We recently connected with Anna Kilby and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I feel like I accidentally fell into this career. Who would’ve thought my passion for makeup artistry began with a Facebook group and some free stuff? I had just moved in with my boyfriend, started online classes, and found myself with time on my hands. When I discovered a group hosting makeup contests and giveaways, I was hooked. Hey, who doesn’t love winning freebies?

Armed with my new makeup goodies, I started dabbling in the contests, blissfully unaware that my skills left much to be desired. But through trial and error, lots of practice, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone I taught myself the basics, and then some. Turns out I’m a natural-born makeup junkie!

When I discovered TikTok and the creative tutorials people were posting, a light bulb went off. I began filming my own videos, live streaming my makeup looks – even if I was a total newbie. The community welcomed me with open arms, and their guidance gave me the confidence to push outside my comfort zone. Building an amazing community online really helped me to push to grow.

Before I knew it, what started as a hobby had transformed into a true passion. And thanks to the wonderful friends I’ve made along the way, I’ve come to realize that turning my love of makeup into a career is not just a dream – with hard work and dedication, I can make it a reality.

The skills I believe that were the most essential into helping me with this career was a passion for art that I already had, a bubbly personality (even if you had to dig it out of me at times), and having learned early in life that you make the best out of what you have available to you.

I have always loved coloring, drawing and doodling on things. I can still remember getting in trouble in school for doodling on the desks during class, giving my friends “tattoos” with sharpies, and coloring with my sisters and friends.

I am what I like to call an introverted extrovert. While I do have a bubbly personality and I am the biggest empath you will ever meet, I am also the shy introverted girl who doesn’t want anyone in her space.

When I first started out the introverted side of me, lack of confidence, and lack of materials is what really held me back. I was terrified of posting myself on the internet, lacked in self-confidence, and did not have the best resources or materials.
When I began doing makeup I had a few eyeshadow palettes, some brushes, and some foundation. I wish I would have pushed myself to take more risks, try new things, and learn new skills sooner rather than telling myself I couldn’t do it.

If I had the opportunity to whisper some words of encouragement to my younger self, I would simply tell myself to just go for it. While it may feel like an unfamiliar territory it really isn’t that much different from the self-expressive art work you already know and love. Don’t worry about not having the skill, materials, or knowledge at the start. You are learning, growing, and really becoming passionate about something that will become something that is a safe space and creative outlet. Don’t worry about not having all the “right” tools, those will come too. Believe in yourself. You’ve got this, stop standing in the way of yourself.

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.

From my living room, to my son’s nursery floor, all the way to a spare bedroom turned into a Makeup space, with the help of my loving and supportive husband, my journey to becoming a content creator blossomed

I have always had a passion for drawing, poetry, and just expressing myself through art. I have a lot of ptsd and childhood trauma and it is always how I was able to escape. When I first started doing makeup it was a new found hobby to take up some leisure time that I had. What I didn’t realize is that makeup is an extension of my artistic passion that I have had all my life. Just like in my younger days it is a safe space and an outlet, being able to express myself though creativity.

I was a total newbie just messing around and entering online contests to score free makeup. Honestly, I didn’t have a clue about application techniques or what products to use. Armed with encouragement from my Facebook makeup group friends and lots of trial-and-error practice, I slowly taught myself the basics. Winning products I could never afford through sheer luck lit a spark in me. I was determined to keep growing as an artist. That spark has ignited into a full-blown passion! Before I knew it, I took the leap to TikTok. Connecting with viewers live energized me in a whole new way. Now I have an amazing little community on TikTok where I share makeup looks and creative inspiration.

Just a few years ago, I never could have imagined having real relationships with makeup brands of all sizes. When I found Nikki, the founder of Elli J Beauty Cosmetics, I would have never thought we would have the amazing friendship we have today. Not only does Nikki have amazing products, but she also has a heart of gold. After already pouring some much of her brand, support, and friendship into me, Nikki reached out to me for a collaboration and I had to pinch myself. I thought I was dreaming. In March of 2024 our collab will be a year old, which is still just so surreal to me. It gave me the boost I needed to really put myself out there more as a creator. It helped pull me out of a creative funk at just the right time. Nikki has become a big part of my life not only as a business owner but as a friend. I even had the wonderful opportunity of meeting her in person, and look forward to seeing her again in person someday. Without the love and support from people like Nikki, Ashely (another amazing friend I have had the opportunity of meeting through tiktok), and so many others I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I am now fostering relationships with a huge community of people online as well as different brands and companies. I create makeup-focused content that educates and engages my community. Through tutorial videos, I teach various makeup techniques to develop my audience’s skills. My release announcements and transition videos keep followers current on the latest products and trends. To enable seamless shopping opportunities, I incorporate shopable links into my content.

