We recently connected with Jennifer Adams and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Wow! This is a question that I’ve found myself reflecting on a lot lately. My husband and I are in the process of
becoming “empty nesters” and for some reason…as
we help them launch into their adulthood…we ask ourselves, Why are we successful? And of course we are no where near perfect…but
because we are happy and have found so much peace and joy in our own lives we do ask ourselves a lot of questions like: What did we do well? How did we fail? And I personally find myself really focused on my own parents
and their roll in my business success. As I truly hone in on this question my bottom line truthful answer is: They believed in me! They would constantly tell me, “We are proud of you!” “You can do it!” “You have what it takes.” They didn’t give me seed money,
they didn’t give me business wisdom – they gave me faith in myself! Can you still succeed when no one else believes in you, of course. Is it easier when they
do? – hell yes! Thanks Mom and Dad! They are still my biggest cheerleaders.

Jennifer, 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?

My name is Jennifer Weller Adams. I am the sole owner of Formal Faces – On Location Wedding Hair & Makeup. We also do HAMU for other things: other formal events, lessons, photo shoots and just because. 31 years ago I was Miss Teen Georgia. Yikes, I haven’t done that math in a long time. I kind of regret doing it now. Not the pageant – that math! Anyway, it sparked in me a love for all things beauty. By no means am I consumed with perfection, but I do believe that God made me in such a way that I see things in color and balance. When I was younger I never realized that I was an Artist because I was not (and I am still not) a gifted drawer or painter, but it was in my teens that I began to develop a different type of artistic talent. In the olden days we pageant girls had to do everything ourselves, and this included our Hair and Makeup. I had to learn quickly how to do my own. Fast forward to my own wedding…I was so skilled in this area I chose to do it all myself that day. So, then I started do a lot of Pageant Coaching and I did all of my girls’ HAMU before they competed. It was often On-Location for convenience and then one day my sister and I birthed the idea of Formal Faces! And here we are, 24 years later. I run the show now and have 12 spectacular HAMU Artists that work with me. We do hundreds of weddings per year and my own daughter, Hollyn Adams Wood (newly married herself), is even one of the Artists. We are called Bridal Image Consultants!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As a leader, a teacher and a business owner my job is to help my Artists thrive in what they do; in their craft. Any successful business that grows off the premise of duplication must hold fast to its primary goals and make sure that everyone in the company knows who they are and follow the same guidelines. However, when it comes to leading Artists, some things must be left open-ended. I had to “unlearn” the business world’s rules on how to lead people … so to speak. I thought: “Just tell them what to do, Jennifer. And lead by example; and they will do it.” However, when you want an artistic person to truly be successful you must give them a level of space that allows them to grow and move in their own element so that they have the freedom to blossom and express their artistic creativity. It took me some time to learn this lesson. Sharing a specific example will illustrate my point: I used to instruct all of HAMU Artists on exactly what makeup products they had to use and exactly what order they needed to do everything. After-all, if I wanted to be like other successful businesses before me, I knew that duplication of success bred more success. However, I ended up stifling their creativity when I did this. Once I sought their feedback and learned this – I quickly changed my ways. I allowed them to use their favorite products and do things in their own order. Of course there are many protocols and many other ‘Formal Faces Ways’ of doing things that we all adhere to, but this lesson-learned was a valuable checkmate in my business book of life!

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

Hands-down – the answer is intimacy! I love to connect with people! I love people! I believe that the Lord created me to connect with His People! Truly, I believe He created us all to connect with one another, but He created us to do it in different ways. My art gift is one way I can connect. When I am able to touch a woman’s face and help her to feel beautiful and confident; and when she feels HEARD – I can connect. And when I can connect I can make another person feel important and loved. It’s really as simple as that. To me – it’s rewarding and beautiful. I am fulfilled in my job when someone else feels good about themselves!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://formalfaces.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formalfaces/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Formal-Faces-On-Location-Hair-Makeup-for-Weddings-349533887615
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-adams-169055178/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=formal+faces
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/formal-faces-atlanta?osq=Formal+Faces
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@formalfaces

Image Credits
Jodi Monaghan Photography