We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Char Marie McKenna a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Char Marie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am primarily a self-taught artist. While I have taken a few workshops, and I am blessed to have a wonderful mentor, everything I have learned has come from a strong desire to grow and progress in my craft. As with any creative craft, practice and repetition are essential to growth. My favorite quote is the difference between the master and the student: the master has failed more times than the student has tried. It can be challenging to fight through perceived failures and maintain consistency. As a self-taught artist, all of the responsibility for accountability falls on you, and you only get as far as you push yourself out of your comfort zone. In my opinion, The most essential skills are courage and consistency. Believe in yourself and have the courage to put yourself out there and further your skills.

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 got started out in this industry over 10 years ago with body painting at local events and doing face painting for kids’ birthdays. Over time, I got more and more interested in special effects and beauty makeup for my cosplay clients. Being self-taught I really had to push myself and work hard to expand my skill set. A proud moment I had recently was when, I crafted a character from scratch—designing, sculpting, molding, casting, and applying makeup for a convention demonstration. It was such a privilege to be able to share my knowledge through this demo and to be celebrated for the all of the effort I have put into developing all of the skills to not only apply makeup but also to fabricate the prosthetics.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Working in a creative field is incredibly fulfilling for me. It pushes me beyond my limits, challenging me to explore new ideas and techniques. Each creative endeavor becomes a growth journey, forcing me to problem-solve and innovate. Stepping back after completing a project, I get to witness the tangible result of my hard work and progress. This constant cycle of pushing boundaries and seeing tangible outcomes makes the creative process immensely rewarding and fuels my passion for what I do. My resilience as an artist stems from a strong desire to bring my imaginative concepts to life. Initially restricted by pre-made prosthetics and materials, I reached a point where my creativity outgrew those limitations. I realized I had to delve into fabrication to achieve the looks I envisioned. The journey to mastering the various facets of fabrication has been long and filled with struggles and setbacks. Overcoming each obstacle and persistently learning has demanded significant resilience. Standing now where I’m proud of what I can create, the process has proven that resilience is crucial to success in this industry.

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

My resilience as an artist stems from a strong desire to bring my imaginative concepts to life. Initially restricted by pre-made prosthetics and materials, I reached a point where my creativity outgrew those limitations. I realized I had to delve into fabrication to achieve the looks I envisioned. The journey to mastering the various facets of fabrication has been long and filled with struggles and setbacks. Overcoming each obstacle and persistently learning has demanded significant resilience. Standing now where I’m proud of what I can create, the process has proven that resilience is crucial to success in this industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.charmariemua.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/scream_queen.fx
• Youtube: @screamqueenfx