We were lucky to catch up with Kecia Littman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kecia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?
My beloved mother, my hero, departed this world 3 years ago. Her name is Sari-Janine Soule´. She was a Cosmetologist in Hawaii and inspired me at a young age to be creative and to be my authentic self. She had a high standard of ethics and morals and a gift of being able to see people for who they truly were. She knew who was honest and who had alliterative motives. Maybe that’s just a mother’s instinct, but for Sari, it was her innate gift, her na’au ( intuition).
She taught me at a very young age to trust in my na’au and to follow that feeling. That feeling of being able to trust in your decisions has led me to where I am today, a business owner, entrepreneur -Makeup Artist. It all started when my parents took me on a trip to San Francisco. She told me about this really cool cosmetic brand that was bold and colorful and had foundation shades that would match my skin tone. At the time, Hawaii didn’t have a MAC counter. I was so excited to try something new. I felt like during my generation, makeup wasn’t so inclusive with color range or formulated with melanin skin in mind. My mother was part Hawaiian, Japanese, French and mixed with more ethnicities and I was all that and Filipino! I went from medium skin tone to Mahogany within an hour of sun exposure and there weren’t deeper shade ranges that matched my skin tone during that time except for MAC cosmetics.
We spent half the day in MAC, did some damage and had a blast! After that experience, my mom expanded my mind to a world of possibilities, not only with finding the right shade of makeup, however with my self-worth and acceptance. She educated me on so many things, but honoring and loving my authentic self has shaped me into who I am today. Mahalo to my mama, my hero!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My journey as a Makeup Artistry started as a hobby. I loved photography, dancing and singing and used those creative outlets to grow my passion of Makeup Artistry into a career. I started freelancing once I moved from Hawaii to LA and quickly realized that there were many paths to take in this industry. I wanted to go to a makeup school called MUD, Makeup Designory yet work at a counter to gain hands-on experience. I applied at MAC cosmetics and got the job and that was the start to my career.
Before my jump into becoming my own boss and being a fulltime freelance makeup artist, my background was in retail management. Since I was working at MAC, I got a job offer to work back home in Hawaii. I became a manager at the MAC Cosmetics store in Ala Moana, Hawaii, however I knew that if I wanted to do makeup as a career, I would have to elevate my knowledge in skincare and get a license. I decided to go to an Esthetician school in Hawaii. I found my love for teaching others while dissecting our lesson plan in makeup and educating my classmates on makeup artistry.
Once I graduated, I stayed on to get more knowledge in my profession and to gain the hours needed to become a licensed Esthetician Instructor.
I rapidly applied my expertise by reaching out to MUD, an accredited professional school, Makeup Designory to produce one of the most comprehensive makeup curriculum Honolulu has ever seen.
Fixated on trending fashion, cosmetics, and high definition technology, I began to train alongside Roque Cozzette, airbrush artist. This training enabled me to become proficient in airbrush artistry, and elevated my skills to accommodate the growing needs of my multi-faceted clientele. This wave of ambition has expanded my horizons from Hawaii, where I currently reside, to the runways of New York, Milan and Paris fashion week assisting global makeup artist Pat McGrath. Kecia is currently the Artistry and Education manager for Pat Mcgrath Labs.
I’m a Life Coach and Motivational coach certified by Global NLP Institute and by blending this knowledge with my expertise in the beauty industry, I want to empower others to reach their inner and outer beauty!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
What helped me to build my reputation was connecting with my community and sharing my gifts with those who are in alignment with my craft. I’ve donated time to non-profits that resonate with my values and I love being able to support ‘heal the healers’ or donate time to a great cause that brings joy to others.
This industry has taught me some valuable lessons and the biggest lesson yet, is to speak up, even when it feels uncomfortable. No one is going to take care of you, except for you and as a freelance artist, I learned that you have to come from that place with good intentions as well. Others feel that and know when you are speaking from your truth and essentially how you made them feel. When you hear from more than 20+ people that they’ve heard great things about your work ethics or that you do good work and that you’re a good person, then that’s how I measure my reputation in my market. Do good work, be on time, be a good team player and most importantly listen to others and listen to your peers.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What helped me build my reputation within my market is being born and raised in Hawaii and how word of mouth plays a huge part in receiving the next job. Networking, having diverse paths in this industry from working in a retail setting, to production work, to building my own Esthetician school, there’s so many doors that lead to expanding your reputation. Most importantly, remain teachable and be consistent with your work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kecialittman.com
- Instagram: @kecialittman
- Linkedin: Kecia Littman
Image Credits
Kecia Littman makeup touch up on model: Jessi Malay Ijfke Ridgley photographer