We were lucky to catch up with Megan Bertsch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Megan, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
It’s not easy earning a full-time living doing creative work, but I’m am very grateful to have made it to that point in my career. Younger me who practiced makeup constantly and spent years working in beauty retail would be so stoked to see where we are now. I think it was really the passion I had for it and the determination to keep going and make it work. I tried a lot of other things along the way, like different services in beauty school and even going back to college for my business degree, but nothing quite lit a fire in me like makeup did. I believe when you have a very specific dream like that, you’re going to make it happen no matter what.
The advice I’d give for speeding that process up now would be just putting yourself out there. Take every opportunity you can get your hands on, pursue lots of education, meet lots of people, create excitement in your services. That’s the fun part. And once you have that momentum going, don’t be afraid to ask for help in areas you don’t know. One of the biggest lessons I learned starting out was it’s one thing to be booked and busy and it’s another to have a sustainable business you can support yourself with. Getting a business coach was a game changer for me I wish I would’ve known about that earlier in my career for sure.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I have a small business called Megan Bertsch Beauty and provide professional makeup services for photoshoots, pageants, and weddings all over the midwest. I started out as just a girl from South Dakota obsessed with makeup and all things artistic. I first went to college to major in art and be a painter, but worked at a makeup store at the time and ended up absolutely falling in love with doing makeup. So I took a leap of faith and went to beauty school instead and the rest is history. It’s taken me 10 years to build my career to where it is today, but I’m now the official makeup artist for Miss South Dakota, have worked for major television networks, book out weddings years in advance and can still say I absolutely love what I do. I have a beautiful studio based in Sioux Falls and it is my happy place!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I love that I get to be creative but also work with people. I really enjoy meeting women, hearing their stories, and helping them feel confident. A lot of my clients are small business owners themselves and I’m really grateful for the community I’ve gained doing makeup. I always have someone to refer to, ask advice, cheer, on or just have a good old fashioned yap session with. I was an art nerd growing up who didn’t always have a lot of friends and now I have village just by doing what I love.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I think the most helpful tip I have for social media is just to not be afraid to go for it. Especially when you’re starting out, it can be really intimidating to post work you may not think is good enough, but it’s so important to push outside your comfort zone and show up online anyway. Consistency was key for me in the beginning, I used to just write “post” in my planner every other day and force myself to come up with something. I also think it’s so important to show who you are, that’s what people really want to see. And it’s your secret weapon, because no one can replicate it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meganbertschbeauty.com
- Instagram: meganbertschbeauty
- Facebook: meganbertschbeauty
Image Credits
Morgan Mae Photography