Additionally, I collaborate with brands to produce sponsored reviews, demos, user-generated content, and other formats to showcase their products authentically. This multifaceted approach provides genuine value for my community – supporting their growth as makeup consumers and creators. I take pride in nurturing an inclusive space where people can learn, express themselves creatively, and foster connections through our shared passion.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There are so many resources out there for creators, and most of the time if you foster relationships with other creators they are more than willing to point you in the right direction. Getting started some of my most used apps were capcut, snipfeed, skeepers, and just utilizing every search engine out there. Capcut is a free app you can download to edit your content in. It does have a paid version but it is not necessary.
Snipfeed is the ALL IN ONE tool! I cannot even begin to explain how amazing snipfeed has been for me since I discovered it. It makes it to where I am able to have one link in my bio that has everything I would need someone to see. I have all of my important links listed, ways to contact me, a media kit, and so much more. Snipfeed has so many incredible features that make it simple to monetize my content and build my business. There is a free and paid version of this as well. If you want to try out the paid version I do have a discount code (ANNASARTISTRY). You can check my snipfeed page out at annasartistry.com
Skeepers is the first influencer app I downloaded to help me get gifted collabs, but I will say I did not get approved on the first try, so don’t give up!
Utilize your search engines, because the world is constantly changing and updating. You never know when there are new resources, and apps for you to benefit from if you aren’t searching for them. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your friends what they are using, BUT do not expect to message someone you’ve never interacted with or fostered a relationship with to just feed you information left and right. Do your due diligence and show that you’re putting in the work as well.

One of the biggest resources that I have found this year was created from another creator. She calls it the “Partnership Portal” a multi-tab dashboard loaded with calendars, tables and templates she designed with creators in mind that will help you keep track of your clients, campaigns and documents in a centralized platform, to effectively manage your partnerships. This multisource program, I did have to purchase but it was worth every penny. If you look up “tiktoktare” on any social platform you are sure to find this amazingly knowledgeable individual.

While this last thing may not be a resource, it is something I wish someone would have told me from the start, and that is…..
It is okay to lose your spark every now and then, just don’t let yourself take too long to find it again.

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

There are too many things to just pick one but there are probably two things that go hand in hand, that I would say is the most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative, and that is the amazing community that I have built by doing this, and seeing people’s reactions to the things I create. The people I have met along the way have been absolutely amazing.

I am not going to lie and say that I haven’t lost some friends while doing this, because I have, but I have also learned from that. I don’t know if you have heard the saying that some people are only meant to stay in your life for a chapter or two, while others stay for the whole story but I fully stand by that. There are some absolutely amazing individuals in the makeup, and online community that I don’t know how I did life without them before.

When I show people the makeup looks I have done, in person, or in posts it always warms my heart when they are in awe of the work that I have done. It gives me the motivation that I need to keep going.

Two of my biggest fans are my husband and my son. When I first started learning how to do makeup I was pregnant, so my son has been able to watch me grow in my makeup skill, as he grows. Getting his reaction to my makeup even as a 6 month old baby was some of the best moments. He may not remember those moments, but I will.

My husband has been my number one supporter from the very beginning. He thought it was the wildest thing that I would win all this makeup, and now he helps me come up with ideas for videos and looks from time to time. Having his support in something that means so much to me is really all that I could ask for.

I could go on and on about the amazing things that I have been able to experience through this creative process and the things that continue to happen every day, but that would take a century. I am beyond thankful for all of these things, and opportunities that wouldn’t be made possible without the people who support me day in and day out.

Contact Info:

• Website: annasartistry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annasartistry_?igsh=OTVsamMxOXR4NW9n&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081681766850&mibextid=9R9pXO
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-kilby-609206277?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@annasartistry_?si=P7O9WLCFxk4z5b7i
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@annasartistry_?_t=8izMxQQPDEw&_r=1