We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lainie Garcia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lainie, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I wish I would have started sooner. I have always been a creative person in my younger years. I believe after high school, about to start college, is when I realized I was meant to do something creative in my life. I was told that college would be the best route and that way you could always have a stable job in life especially in the medical field. So, I decided to go to my local community college and try the traditional college degree way. I quickly figured out college wasn’t my path but I did end up figuring out that my passion for makeup started. I moved to Austin,Tx and started pursuing my beauty career by attending esthetician school. From there I grew my knowledge in skincare and makeup by learning and working in the beauty/cosmetic industry. I branched out on my own in 2019 as a makeup artist. In 2021, I branched out from glam makeup for weddings and events into the film industry for beauty and special effects (SFX). This is where things picked up and I finally felt this is what I was meant to be doing all along. I wasted a good amount of time not going after what I knew I should have when I was younger and learning the craft/skills and pushing towards what I knew I wanted as a makeup artist. The learning process along the way has been a journey but I wish I would have pushed myself more to get where I am now sooner because I know I would be further along present day. I do know that I am exactly where I am meant to be currently and everything will continue to fall in place with hard work and determination. The real journey in makeup is just beginning.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The way I got into the industry was over the course of a few years actually, and it included me being self-taught and eventually having the opportunity to work in retail cosmetics.

In 2019, I branched out of retail and really focused on my own makeup business, “Timeless Beauty by Lainie”. I started focusing on Special Effects (SFX) makeup more which is what I really love and started as a SFX makeup artist for haunted houses. In 2021, I moved into tv/film as a makeup artist for beauty/SFX.

I am proud of my determination of me not giving up as many times as I have been told “No” and also with the many times I didn’t think I was good enough. I want my clients to know that I am not a makeup artist for the views or likes of social media or even the money. I do what I do because I have a passion and a determination for this. I love making people feel beautiful for their big day or event. When it comes to SFX, I love the creativeness that my mind allows my hands to express with my artistry. I really appreciate the people and companies that hire me and trust me to perform the job needed.

I don’t just do beauty makeup, I work on editorial and special effects, as my main focus. I actually am a Licensed Esthetician and a Laser Hair Removal Technician as well as other beauty cosmetic certifications. I have worked in the med spa industry as well, so I have schooling to back up my experience as well as in the field work. I’ve taken classes and put in the hours and try to stay up to date with new trends and changes in the beauty industry.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Something that people can do to show support for local artists or any artist is to share their work. This can be on social media with a like/follow, taking their business card or even booking a service with them. Many people, including myself, tend to focus on close friends or influencers. The best way to show support for any artist is to share their work or recommend them to other people. Making it as an artist is very hard financially. Not many artists just do their creative path as a full time job, a lot of us have side jobs to make a living.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The main thing is getting turned away for opportunities. As a makeup artist, not everyone is going to like your work and not everyone is going to want to book you. The key I have found is to remember the people who do support me and why I became a makeup artist in the first place. You have to have thick skin to be in this industry because people will give you all types of positive or negative criticism while on the job and you have to roll with it and find a way to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/timelessbeautybylainie?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/timelessbeautybylainie

Image Credits
Tiffany Camacho Jamie Monzon Caitlin Mathews