Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn Shepherd.
Robyn, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I went to beauty school a year after finishing High school. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, but I was obsessed with coloring hair. Mine, my friends, my moms..whomever’s head I could get a hold of I did it. I got to work at some of the best salons in Los Angeles. Six years of doing hair professionally later, someone brought up that I should do makeup. I didn’t even really think about it, a week later I enrolled in M.U.D. I left my salon life behind and started on the journey of becoming a professional makeup artist. It took years of freelancing, building a good portfolio, doing a lot of free jobs and working part-time jobs to be able to afford to continue doing what I loved doing. You never know what job will lead you where or people that you network with that will lead you to your next job.
Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think anyone I’ve known in the beauty industry had a completely smooth road. Of course, there were times that I had $100 to my name and bills to pay. Struggling for consistency in work. The beauty industry can be a very cutthroat industry. You just have to believe in yourself and keep persisting if this is what you really want to do! I’ve had my health derail me as well a few times in the last 10 years. In the last 2 years, I’ve been battling Cancer. This has been my biggest struggle..not because of it being cancer, but because of not being to take all the jobs I want to take due to having a drs appt or just not in the headspace. I worked through chemo. I did make up for a commercial for 3 days and on the 3rd day, I was done. I was so frustrated that I worked so hard to get where I was to have to sit and watch the jobs I could have taken go by..but my health was more important, so I got more selective on the things I did. It’s just a bump in the road. Cancer won’t take my skill away from me..I’m in a much better place now and have continued to work.
Any predictions for the industry over the next few years?
With the Explosion of Instagram and the power of social media and online marketing, the makeup industry continues to explode and give people that normally wouldn’t be in the spotlight or have the opportunities to get attention the exposure that they need and crave. It seems a lot easier nowadays to break into the industry then it was years ago. Makeup has always been around and continues to evolve. I think we are going towards a more natural time, where women feel empowered to wear less makeup and accept themselves, but it’s also breaking out of the box where men now want to feel glamorous and wear a full face of makeup. To each his own.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you over the course of your career?
besides the health issues, I would say knowing your worth. Staying true to who you are as an artist. Knowing when to say no to jobs that won’t really elevate your career. There are so many amazing artists in the world you can get lost in the mix but you have to continue to work on your craft and know there’s a place for you in all of this.
Let’s change gears – is there any advice you’d like to give?
Continue to learn, take classes even though you think you think you know how to do something because you could learn a different way. When you first get started, do every job you can to build your portfolio even if it means doing it for free for awhile to get better and better work down the road. Network. Always be pleasant on set and don’t give them a reason to say anything bad about you. It’s still a small community where everyone knows everyone and word of mouth will precede you. Stay Humble. Work retail for a little while to get exposure to different tones and faces and build your clientele but don’t get stuck there! Have the faith that you can do this and you will make it if you believe in yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: robynshepherd.com
- Phone: 818-795-6505
- Email: [email protected]
