Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiesha Williams.
Tiesha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Makeup Artistry has always been a passion of mine because I loved playing in my mother’s makeup as a child and watching her get ready every morning. I had no idea I would one day turn that passion into a career…
Although I loved makeup, in the beginning, my biggest dream was to become a famous singer in an RnB girl group. Inspired by groups like Destiny’s Child, SWV, and TLC, I decided to put college on hold and go after that dream. I created a girl group named Certified PYT with two other young ladies and we quickly began performing any and everywhere we could from the Inland Empire all the way to Los Angeles. After almost two years of grinding day and night, we were offered an independent recording contract by Grammy Award-winning producer Chuck Harmony. We then moved to LA and began recording our debut album. I couldn’t believe my dreams were coming true and it was all happening so fast.
During the process of recording our debut album, we also recorded vocals for the movie “Sparkle” and went on to tour with R&B/Neo Soul singer, Goapele. We were constantly on the road traveling, singing and studying our craft during downtime.
In late November of 2013, things between the group began to dissolve and we were forced to go our separate ways. I was completely broken when the group split up. We had lost everything we worked so hard for. I had to move back to my hometown in Riverside, CA and start over.
After a year of trying to figure out what was next, I began to professionally explore my gift and passion for Makeup Artistry. In 2014, I was hired to work for M.A.C. as a beauty on-call artist. Due to the fact that the position they offered me was on-call, I ended up turning it down. How was I going to pay my bills with an on-call position I thought.
With much hesitation and fear of the unknown, I retracted my denial after great encouragement from my current manager during that time. I remember sleeping with my phone in my hand every single night in case I got a call to come in the next morning to pick up a shift. If they didn’t call me for a shift, I would call them asking to come in. This changed the game for me. Not only did I fall in love with Artistry but I created a freelance makeup business on the side to supplement my income. For that next year, I dedicated myself to being the best beauty on-call M.A.C. artist they’d ever seen and was finally promoted to a full-time permanent artist.
I’ve since worked with brands such as NARS Cosmetics and Smashbox Cosmetics. I’ve also worked with tv personalities from VH1’s Hollywood Exes and Bravo’s Married To Medicine. As I continue to develop in my craft, I am now beginning to take my brand to the next level by expanding into tv, film, print, advertisement, and celebrity makeup services.
Has it been a smooth road?
The beginning of my makeup career was extremely challenging because while I was very excited, I was not fully embraced by everyone when I first started my journey as a M.A.C. artist. I had no professional experience in makeup, I just had a passion and the ability to learn quickly.
During my first year at the M.A.C. counter, I was bullied by women in management who’s artistry skills I actually admired. That was a hard pill to swallow because I came in so happy and excited to have the opportunity, but sometimes was made fun of and talked about behind my back for no reason. I felt like I was in the movie Mean Girls. I didn’t have much product knowledge at first so sometimes I made mistakes while doing makeup applications and I could feel the stares and hear their chuckles. This eventually gave me thick skin and made me want to work harder in developing my craft.
Because some weren’t as eager to help me, I would silently watch them do makeup applications and take mental notes of their techniques, brushes they would use, color selection and I would eavesdrop on certain verbiage they would use regarding the product.
I quickly became one of the best damn artists at that counter and finally became accepted.
Aside from my struggles at the counter, my freelance business had given me my fair share of struggles and still does. During the time of building my freelance business, there have been many ups where the clientele is booming and there have been some very bleak seasons as well.
During a decrease in your business, it is imperative to remember the WHY behind whatever it is that you’re doing. Every successful person has seasons of hardships but they remember their reason and never lose sight of their end goal. The biggest piece of advice that I can give young women starting out on their journey would be to get clear on your WHY before you doing anything and make sure you truly love whatever it is that you’re pursuing. That love and passion is what’s going to carry you through those hard times, those uncertain times and moments when you doubt yourself. Read as much as you can about the people in your field who are successful. Study your craft and hustle like there is literally NO TOMORROW. Be kind and genuine to EVERYONE. That kind and genuine energy will be returned to you down the road in your career. Last but not least, what has worked wonders [for me] is keeping my high power, God, in the driver’s seat and guiding me through all of this. These things have brought me amazing opportunities and I believe will continue to bring me even bigger and better opportunities!
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a Makeup Artist who specializes in beauty, editorial, and red carpet makeup. I am known for creating flawless airbrushed skin with an emphasis on skin care preparation before application.
I am most proud of my artistry skills because I have worked round the clock hours to grow as an artist. I am always learning and remain humble and open to learning because that keeps me constantly growing in my craft!
What sets me apart from others is that rather than completely changing my clients face with a “heavy beat”, I take the old school “less is more” approach. I try to use the LEAST amount of makeup on my clients which is actually one of the hardest techniques to master in Makeup Artistry.
What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
Although I work in the beauty industry where the main messaging is aimed at female consumers, a huge barrier to female leadership in this industry is that men occupy a majority of management positions, including at leading brands. In addition to that, I feel like the obsession with how many social media followers one has now determiner’s value versus their actual talent and skill level. Because of this social media obsession, people who do have a large following are not willing to reach back to upcoming artists and help them if there is nothing in it for them. There is an unspoken hierarchy. The number of followers you have and the esthetic of your social media determines your place within that hierarchy system which determines what kind of jobs will you be able to book in this industry. Everything is based on social media content nowadays which creates an unequal opportunity for those who may be extremely talented but have not yet hit that “Verified” status on Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9512278329
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theerealtiesha/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealtiesha
Image Credit:
Steph Paul, Paige S. Wilson, Tiffany Jewels
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