Making a Living As a Make-Up Artist

A make-up artist career can be a tricky choice. If often means starting as in intern with a movie company, photographer or television studio. It means learning the craft, either from an expert or through professional schooling. And then, almost always, becoming a freelance employee as many jobs are by contract.

It is not normally a high paying career, but the freedom and creativity it offers is appealing. This could also lead to writing books, working in department store cosmetic isles, and assisting in salons and spas. If you have the desire, it could become not only a make-up artist career, but a business branching out into a store front or starting your own brand of cosmetics.

The different areas a make-up artist may specialize in are: theater, photography, fashion, television, movies, music videos, special effects and airbrushing. Though the highest paying of these jobs centers around New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, they are needed in every major city due to cable television and photography studios doing large amounts of local productions.

The successful make-up artist career can offer a great deal. You could become part of the Hollywood scene, movie industry, New York theater group, fashion magazines and behind the scenes celebrity world. It can lead to a more than lucrative business, though usually has a slow start.

A freelance make-up artist career in a small town is limiting, but one could specialize in doing wedding parties, school events such as proms, and working by contract for photographers. Every major department store has a cosmetic isle and make-up artists are needed to provide customers with information on applying products and selling. Pay scales for department stores are usually low and the money to be made is in commissions. Local TV studios have make-up people on staff, as do video production studios and sometimes advertising agencies.

Good sources for information on this career can be found in specialized magazines and internet search engines. Most people working in the industry have started out as an assistant, but good schools do exist. Building a clientele, networking, learning, practice and creativity are what is needed to be a success. Local libraries are good sources for information on a make-up artist career, also.

Knowledge of self employment and small business is also important because you will need a license, insurance and legal business name. This is a career that you should have a passion for and have done enough research to understand it won't be easy. It is not a career that can happen overnight and you won't often find job postings in newspapers or online. On the other hand, it can be hugely rewarding and interesting and if you are opposed to working nine to five, can be perfect.

Lucy Bushman is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
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