September 12, 2016

Meet Makeup & Drag Artist: Joshua Magallanes

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Magallanes.

Joshua, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m originally from South Georgia and moved to LA about 6 years ago. I started dabbling in drag about three and a half years ago. I wanted to expand my skills in makeup so I went to school for a year. from there I worked on my drag bookings and I try to challenge myself daily with my artistry.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s never a smooth road when you are working towards achieving set goals. some struggles are financial some are timing. getting a foot in the door within the industry is a challenge all its own. you just have to want it bad enough and get creative.

When you look back, what are you most proud of?
Really the proudest moment in my career so far is what’s currently going on now. I work with a group of local artists here in LA creating an event twice a month that brings artists and entertainers together to display their work.

Every story has ups and downs. What were some of the downs others might not be aware of?
Yes, I had moments of struggle. Some were financial, most were with myself. We’re always the hardest on ourselves and struggling with my confidence is the biggest struggle. Is this good enough? Am I good enough? It’s always something I struggle with but, if I’m not challenging myself then I’m not doing it right!

Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for professionals like you?
I feel this is a good city to start for me because had I not moved to Los Angeles I may not have considered this at all but, I will say starting in this city can be challenging. The makeup industry is flush with makeup artists. We have schools in LA that are spitting out makeup artists by the dozens ever so many months so your work really must stand out and you really must have good networking skills.

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