We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Damaris Santana a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Damaris, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
I was exposed to beauty and makeup in a classroom setting in high school, the course was Apparel Marketing. We had covered parts of the beauty industry and I was so captivated by what we learned. I was so interested and wanted to start taking cosmetology classes offered through a trade program at my school, but unfortunately my parents wouldn’t allow it and said I had to go to college, that being a makeup artist was a hobby and not a career.
About two years later while in college, I began my makeup journey in retail, and worked at a department store and my first brand was Prescriptives Cosmetics, which sadly is no longer around. Prescriptives was rather ahead of the curve in terms of by being able to customize your foundations & color palettes. My only downside was the selling part, and quite hated it. I asked myself: “how do I become a makeup artist with out having to sell products?” And from there, I humbly began to reach out to local photographers via ModelMayhem.com, work on fashion shows and brides etc.
My “big break” into the industry, was becoming a freelance Pro Artist for Smashbox Cosmetics, when they were still under the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week umbrella in Los Angeles. From that point onward, it opened up various doors and led me to where I’m at today.
I had to learn the hard way in many instances, without guidance or formal training outside of a couple of Stage Theater makeup classes & beauty training from the retail counter work I had done. I wish I would have had the exposure to the industry or understood the different avenues one could take as an artist early on, to avoid a lot of the hardships I endured the first half of my career. But it’s my journey, and I’m grateful to still be here as a working artist.
Damaris, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a New York-based makeup artist, originally from Southern California. I had a unique experience growing up in a super diverse community that had a profound impact on how it shaped my perspective of the world. I consider myself a global citizen and have always been drawn to culture, language, geography, music, language & expression. Although I was raised in a suburb, from childhood I always had this yearning to explore my surroundings and beyond. Fortunately my work has afforded me opportunities to work on projects abroad such as Indonesia, Morocco, Portugal and more.
As a makeup artist with nearly twenty years of experience, I have had the chance to work in an array of sectors in Beauty, Fashion, Entertainment, Sports & TV/Film. Being a freelancer has placed me in so many different settings which has rewarded me with a robust client list and skills of adaptability, execution, attention-to-detail, confidentiality and creative freedom & control.
A true Cali-girl at heart, my easy going nature has been a breath of fresh air to clients, production companies and colleagues alike, while maintaining the drive & focus required to work successfully in New York. I’m a connector, a realist who takes others into consideration when it comes to bringing visions to life. Most recently, I became a member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 798.
My areas of focus are: Advertising, Beauty, Commercial, Fashion, Gaming, Press/Red Carpet, Sports, and TV/Film.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
During the pandemic when I had decided I wanted to join the union, I had to significantly pivot my work to meet the requirements to be a candidate to apply.
It’s important to mention how pivotal the role my community of fellow makeup artists & creatives played into this decision and how it lead to me getting in. If you have a goal in whatever field you’re in, being able to lean on your peers and network is an invaluable asset. I spent years building those relationships, and when the time came to pivot, I put the word out of what my intentions were are my community help facilitate reaching that goal.
As artists it’s only natural (or necessary) to have to pivot from time to time, so having a clear, planned out roadmap on what you need to do is vital.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Gosh so many that I’m still learning after all these years. I’d say do not be afraid to ask for help! Being honest with your skillset or resources can impact you in multiple ways, and I was never the “fake-it-till-you-make-it” type, so if you need help find someone who has the tools and experiernce you need to help you grow.
Having a mentor in various points of my career was also highly important to me. I was always drawn to the artists who came before me, and got to experience the industry at a time I had no exposure to. Special shout-out to Ermahn Ospina for blessing me with his knowledge, craft and camaraderie.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.damarisantana.com
- Instagram: @damarismua
Image Credits
Brandon Andre, Colleen Dodge, Getty Images, Julia Parris, Taurat Hossain