We recently had the chance to connect with Emma Carter and have shared our conversation below.
Emma, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Who are you learning from right now?
I feel like I’m constantly learning from everyone around me. You can grow in any situation and I find it’s important to continue to learn both professionally and personally! I love assisting other artists on set to see first hand the tips and tricks that work for them. Everyone has their own style, it’s about taking everything in and implementing what feels right to you! When you’re looking for it you can find a moment to learn eveywhere!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! My name is Emma Carter and I’ve been a Los Angeles based makeup artist for the last 6 years. Which is wild to me since it feels like I just moved here yesterday!
Makeup became a passion for me long before I moved to LA for school. I would design all the makeup looks for my friends short films in college and taught myself a lot about makeup as an art form and how to incorporate that into the storytelling process.
Now I work in TV/Film and character design remains my favorite part of the process. I love collaborating with a team to bring a creative vision to life! Being on set and seeing everything come together on screen, it’s truly magical!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I truly believed for a long time that I wasn’t capable of doing well at anything. I struggled with undiagnosed ADHD until I was 25. This made it hard for me to do simple things growing up, like keeping my room tidy, or paying attention in class, forgetting my homework at school, etc etc. I internalized everything. I started therapy after my diagnosis and it truly changed my life. I had the most wonderful therapist who helped me reframe how I thought about myself and my worth. I’m a completely different person now, and now I know I’m more than capable of success!
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I changed my mind about how I thought about failure. This was a really hard reframe, but I started to look at it as a learning curve. Every failure can teach you something. I’ve found I learn more from finding out what not to do! I also had to get comfortable with feeling guilty or upset after making a mistake. Instead of trying to change how I feel I let myself be upset for as long as I need. Then I can see the situation more clearly and find a way to grow from it. A mistake doesn’t mean you’re bad at what you do. It just means you’ve found a way to improve even more!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I love music and one of my favorite bands is Sammy Rae & The Friends. Their lead singer Sammy is someone I’ve looked up to for a while now. She stands in her convictions and uses her platform to advocate for communities who are currently being threatened by our current political climate. Their music encourages community, joy, and compassion. I think they are spreading much needed light into the world right now. I want to emulate that more in my personal life.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
I definitely start to feel the imposter syndrome creep in! It’s hard not to get in your head when you feel out of place, but I try to remember that no matter the outcome I will be okay. You’re in the room for a reason, and you deserve to be there just as much as everyone else! The experience might be scary, but it will always be worthwhile!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emmacartermakeup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmacartermakeup?igsh=MTdtenIwbXVpbGtpbQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Photographs by
Margot Judge
Abigail Gorden
Sam Fagan
Yasmeen Magar
