Creative Rebirth: Embracing vulnerability and growth through artistic exchange

Disclaimers: This one gets a little personal—but hey, I told y’all we’re keeping it real over here! My goal is always to help at least one person through my posts and inspire others to learn from my experiences. This is simply a resource to help you make informed decisions. Results will vary depending on your effort, strategy, and execution.

A Makeup Artist's Revelation: Rekindling My Passion

A little over a week ago, something special took place that relit the slow-burning love I have for makeup in my heart. This beautiful experience reminded me why I love what I do. I had the most inspiring skill share session with the incredibly talented Brittany Corn, @thebwordmakeupartist_ !

We've been connected on Instagram for a while, finally met in person late last year, and in a casual conversation, she mentioned wanting to learn from me when it comes to working with brown and melanated skin. I was honored! But what made it even better? I wanted to learn from her just as much!

Instead of just swapping tips in the DMs or binge-watching each other's content, we decided to trade knowledge hands-on. I was so excited that I made a moodboard of her work so I could pinpoint exactly what I was curious to know about. But y'all......she posted this BOMB ASS look, nearly making me throw my phone at the wall!!!!!!! I ran back to Canva so fast and deleted that moodboard!!!!! Told her I was hands down OBSESSED with this look, and I wanted to learn all about it!

To you personally Brittany, let me tell you again—you are such an incredible teacher! You are phenomenal! Your patience, your attention to detail, the way you explain things so clearly—it all just clicked. Seeing your techniques in real time was refreshing to watch! It reminded me how important it is to keep pushing myself within my craft, to keep learning, and to never get stuck in my own ways.

The Ril Talk

Before my hiatus, I was thriving in the world of bridal makeup. I invested in a 1:1 private lesson with one of my favorite artists, and that class transformed my career overnight. Within weeks, I found myself working alongside the very women who filled my inspiration boards—little ol' me, contracted and collaborating with them weekend after weekend.

But after 17 months and 32 weddings, including three of my own brides, I felt stifled. My creativity was shrinking as I repeated the same looks—soft glam, neutral tones, bridal skin. I wasn't pushing myself anymore, rarely doing creative collaborations, and losing my spark.

As 2022 ended, I was ready to explore beyond bridal work when life threw me a devastating curveball: a car accident that changed everything. Though I'm grateful my injuries weren't as bad as they could have been, my healing journey still continues. Being on bed rest for over six months left me isolated and lost. Every familiar aspect of my work became impossible—I couldn't stand, lie down, or sit for extended periods. I essentially disappeared because I could not function as a regular human being.

The emotional toll was immense. Being the victim of a hit-and-run left me struggling with sadness, anger, and depressing thoughts about the group of people who abandoned me on one of Atlanta's busiest highways without knowing or caring if I was okay. The anxiety and PTSD that developed while trying to work through my recovery became battles of their own. Only when my neck and back weren't healing as expected did I finally find the courage to accept my situation.

Throughout 2023 and 2024, I continued to face countless losses. The same artists I once dreamed of working with, did work with, and supported wholeheartedly barely checked in—if at all. Even my family didn't initially grasp the severity because I "looked fine." Eventually, some people realized what I was experiencing was significant. Simple daily tasks became monumental challenges—brushing my teeth, walking stairs, sitting down, tying my shoes. Doing makeup again seemed impossible when I could barely hold my arms up without my spine feeling like it was going to collapse.

Grief truly has no timeline. This accident, caused by someone whose face I'll never fully know (and I still wonder if he's okay), drove me to rock bottom. I lost my independence, cried countless tears, suffered sleepless nights from pain, and gained weight I'm still adjusting to. Through this darkness, I recognized who truly stood by me. I'm proud to say I'm now operating as my best self, aiming only to improve. I deleted my old Instagram, invited the supportive people to my new account who wanted to stick around, and accepted those who disappeared—which brings me back to Brittany. She’s always shown me and my artistry so much genuine love. She’s been incredibly kind from day one, and ever since we officially met last year, we’ve stayed in touch, cheering each other on and keeping the connection strong. I’m proud to call her my friend!

A Healing Session Through Makeup

For Brittany, I'm pretty sure she just experienced a wonderful time together learning, doing, and teaching me what she loves, but for me, it was a healing session! To learn from an artist who's work is so uniquely different than mine, took me back to when I was going to YouTube University in 2014, lol.

