We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Celeste Perez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Celeste , appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I definitely believe that there are pros and cons to having your own business. In my opinion, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. My father always taught me growing up that I should learn how to do something really well, and some thing that I love and make a living off of it. After being in the workforce for a couple years after high school, I got married during the pandemic. My husband was very Supportive of me, trying to fulfill makeup and hairstyling for special events full-time, and it was a risk. And the number one thing that I was worried about was how I was going to earn a living. At this time, he was willing to help me With the bills . He was my Safetynet at first, but when everything got back to normal, that’s when I started to hustle! Advertising, requiring deposits, and even working for free some times just to get my name out. There is what helped me get busy.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a full-time, professional, makeup artist and Hairstylist that specializes in bridal and special event, make up and hair styling. I have been doing this freelance for about eight years, and only decided to make this my core career since 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. I was about 16 when the industry blew up, it all started with the Youtubers and influencers that sparked interest in that field, so I joined in at 15 when my parents finally allowed me to use make up. At this time, it was a side hustle that I had when I was in high school, and my primary clients were family and friends. When I graduated, I join the workforce in retail for a little bit, and did not like it. I decided to join the school district and be in instructional assistant for special needs. I love this job and it was very flexible, as I was a substitute who could choose their schedule and take long-term positions if needed. That definitely sparked some thing in me that made me want to choose my own schedule and have that flexibility. I got engaged to the love of my life, and a week later, the pandemic hit! Obviously I hopped on the unemployment train since the schools were closed, but after being married for a little, my husband and I decided I should take the leap of faith and try to do make up and hair styling, full-time . I feel like many people decided to chase after what they love to do, and I’m so glad that I did so. It was the best decision I could’ve made. I’ve been doing this full-time ever since , and I’ve been able to broaden my horizons by doing headshot make up for news, anchors and professionals like real estate agents and doctors. I also have an able to collaborate with friends, local and some bigger. My goal with each client is to help them feel absolutely amazing and beautiful. I love clients that can open up to me and be vulnerable, since the line of work I am in is about the outward appearance, my ultimate goal is to make them feel comfortable in their own skin. In regards to the make up, I have learned, and I am proficient at all different types of make up, and skin tones, whether it’s a super glam glittery, look, or a soft glowy simple look for someone who isn’t quite ready for all that. In regards to Hair , I work with all different types of textures, and I’m learning something new every day. I like to take classes from my fellow hairstylists to keep up with trends, and to learn different ways of styiling. I also teach other makeup Artist how to improve their craft and even teach my clients to do their own make up if they’re interested in learning. I would love for the readers to know how passionate I am about helping others feel beautiful, and helping others learn about make up and how to use it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes and it is quite simple. When work is slow, or I start to stress about money, I have to be resourceful and have self-control in order to fulfill my duties as a wife and as a person trying to survive . At the end of the day, my main pursuit is to be happy, praise God, and live simple, and when I remember this, everything else falls into place. I aim to have a balanced perspective of work, so I try to work in order to live, not live to work. I am not so concerned about what’s gonna happen in 20 years, because I feel that can cause undo anxiety. The Bible wisely says, each day has its own anxieties. So I try to focus on short term, goals, and always remember the big picture, which is to be happy with my husband and my fur babies, and if I trust in my partner, in God, everything will be OK !

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Absolutely! When I first started, I obviously had to make an Instagram. Little did I know that it would be huge! If I had started advertising back, then, I think I would’ve been busier in a shorter anount of time instead of having to wait for a following and clientele. Something that also I’ll be back was not reaching out to other artist for advice and help. I had a preconceived notion that it would be very competitive, and I wouldn’t be able to find nice artists, willing to share their secrets and craft. But I was so wrong, everybody that I’ve met at least here in the San Diego area has been absolutely, amazing, supportive, and not competitive at all. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, take the classes from other artists yes, that takes humility, which is a great quality to have in this industry since you’re will always learn something new and you can always get better! I would also recommend taking classes and social media and advertising, whether they be on YouTube or online somewhere. They may have more insight on how to grow your business, depending on what is your goal. Last one, I definitely recommend looking into whether your business has resources for discounts on professional products, because the discount will definitely help you whenever you’re buying product and save you some cash in order to put it somewhere else that may be more important!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Celestial_ _glam
• Facebook: Celestial Glam makeup and hairstyling

Image Credits
Instagram @gldn.hr