We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katy Holland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?
The best boss I ever had is/was Tanya Bures, founder of Page Beauty. Tanya is not only a world class makeup artist, but she has a family lineage of outstanding customer service. Her father was a hair stylist, her mother worked in HR. So she knows how to run a business and cater to her customers needs in a way that makes each person feel heard and meaningful. Secondly, she always watches out for her employees. She pays an extremely fair salary, never throws people under the bus, and is quick to call out peoples successes. She tells you the truth in such a kind way, even when it might sting. Lastly, she invests in her employees by spending hours upon hours (completely free!) helping them clean and organize their kits and teaching them makeup skills in areas she would like to see them improve. In an industry with high turnover, this is why her team is fiercely loyal to her and has been with her for years! She includes everyone and is generous with her kindness.
Katy, 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 have been a makeup artist for over 20 years and it’s the best job on the planet. People often ask how I got started and I always say this: “I used to read 17 magazine and then hold my little sister hostage and practice on her.” The super models of the 90’s left me spellbound and I wanted to live inside the pages of Vogue.
I never considered being a makeup artist an actual grown up job. I had a reputation in high school for doing everyones facials, makeup and hair for dances or sleepovers. Getting ready for a dance was the most fun part of the whole night. So in my early 20’s, I found myself goofing off in offices and giving complimentary makeovers at work, much to the chagrin of my formers employers (I am so sorry.) After being fired one last time, I saw a book in a storefront that changed my life: “How to Become a Professional Makeup Artist.” And I immediately enrolled in professional makeup school!
Since I lived in Los Angeles, I naturally thought I would work in special effects in the makeup department. However much fun blood and bruises were, making women look and feel beautiful was truly more my passion. I learned the art of customer service while working in the cosmetics departments of Nordstrom, Saks 5th Ave and Neiman Marcus. I worked at small beauty boutiques and thrived in the small environment and had a loyal clientele. I started working with celebrities, luxury weddings and the red carpet. It was an absolute blast!
After the pandemic, the nature of my business changed dramatically and I learned to pivot. I moved to Texas and started teaching makeup lessons first online, then to public speaking engagements and then to private and group lessons. Instilling confidence in a woman and putting the FUN in makeup is my passion. Nobody NEEDS to wear makeup; it is something that is expressive, holistic and playful. It makes me feel good. It is tranportive, just like those early teen magazines that I used to read.
Today I continue teach makeup lessons and help women feel beautiful on their wedding day. It is an honor to be part of the most important day in someones life! I do hair and makeup for strong, smart and successful women for conferences. I work in Christian television doing hair and makeup. My latest passion project is makeup for mature women and I am so excited to be partnering with a new company that is pro-aging. I am teaching other artists how to particularly accommodate this demographic so they feel seen and feel beautiful.
It is such a joy to have be of good use to my clients with all this seemingly useless beauty knowledge I have rolling around my brain. After what began as a hobby, has turned into a gift that I share with women everywhere. My desire is for every women to feel confident, to feel empowered and to have fun!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
“Act as if.” This has been my mantra for 20 years. Often we/I am plagued by imposter syndrome and the feeling that everyone knows what they are doing, except for me. Sometimes my own brain is my worst enemy and I need to get out of my own way.
When I began my career as a professional makeup artists, I had clients looking up at me expecting me to know what I was doing and what I was talking about. That’s what I would expect, if I was in their shoes! And I remember feeling I was faking the entire thing: knowing what their foundation shade was, how to blend, how to get their concealer not to crease. I used to have nightmares about matching peoples concealer!
Typically people that are using a makeup artist are not your everyday “Jo Schmos.” I was super intimidated by my clients! One of the hardest, and most important, lesson I had to learn was that they were paying me to be the expert. I was the expert, not them. So I needed to act like it.
“Acting as if” – what does that even me and what does it look like? I could feel the imposter syndrome creeping in and have had to tell myself “I am the expert” over and over, even when I did not FEEL like it. I had to act better than I felt.
This allowed me to stop thinking and worrying about how I was coming across and making sure the clients needs were being met. Was I listening to what her concerns were? Was I giving her a solution? Was I treating her with respect, dignity and kindness? Was I making sure she also had fun?
When I ask God to remove the fear and let Him takeover, I am finally able to get out of my own way!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
(this also answers the questions of what has helped me build my reputation within my market)
My number one source for new clients AND my reputation: other artists!!!
I have learned that there is a big enough piece of the pie to go around for everyone. Money comes, money goes, but a reputation is forever. Kindness, a sense of humor, humility and encouragement go so far in my. industry. Here’s how I am intentional about that:
Kindness: I introduce myself to everyone whenever there are multiple artists on sight. Shaking hands with a big smile go so far! I ask to follow everyone on instagram.
Sense of humor and humility: I lump these 2 together. If you can laugh at yourself, it makes others laugh and lets their guard down. People often are in their own worlds and have their own insecurities and fears. If we can laugh about the absurdities of life together, it’s so much more fun.
Encouragement: everyone needs this. Literally everyone! I give compliments freely. I share what I have. I dont gossip. I recommend artists for other jobs if I am unavailable. I give what was freely given to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katyholland.com
- Instagram: @katyhollandbeauty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MUAkatyholland
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-holland-4aa796/
- Twitter: @MagicalMermaid
- Youtube: @magcmermaid https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnSEfJFkEQ-OXtSdhMFb32A
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/katy-holland-austin
Image Credits
Jessica Mangia Afritina Coker Sara Tolllefson Sami Drasin