We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alicia Beller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alicia below.

Hi Alicia, thanks for 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?

I currently make a full-time living from my creative work and it makes me feel very happy and fulfilled. I have worked full-time in the beauty industry since I graduated college. I then started doing freelance makeup artist work after starting my family, which I enjoyed, but for the past 5 years I have been able to make a full-time living with my own business.
The way I have built my business up to the point it is today has been a slow, steady process. I would say that over 90% of my business/clients come from word of mouth referrals. I don’t do any advertising (except self promotion on social media). Although this may have taken a little longer, I believe the power of word of mouth is strong and this has helped me gain long-lasting relationships with my clients, who then refer me to their friends/colleagues.
As for speeding up this process, I think I could have focused on networking earlier, but I am grateful for what I have built so far.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been creating and drawing since I was a kid. I always knew I wanted to do something creative and I originally thought I wanted to be a clothing designer. I wasn’t the best seamstress, so I decided to switch into fashion merchandising so it would be give me more of a business edge. When I graduated college, I started working in the beauty industry and ended up falling in love with doing makeup. I have been a makeup artist for over 30 years now and I am happy to say, I STILL love what I do!
I work with many photographers on photoshoots, corporate shoots, weddings, special events, commercials, magazines and I also have several private clients.
I am most proud of the fact that I have longtime, loyal clients who refer me regularly. I would call myself “old school” when it comes to being dependable and professional. My clients know they can count on me to make them feel beautiful and respond to requests quickly. I would say my makeup style is more fresh and natural, but I also love to do bolder looks as well. I am able to do all styles of makeup, as well as all skin tones. I love to make people look and feel like their best self.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I can definitely say that the pandemic greatly affected me in more ways than just financial ones. When I literally had to stop doing what I absolutely loved to do, I felt pretty lost especially when 2019 was one of my best years with my business. I just kept myself busy by cleaning closets, doing projects, trying to meditate…anything to keep my spirits up. Once I was able to work again, I reached out to my clients and slowly built it back up. I think having the strong client base helped me bounce back faster than most.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I am able to make people feel confident with my skills. I love being able to use my creativity in my job which has kept me happy and fulfilled my whole career thus far.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliciabellermakeup.com
• Instagram: @aliciabeller
• Facebook: Alicia Beller Makeup Artist

Image Credits

@jewels.production
@feliciareedphotography
@kayla.snell
@obsidianandblush
@rudyarocha
@sarahmattixphotography
Jamel Toppin for @forbes