We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Autumn Spyrka. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Autumn below.
Alright, Autumn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I think I kind of always knew I wanted to be on my own, but the fear always crept in and I would panic. In the beginning of 2020 my husband and I began discussing the possibility of me leaving my job and officially doing my own thing, but then in February I discovered I was pregnant with baby number 3, so we decided maybe it wasn’t the time. THEN the pandemic hit and and the event industry shut down, so I knew I made the right decision. (My husband, who is also in events was out of work for 18months.) After delivering our baby girl and going back to work I was becoming extremely depressed and felt God’s will pulling at my heart to leave. I was turning down clients and weddings left and right for my regular job and it just wasn’t where my heart was.. My husband, who still was not back to work at that time told me it would be okay, and we’d make it work, but still I was too afraid and told him I wouldn’t leave until he got the call or something in writing that he would be returning with his full salary; well, I prayed that same night and asked God to confirm that It was time to go and follow my dreams and guess what? The very next morning, at 10 am my husband called me at work and told me he had received an email that said, “welcome back to work; you will return under your full salary!” I couldn’t believe it. God really made himself so undeniably there that I had to take the leap of faith and stop being afraid. I put my notice in the following Monday and the rest is history.
Autumn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was always the girl who “played” dress up with my friends. I did the makeup and the hair and all the girly things for high school events. In 2014 I decided to take some basic skincare and makeup courses to advance myself. I then applied at MAC and got hired with them. From 2014- 2021 I worked at MAC, with 6 out of 7 of those years being a manager.
I’m a perfectionist. If you’re not happy, chances are I’m not either. When I am with you, your skin is my skin too, if you’re uncomfortable- I’m uncomfortable, I don’t like to be uncomfortable, lol. So I guess customer service is and always will be my greatest joy and passion when it comes to my career and business. I love everything about building a relationship with my clientele and will most likely cry too when my brides step foot in that dress. (Seriously, it’s just the greatest joy seeing your artistry come alive with their perfect vision, and I LIVE for it!)
I’ve spent a lot of years perfecting my artistry and discovering myself in the business. Building the clientele and relationships within the industry hasn’t always been easy, but 100% worth the obstacles I’ve made it through.
Something I’m really excited to add, is that I noticed a pattern with almost all of my brides and personal clients. They would all say, “I’ll have a spray tan for the day of!” Or ask if I knew someone reputable who I could suggest, after telling client after client, bride after bride, that I don’t know someone- I decide to become that very someone that I didn’t know. So I’m super excited to launch mobile airbrush tanning services next month along with my artistry business to really offer my girls that full circle, “all in one” deal; I think having that option for my girls is going to be really special for them and it gives me the opportunity to meet them again and know them on a more personal level. I truly believe that this is something the industry needs and I can’t wait to see where this next journey takes me.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Yes. My family and my own childhood. My kids mean the world to me and I never want them to go through what I went through growing up. I want them to believe in their dreams and chase them, not do what they are told to do based off cultural norms. You don’t have to have these crazy degrees and 5+ yrs of college to make a living for yourself.. you also don’t have to leave your family 60-70 hrs a week to have all that, and I really wish that schools would encourage kids more. When You are succeeding in your own business your family and friends feel that. They feel your happiness and share that excitement with you, and I love knowing that my kids are watching me do what I love, providing, and I’m only gone like 15-20 Hrs a week now rather than the 60 I was before. I was leaving before they woke up and coming home to put them to bed… that’s not normal and I do not believe that it’s at all what God intended for us.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
WORD OF MOUTH IS EVERYTHING. Share reviews. If you know an artist or small business owner who you comfortably have faith in, share them. If there is an open opportunity to tell your friends about them and what they have to offer, please do it. Small businesses thrive on this. If you’re on social media- tag us, please! Seriously, WE LOVE to see our clients happy, and oftentimes we love to share that with our following and prospective new clients. Even if you share your artist just once, that’s one new perspective client, wether it’s for one time or future times, we appreciate it so much, and it literally costs nothing to just tag a business or mention it.
That said, to anyone reading this today who has already shared my work – from the absolute bottom of my heart, THANK YOU and I am so incredibly grateful for you!
I also believe in feedback, if something is wrong with your services please come directly to us and discuss options before putting something hateful up on the internet. Thankfully for me, I haven’t experienced this personally, but I see it all the time, and I don’t think people realize how detrimental that one bad review can be for someone’s business. Every situation is different and I don’t think it’s fair to leave a horrible review without giving the artist or business owner feedback first and trying to let them make things right. I try my best to make myself clear while offering services that if you don’t like something PLEASE tell me, because first of all- let’s fix this. Secondly, it provides growth for me and no matter how great we are, we never stop growing and learning from our experiences.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @artistry_by_autumn
- Other: IG: @Glomama.co (launching soon!) Website coming soon!
Image Credits
@ejohnsonphotography @eleven11_photographr