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

Jey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Someone once told me that you really know your calling when you’re willing to do it for nothing. In 2018, I started teaching makeup looks in my apartment to anyone who wanted to learn. Some friends and some strangers. And the only payment I received was the gratification of being apart of their experience. What woman doesn’t want to look into the mirror and fall in love over and over again? My goal was to show women that they could use minimal makeup to create a maximum effect. And just to bare witness to the confidence it created within them was rewarding enough for me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

To ask me what I do is a tough question. The better question would be what don’t I do? If I told you all the things I do you wouldn’t believe me but here’s the short list:

Actress/ Writer/Director & Producer
Pro Makeup Artist & Educator – I am the proud owner of Pardon My Glow Makeup Academy in Baltimore, MD.
Photographer & Editor
Mentor for Girls
Event Planner & Designer
Caterer
Interior & Apparel Designer – I currently own an apparel brand called Pardon My Glow. All the merchandise I design and produce myself.
And all of these titles make me a full-time entrepreneur.
To some, this list may look like a lot. But to me, it’s just my 9 to 5. My motto has always been to never live the same day twice and my skill set allows me to do just that. I’ve never enjoyed staring at a computer all day or taking orders from someone else. I am an artist. We are not the same.

As a teenager, I thought I wanted to be a professional actress. When I moved to Hollywood to pursue that dream, I quickly changed my mind. Hollywood and it’s standards has a way of stripping you down and molding you into whomever they see fit. Literally. (Laughs out loud)
But I was comfortable with who I was so I chose to pursue a career behind the scenes instead. I never thought it would be makeup artistry but here I am.

I currently do makeup full time for weddings and special occasions. My makeup academy offers a program for any makeup enthusiast whether just beginning or advanced as well as a program for girls ages 6 to 18.

I’d like to think of myself as vitamin for my clients. I provide the right dose of natural beauty enhancing to make them feel good. I’m often told that other makeup artists use too much product leaving the client feeling unrecognizable. But I’ve found my lane and I haven’t merged yet “minimal makeup- maximum affect. “

Have you ever had to pivot?

My major challenge thus far in the beauty industry was trying to stay afloat during the pandemic. Fortunately enough, I was able to pivot the makeup academy to include a virtual program which was a huge success.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a gift and a curse. But when it works, it works. And in this business you have to make it work for you. Beauty professionals and artists thrive on word of mouth. Websites and business cards are dated. So we have to be creative with hashtags and TikTok videos to gain a following. Although I’m not instagram famous, with millions of followers, I have a genuine, local audience which often leads to new clients and referrals.
The best way to create this kind of following is to join a Facebook group local to your area with a large following. Promote your brand or product within that group. During the pandemic, those kinds of groups grew my business immensely. Thank you to Buy Black Networking Baltimore.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.Ready2glow.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/readycetglow
• Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/pardonmyglowacademy

Image Credits
Isherra Muse (@portrait_slayer) Rasheedha Essence (@rasheedhaessence) Jey Holman, (self) (@readycetglow) Retouchers Kier R (@kr_retouch) Sam Gross (@samgrossstudios)