passion of mine and I grew to love makeup and fashion and I was able to make a whole career out of it.

Contact Info:

• Email: makeupbysuk@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sukhmank20/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sukhmank20

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