Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Monnette.
Jennie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My love for being creative and expressing myself through various forms of art has always been a part of who I am. Doing hair and makeup has brought me joy ever since I can remember, but I never expected it to end up being my career path. I spent high school and my brief college experience studying to be an Ultrasound Technician. I never truly felt connected to the path I was on and was always finding ways to continue with art on the side. After plenty of soul searching and getting to know myself better, I decided that what I really loved was connecting with people through art. Growing up in Oregon, there wasn’t much room for me to expand as the type of artist I desired to become. In 2018, I made the decision to move to Los Angeles and enrolled at Paul Mitchell the School. While in school, I began reaching out to different photographers and models to collaborate for test shoots. My goal was to have a strong portfolio to show what I was capable of when I graduated. A friend of mine connected me to an amazing Makeup Artist and I began assisting her on set for various music videos and photoshoots. She really brought me under her wing and taught me the ropes of doing makeup in the real world, which you surprisingly don’t always learn in cosmetology school. I attained my cosmetology license in November 2019 and began working at a salon in Beverly Hills shortly thereafter, and my freelancing work continued on the side. I was finally out of the work for free trial period and started getting more paid jobs. Unfortunately, my hours at the salon were conflicting with my ability to be doing what I really love to do, which was creating more spontaneously. I made the decision to leave the salon and begin freelancing full-time. While assisting Morgan Anderson, I have been able to work on music videos for artists like Theophilus London, Vic Mensa, G Eazy, Tory Lanez and Roddy Ricch. I have also keyed many photoshoots, campaigns, and music videos… It is so amazing to live in LA, doing what I love. I am eager to see what is next for me!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. There have been plenty of times where I questioned myself and wondered if I am doing enough or doing the right things. At the beginning of the pandemic, I especially felt this way because I wasn’t getting as many jobs and began to struggle to find inspiration. Luckily, I found ways to pull myself out of that funk, it seemed as soon as I changed my mindset and took a moment to pause and look at things from a different perspective, new opportunities and inspiration presented themselves.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am both a Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist who works on sets for photoshoots, campaigns, music videos and does glam for events. I love meeting new people and forming genuine connections through creating together. Being able to share our ideas and make them come to life is such a beautiful and rewarding feeling. I am proud of the work I’ve accomplished and overall progress I continue to make since coming to LA. It’s very important to me to stay true to myself and to always be open to learning something from every room I enter, whether it is a life skill or a beauty one. Los Angeles and the entire beauty industry are extremely competitive. It motivates me to ensure my growth never stops and that I’m always striving to be great.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think the industry is forever evolving. Trends come and go, are inspired by each other, and then are recreated decades later with a different flare. I enjoy creating looks that are inspired by older eras and mixed with current trends. Mixing and matching trends is really fun because I’m able to create something that is unique and curated for my specific client.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: jenniemonnette.com
- Instagram: @jenniemonnette
Image Credits:
Corrina Day, Aiden Magarian, Nate Guenther, Jet Luna, Neave Bozorgi, Stuart Wieten
