We were lucky to catch up with Joanna Gill recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I fell in love with makeup at a young age. I remember sneaking into my parent’s bedroom and stealing an eyelash curler and some concealer from my mother’s bathroom. My mother never wore much makeup so the whole concept of wearing cosmetics fascinated me. I loved how transformative makeup could be to a face. As a teenager and later adult with severe acne, makeup first provided me with comfort and confidence that my skin and my perceived flaws would not be the first thing people saw. As my interest grew and my skin improved, the focus became one of artistic expression. I was able to experiment the most when I worked as a Clinique Consultant at Ulta Beauty after college. While Clinique was a brand associated with clean neutral looks, I loved playing with color and would show up to work with purples, blues, and pinks on my eyes. Working for Clinique, I got my first taste of applying makeup on other people. I loved making people feel confident and beautiful in their skin. I also loved teaching different techniques to a wide range of ages. Working at Ulta Beauty inspired me to pursue Makeup Artistry as a career. If it was not for that opportunity, I would not be the artist I am today.

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

Makeup has always been a part of my life. As a kid, I would get as excited to get lip gloss as I was to get any other toy. However, It was not until after I had graduated from college that I decided to pursue makeup artistry as a career. While working for Clinique at Ulta Beauty, I decided to attend VAMP (Vocational Academy of Makeup and Prosthetics) in Orlando, FL. I chose their Beauty Professional track and fell in love with wedding makeup. I loved how soft and beautiful bridal makeup can be. While I learned every style of beauty makeup, that soft and natural look became my signature. Most of the clients I book now are brides who say they “want to look like themselves, but elevated.” Many of them do not typically wear much makeup, so a full glam look would feel foreign to them. I provide services for weddings, special events, production, and editorial photoshoots. I also occasionally go back to my roots working for Clinique and teach classes on basic makeup applications to clients of all ages. I love empowering others to be creative and to take power over how they present themselves to the world. My main passion is to help others feel confident in their skin and to see themselves as beautiful as I see them.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think the average person would look at my life and assume makeup was always my career destination. After all, it remained a consistent passion of mine ever since I developed passion in the first place. From getting excited over my first mascara and lipstick to doing my roommate’s makeup for events in college, it never wavered. I would even research brands and products so that I could better recommend makeup solutions to my friends. I loved everything about it, and yet my resume is full of unrelated work. I even achieved my bachelors in Sociology before I even considered makeup as a career. It wasn’t until I graduated and was looking for work that my sister-in-law suggested that I use my then-passive passion for makeup to help others. Just a few years later, I would be graduating from a makeup academy and jumping head-first into the industry. I struggled my whole life to decide what I wanted to be when I “grew up” and the answer was right in front of me the whole time. I suppose the lesson to be learned from my story is to pay attention to the things that bring you joy in life, they may seem insignificant now, but they may be just what you need to have a happy and fulfilling career.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing the look on my client’s faces when they see themselves in the mirror at the end of our session. Many of my clients, have never seen themselves fully done up. Afterwards, they say they look like they have a beauty filter on their face and that they have never felt more pretty or confident. All I do is enhance the beauty that is already in front of me. I think every person who sits in my chair is stunning even before I put any makeup on them. It’s wonderful to witness the smile of someone who sees themselves just as I see them. I strive to make all my clients feel their most beautiful no matter the occasion.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jg-artistry.com
• Instagram: jg_artistry
• Facebook: JG Artistry

Image Credits
Jennifer Juniper Photography Captured by Christina