Daily Inspiration: Meet Ian Maxion

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Maxion.

Hi Ian , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in my mother’s salon, so beauty was around me long before I ever thought of it as a career. I watched her create a space where people came in not just to look better, but to feel better. I think that stayed with me.

My own path wasn’t necessarily a straight line. I’ve always been creative, and over the years I found my way back into hair and makeup and realized I had found something that allowed me to combine artistry, people, fashion, storytelling, and transformation. I kept saying yes, kept learning, and kept putting myself in rooms that challenged me.

That eventually grew into a career working across television, live broadcast, red carpets, bridal and editorial, including my work with WWE on Netflix. Photography is also another extension of that creativity for me. I didn’t just want to create the hair and makeup. I became interested in how the entire image was constructed and how I could tell a story through the lens as well.

Today, I’m at a point in my career where I’m thinking bigger about what being an artist means to me. I’m continuing my work in hair, makeup and photography while also building Maxion Beauty, my own beauty brand (coming soon).

It feels like a full-circle moment: I started as a kid watching my mother create beauty for other people, and now I’m building something of my own from everything I’ve learned along the way.

I’m still evolving, though. I don’t really think of where I am today as the destination. I feel like I’m finally at the point where all the different pieces of my career and creativity are starting to come together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I definitely wouldn’t call it a smooth road, but I also wouldn’t change much about it. A lot of my biggest challenges have been less about the actual work and more about learning to trust myself.

Growing up, I was a creative, gay Filipino kid who didn’t always feel like I fit into the spaces around me. I was bullied, I spent a lot of time trying not to draw attention to the parts of myself that made me different, and I think I carried some of that into adulthood. It took me a long time to realize that many of the things I once tried to minimize about myself were actually the things that gave me a point of view as an artist.

Then there are the realities of building a career in this industry. There isn’t really a roadmap. You’re freelancing, building relationships, proving yourself over and over, dealing with rejection, inconsistent opportunities and the constant question of what comes next. Even when you reach a certain level of success, there’s always another room where you’re the new person again.

I’ve also had to learn not to measure success only by how busy I am or whose name is on the call sheet. For a long time, being needed felt a lot like being successful. I’m at a place now where I want to build something sustainable that belongs to me, while still doing the work I love.

I think the biggest lesson has been that confidence doesn’t arrive before you do the scary thing. Mine came from doing the scary thing anyway. Walking into rooms before I felt completely ready, figuring things out, failing sometimes, getting better, and eventually realizing that I had earned my place.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a hair and makeup artist and beauty photographer, and most of my career has lived at the intersection of beauty, entertainment and television. I’ve worked across live television, red carpets, editorial, bridal and commercial work, and a big part of my career today is working in the exciting world of live broadcasting for WWE on Netflix.

I specialize in creating beauty that feels polished without losing the person underneath it. Whether I’m doing hair and makeup or shooting someone through my camera, I’m always looking for the same thing: I want them to look like themselves, with the best parts of what makes them unique brought forward.

Working on a live show has also shaped me tremendously as an artist. It teaches you to be fast, adaptable and calm under pressure. There are no second takes when something is happening live. You learn how to collaborate with a huge team, solve problems quickly and deliver consistently, whether you have an hour or just 15 minutes.

What I think sets me apart is that I don’t really see hair, makeup and photography as separate things. I see the whole image. Doing photography has made me a better hair and makeup artist because I understand what the camera sees. Doing hair and makeup has made me a better photographer because I understand faces, texture, movement and all the tiny details that can completely change an image.

But the thing I’m most proud of isn’t necessarily a particular client or credit. It’s the trust people give me. My job puts me very close to people, often during important, stressful or vulnerable moments. Someone is trusting me with how they’re going to walk into a room, step onto a red carpet or appear in front of millions of people. I never take that lightly.

I’m also proud that after years of helping bring other people’s visions to life, I’m beginning to build my own through Maxion Beauty. The brand is rooted in everything I’ve learned working as an artist: what actually works, what artists need, and how beauty can feel elevated without being complicated. That part of my career feels especially exciting because I’m taking all of those years behind the scenes and turning them into something that has my own point of view.

How do you define success?
My definition of success has changed a lot over the years. For a long time, I think I measured it by how busy I was. If I was booked, traveling, working with recognizable names or on big productions, I felt successful. And I’m incredibly proud of those things, but I’ve learned that being busy and being successful aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Today, success feels much more like freedom and choice. I want to do work that excites me, with people I respect, while building something that belongs to me. I want financial security, absolutely, but I also want the freedom to say yes because I genuinely want to — and the security to say no when something isn’t right for me.

Success also means having a full life outside of work. I’ve spent a lot of my career being available for the next job, the next flight, the next opportunity. I’m learning that ambition doesn’t have to require sacrificing everything else. I want time for my family and friends, time to take care of myself, time to create just because I want to, and eventually, someone to build a life with.

I still have huge goals. I want to grow as an artist, build Maxion Beauty into something meaningful and continue pushing myself into rooms I haven’t been in yet. I don’t think that ambition is ever going away. But I think success now is being able to look at the life I’ve built and recognize that I’m not constantly chasing the next thing to prove that I’m worthy of being there.

Success, to me, is building a life that I don’t need to escape from, and knowing that I built it on my own terms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ianmaxion.com
• Instagram: @ianmaxion
• Other: https://www.maxionbeauty.com

Image Credits
Last 4 Images:

Girl with black gloves:
Model: Christina Sofina
Photographer: Ian Maxion
Hair + Makeup: Ian Maxion

Curly Hair:
Model: Chanel Piper
Photographer: Ian Maxion
Hair + Makeup: Ian Maxion

Bangs:
Model: WWE Superstar Saraya
Hair + Makeup: Ian Maxion
Photography: Shaun Vadella
Stylist: Paige Janavich

Black Dress:
Model: Vanessa Curry
Hair + Makeup: Ian Maxion
Photography: Shaun Vadella
Stylist: Paige Janavich