We recently connected with Kenya Haynie and have shared our conversation below.

Kenya, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

My life changed tremendously from the start of my career! I went from being a full-time college student while working a full-time 9-5 to completely betting on myself and becoming a full-time freelance makeup artist in a blink of an eye. Everything happened so quickly and spontaneously and if you know me then you know I’m not spontaneous at all. I’m a planner, I always have a some type of plan lined up “just in case”. So you can only imagine how much anxiety and fear was built up as I tried to navigate through this transition. It was a life changing risk I knew I wanted to make but was so afraid to do so. Imagine being young, not quite knowing what you want to do, broke, and being comfortable where you are. That was me 100%! However, I did know I wanted to pursue a career that I enjoyed so much! A creative career I knew that would get me far, excited to wake up in the morning to go to work or a career I knew I was confident in. The beauty industry was the answer!

My love for makeup started at a young age (probably around 11 or 12 years old). I grew up in the MAC and Youtube era, where the girls were starting to do makeup tutorials and doing makeup hauls. It was also a confidence booster. I would try to recreate makeup looks myself, create makeup videos, and practice looks on my friends. I just kept getting better at it with time. Many people would tell me how much they loved my work but I never really seen a career in makeup. As I grew older and felt like I was running out of time, I was completely unhappy with my circumstances and where I was working. I made a big a decision to believe in myself, take a chance, and revisit my love for makeup. Quitting my job and pausing school to pursue makeup was a risk I can honestly say I did not see coming. God pushed me because again I was comfortable and afraid to take a risk. There was so much self doubt, overthinking, lonely days, and significant losses. However, there was something inside of me that would not let me give up. With that said, there were so many gains like accomplishments, learning more about myself, and countless opportunities. Six years later still in the industry growing with no regrets! Taking a risk was one of the best decisions I made in my life and I continue to do so.

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

For those who are not familiar, my name is Kenya Haynie and I’m 27 years old from Atlanta, Georgia. I have successfully build my career as a professional makeup artist in the beauty industry with over five years of experience. I specialize in natural and clean beauty globally. My services includes beauty, tv/film, bridal, editorial, commercial, and teaching private makeup lessons. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of awesome brands and popular networks such as OWN, TVONE, and BET; serviced celebrity clientele including Ruth Carter, Angela Simmons, Nicole Beharie, and Stephanie Mills; worked with top designers including Sergio Hudson; and has been published in major publications such as Essence. In addition, I’ve worked with incredible brands and shows such as NYFW (New York Fashion Week), Target, Procter & Gamble, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Gold N Hot, and CurlBox. As I navigate through these opportunities, I’ve noticed that it’s so much deeper than just doing makeup. Makeup became my life! It help me connect with so many people, build life long relationships, and molded me into a vessel for so many lives. A journey I’m forever grateful for.

My makeup journey started through YouTube. I began to watch YouTube videos to teach myself. I wanted to take it up a notch and take my journey a little more seriously. As I continued to practice on friends and build my kit, I start reaching out to many celebrity makeup artists who inspired me in hopes to shadow or gain a mentor to help strengthen my skills and gain knowledge about my field. I also began creating a portfolio to present to different MAC Cosmetic stores in hopes to gain a job and professional training. In result, with no experience, only one celebrity makeup artist contacted me and gave me a life changing shot at her beauty studio called The Glamatory. Only one MAC store contacted me back and said “you got the job”. I was so excited and proud that I didn’t allow so many rejections or no’s get in my way. I knew this was only the beginning and I just needed one foot in the door. Once I got that foot in the door, it was all gas no brakes.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There’s no secret when I say in the beginning of the pandemic had many creatives like myself a little worried. The pandemic pushed me to pivot completely in my business. I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to ever touch a face again let alone make money. I remember like it was yesterday. It was February of 2020 and I just finished my second fashion show in NYFW. The excitement was real! It was my first big gig of the year and I was ready to pursue all the goals I sought out for the year. The year was fresh and I was just getting into the swing of things again. There were many good paying gigs lined up in the next couple of months. As soon as I touched down in Atlanta, everything changed instantly. There were mandatory lockdowns, countless amount of cancellation emails, and a lot of mask required signs. It was something that took me by surprise and a time I’ve never experienced before. Like many, I was confused and didn’t fully understand. However, I knew immediately this will play a major role on my business. Once we were on lockdown, I think that’s when it really kicked in. There was nothing I could do physically to do makeup or provide for myself. It was hard but weirdly enough, it was necessary. As a creative, you are constantly trying to pull new ideas and work your butt off and you barely have time to be still. Well I think this was the time. This was the time to rest and truly dig a little deeper into who I am and how I wanted to continue to grow as a business. I took full advantage! I was able to come up with more self care days, business plans, and virtual services that went very well. The virtual services included; online private makeup classes, group “sip & beat” similar to sip & paint but with makeup, a virtual personal shopping experience, and subscription videos.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is being able to do what you love. It sounds so cliche but it’s something that simple that can really determine the trajectory of your life. It feels good not having to dread going to work. It feels good to have a vision stuck in your head and you create it and bring it to life. You are able to share with the world and potentially inspire or make people feel good. You’re able to live your life, be your own boss, while sharing your experience with other. You honestly can not beat that!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kenyahaynie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenyahaynie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kenyahaynie
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGCbDMX2_DdwJTYA6F6jdng

Image Credits
Stylist:Trenez Scott Hairstylist: Kendrea Haynie Photographer: Allen Cooley Model: Sara Naomi Model: Lita Lewis Makeup Artist: Kenya Haynie