Watching her, I literally felt like a child sitting in front of the television, watching one of my favorite shows, learning something new that I could apply to my life. I was locked in, taking notes, and I kid you not, ooooing and ahhinggg every step of the way, because her artistry is so mesmerizing!

When I officially returned to makeup last September, I told myself I’d start fresh. I’d test new products, try new techniques, and get back to stepping outside of my comfort zone. And let me tell you—it’s been scary. Starting over, even when you already have experience, is exciting and uncomfortable. When you’ve built an amazing career and mastered a certain style of artistry, there’s always that little voice that asks, "Will I ever be as good as I was before?" And after everything I went through and continue to go through, I am so damn proud of myself to say that I am fighting to always become a better artist!

Here’s what learning from Brittany made me remember: makeup is not one-size-fits-all.

I see different makeup styles, trends, and techniques on social media all day, every day. But instead of just watching them, I have to remind myself that the same way I learned, developed my skills, and mastered bridal, luxury red carpet glam, and timeless beauty, I can learn new techniques too. I’ve done it before, and I will do it again! And so can you.

YouTube is Great, But It’s Not Enough

YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are amazing learning tools. You can learn from artists all over the world, pick up techniques at your own pace, and rewind a thousand times if needed. But there’s a downside: you’re only learning visually.

Makeup is something you have to feel—the way pressure changes a blend, the way products interact with different skin types, the adjustments you learn to make in real time. That’s why if you want to grow your artistry, you have to get out of your bubble and mix up how you learn.

Different Ways to Learn as a Makeup Artist:
If you want to stay inspired, sharpen your skills, and grow your confidence, explore different ways of learning by investing in resources like:

1. Pre-recorded Tutorials

Perfect for picking up techniques on your own time. You can pause, take notes, and revisit whenever.

2. Live Online Memos

Watching an artist work in real time adds another layer of learning. You can usually ask questions, and you see their thought process as they go. But even with that, there’s still a disconnect because you’re not physically practicing alongside them.

3. Hands-on Virtual Learning

Some artists offer interactive classes where you follow along on yourself or a model. This is the best option for virtual learning since you’re actively doing the work, but you’re still limited by the screen.

4. Look-and-Learn In-person

Being in the same room as an artist changes everything. You catch the subtle things that videos don’t show—how they hold a brush, the exact pressure they use, and the way they adapt techniques in that moment. It’s one of the best ways to study an artist’s process up close.

5. Hands-on In-person Training

This is where the real transformation happens. Having an artist physically guide you, offer on-the-spot corrections, and help refine your technique makes all the difference. You retain more by doing—not just watching. That immediate feedback and support is truly priceless.

If You Feel Stuck, It Might Just Be Time to Learn Again

Have you ever felt like your artistry is off? Like you’re doing the same thing over and over, and it’s just not hitting the way it used to? That’s not a sign to quit—it’s a sign that you need to challenge yourself again.

Sometimes we confuse boredom with burnout, or we mistake stagnation for feeling like we’re “over” makeup. But a lot of the time, we’re just not feeding our creativity.

When you stop learning, you start coasting. You get too comfortable. And that comfort turns into autopilot. Before you know it, everything starts feeling repetitive, and you’re wondering if maybe this industry isn’t for you anymore. But the truth is—you don’t need to quit. You need to re-ignite your spark.

Makeup is an ever-evolving industry. Trends shift, techniques improve, and there is always something new to discover. The best artists aren’t the ones who claim they know everything—they’re the ones who stay curious, open, and never stop being students.

So, if you’ve been feeling uninspired, take that as a sign to shake things up. Try a different way of learning. Take a class, attend a workshop, or even set up a skill share with another artist like I did with Brittany. It might just be the thing that reminds you why you fell in love with this in the first place.

I need you to: Stay open. Stay curious. Stay learning.

Special Thank You To Our Lovely Muses Karmen and Maleah.

Thank you so much for reading! ♥️

Until next time,

Your Beauty Experience Coach,

Found this helpful? Don’t keep it to yourself—share it with your beauty pro friends or your community! Let’s keep the conversation going—since there’s no way to comment here, meet me on Instagram. Drop a comment on my latest post or slide into my DMs letting me know you read this—I’d love to hear your thoughts! ♥️💭✨