Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Bertsch. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Megan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I have! I often get asked, “So you do JUST makeup?” and I’m happy to report that, yes, I get to do what I love full time. It definitely wasn’t always like that, but I think it happened the way it was meant to. I started as a very young makeup artist working retail or other jobs in my field to make ends meet for years. I also assisted under lots of other artists to gain experience. I think education is key and knowing exactly what you enjoy doing and want out of your business. I am glad my business didn’t take off until I was older because I’m much more mature now and those stepping stones make me the artist I am today. My advice for those starting out though would be to take advantage of social media. I didn’t have those tools in the beginning and I’ve seen careers take off so fast using these free resources!
Megan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a midwest-based makeup artist specializing in glam for photography, pageants and brides. My job is all about relationships and getting my clients ready for all the big moments in their lives. I think especially us women put a lot of power into our appearance, and it means the world to have someone in your corner you trust completely with that. I’d like to think I’m an art nerd and professional hype woman. I love creating and developing my skills, especially under HD photography. But I also love laughing and crying with clients and helping them feel like they can do anything. It’s like they always say; look good, feel good, do good.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started my independent business pretty unexpectedly. It was also mid-pandemic. So I think what helped me the most with social media was literally not having a choice. I knew the only way to get my first clients in the door was to go out and get them. I had a bullet journal at the time and wrote “post” in it every other day. I had no idea what I was going to post, but I was going to show up no matter what. I think this led to the authentic brand I have now and drastically reduced my fear of if the content was “good enough”. We all get frozen in that fear from time to time, but I recommend pushing through and staying consistent. I think the key to growing your ideal following is showing them the real you, even when you don’t think that’s good enough. We’re our own worst critic!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I think the biggest lesson I had to unlearn was pleasing everyone but yourself. For the longest time, I thought owning a business meant I had to give all of myself to everyone all the time. I’ve learned the hard way over and over again that this leads to burnout and isn’t sustainable. Especially starting out, I think you usually have more time resources than money and you’re so willing to give it away hoping it will get you ahead. Some projects can, but some won’t and you could have spent that time working on your business or recharging. It’s easy to forgot you’re not just a person, but a business. So ideally every opportunity should align with your mission and give something back, be it connections, content or profit. If you find you’re working so hard, but feel like you have nothing to show for it, you may need to look internally and reprioritize your time. And please take your days off!
Contact Info:
- Website: meganbertschbeauty.com
- Instagram: meganbertschbeauty
- Facebook: meganbertschbeauty
Image Credits
Maggie Sweets Julia Gladush Jaice Shakespeare