Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Diane Held. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Diane, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was growing up in the Philippines, I have always loved movies (especially horror), video games and art, in general. After pursuing a Communications Degree, with focus on Film and TV production, I started doing makeup in school with my friends. This turned into me doing makeup for family and friends outside my school, and later on doing it on others for their weddings and events. The mere fact that I was getting paid doing what I enjoyed doing was enough for me to want to pursue a creative path. At first, of course, it was hard to build a clientele and create a steady income, which is still true to this day, but I found that this path is what speaks my truth. When I was in Los Angeles and studied makeup and cosmetology, I got the opportunity to meet many artists and even be mentored by Leonard Engelman, the Governor to the Academy Awards (for the Makeup category) and learning from them has inspired me to never give up on my passion.

Diane, 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?

My name is Diane Lorenzana Held, I have been working as a makeup artist for the past 14 years. Currently, I am also an assistant manager for JUUT Salons in Woodbury Lakes, working with creative and inspirational people every day. I am fortunate to be able to do what I love, but the road has not always been an easy one. I learned most of my makeup education in Los Angeles, California where I studied, lived and worked for a couple of years prior to meeting my husband. After Covid, we moved to Minneapolis, MN (where my husband is from) and settled here. Thankfully in spite of moving many times in the past, I have found that I am able to build clientele in my new area just by word of mouth. I think the thing I am most proud of in my profession is the ability to change someone’s day and to be part of special moments in their lives. Right now, I specialize in Bridal Makeup and have done about 50 weddings this season alone, and I am very humbled and thankful for the clients that trust me and continuously recommend me.

In the past, I have worked on set doing Beauty and Special Effects makeup in Los Angeles. One of my proudest moments was competing in various makeup competitions, including Battle of the Brushes at the International Makeup Artist Trade Show and The National Makeup Championship in LA Comic Con, which I won first place at.

I like to go out of my way to make sure that my clients are taken care of and comfortable, not only with me but with the makeup and/or hairstyle I do on them. At the end of the day, customer service for me is going above and beyond not only in my artistry, but in my service to others. I’m really proud of that.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love listening to motivational podcasts, watching inspirational videos and biographies of successful people, and also reading books (like Atomic Habits, Ego is the Enemy, The Secret) to help guide me. Being an immigrant, I had to move to the other side of the globe and therefore do not have a great support system (prior to meeting my husband and my friends), so I had to rely on authors and speakers to be my mentor. In Atomic Habits, I learned that what we do everyday, no matter how small or simple, affects our daily lives. In turn, I have been trying to create better habits not only physically, but also mentally and financially. Everything comes from within us, so if we are able to put ourselves in a good headspace, we are not only better as artists but also as human beings.

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

In the past 5 years, my husband and I have moved homes more than 5 times, 2 of which were different cities and 1 was an international move (we tried to start a business in my home country, The Philippines, but Covid had different plans). If anything, surviving through that and coming back to the US with nothing but our luggages was the ultimate test of resilience. Starting out from scratch in your 30s is something that not a lot of people go through, and I am proud of my husband and I for working through our anxieties and building a life for ourselves, especially as we continue our work in the creative field. If there is anything I learned through all this, it’s that no matter how hard life gets, we have the capability to turn it around as long as we truly believe in ourselves and never give up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dianeheldmakeup.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dhbeautyandfx