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

Noelle, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Burn the boats they told me. At least that was what I had heard so many entrepreneurs scream out on so many podcasts I had been listening to for inspiration and hope. I was stuck on what felt like a hamster wheel of frustration, debt, stress and constant anxiety. Oh yeah and health issues brought on by sleepless nights and all the above mentioned.
I had been a retail manager for 25 years on a constant hustle trying to just make ends meet taking bartending and waitressing jobs while my offspring were young barely affording my home in Long Island, NY. My dream? To leave a positive impact on this world through my creativity. I felt my talents were a gift and I had a responsibility to pay it forward.
But how?
Starving artist and single mom don’t necessarily translate in the real world.
Every day I walked into my retail management job felt like I was getting closer to snapping. It was draining the person I was when I first started. I love the people. I yearned to connect with them. To help them. To heal them. That was not what corporate wanted. They cared only about crunching numbers, payroll, staffing goals and profit. It just never felt like it fit although I was good at it I kept hearing whispers in the back of my head ‘this is not your end goal.’
Fast forward to my 25th year.
Over $50,000 in debt. Health issues stacking, I get the crazy idea to start my business. With a background and education in photography, art, event planning, makeup artistry and styling I had no idea where to start so I tried it all. My plan was to hang on just 3 more months to hopefully pay some of my debt down by some miracle so I could somehow create my new path. I had been doing art shows across the country bodypainting live but spent more than I made. I had no direction but the passion to combine art and helping people.
That’s when the universe stepped in.
I remember it clearly. I had been ‘scolded’ by upper management for a sign missing in a department I was overseeing and I walked into the bathroom stall and cried. I had had it. This was my breaking point.
News came out that the company was downsizing (later we found out it was going out of business) and layoffs were happening. One by one managers were being let go and I thought well I need that to be me because THAT would be the kick in the pants maybe I needed.
The universe came through.
I walked out of the office severance package in hand which would only cover my expenses the next couple of months and smiled. This was it. It’s now or never.
It did not come without its challenges and most definitely not right away but what I noticed most from the very start of it was once I learned to quiet my mind from all the nonsense and distractions I was experiencing day to day the guidance was always there.
I would worry where I would get my first clients from and go to bed thinking of ways to reach people and suddenly the next day someone reached out to me. I advertised on all of my social media that I had opened a photography studio and contacted all of my friends, family and connections through all of my various jobs throughout my past. Every time I worried if I was heading in the right direction I would hear a whispering in the back of my head but this time instead saying ‘keep going.’
The voice kept getting louder if I ever fell off track. There were signs everywhere if I took side jobs or went back to bartending that would show me somehow ‘that is not your path.’
At first I was giving my services away just to create awareness and establish myself in my new venture. Then little by little I started making some actual money. I started working less and less at all of my side hustles. I would make deals with myself that ‘if I book a client this week then next week I don’t take that shift at the bar.’ And it worked.
I had the support of so many amazing people who felt my passion and wanted to see me shine and for that I am grateful. As I got closer and closer to paying my debt off I was finally able to ‘burn the boats’ and go all in.
I was terrified.
But determined.
Along the way my calling became clear. To use my creativity and all of my experience from all of the various industries I had worked and so was born ‘Self Love Luxury experiences’
What started as a dream became a goal and now my livelihood and purpose in life. I love what I do for every woman that graces my studios or events I create and host. I have created a brand that promotes self love among women through creative and inspiring experiences. I am 100% sustained from my business, have an amazing assistant and run a 1200+ all women group on Facebook that supports all aspects of women by providing them local vendors, therapists and resources to empower their growth and nurture self love. Had I not gone all in and burned the boats when I did I never would have allowed my path to be presented to me.
I truly believe that when you have a calling in life, the universe will always whisper until you don’t listen and then it screams.

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?

My studios are focused (no pun intended) on creating self love luxury experiences for all women to discover their magic within. I create individual experiences in studio as well as group events that connect local female vendors, entrepreneurs and other specialists to provide fun activities and opportunities to educate and empower. My clients whom I call my ‘muses’ are the ones who inspire me. I am grateful and honored with each one who places their trust in me to help them on their self love journey.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In order to be where I am today I had to change my mindset first. People have asked if I wished I did this sooner and I always say I couldn’t have. My mindset was stuck on all the limiting beliefs I was told or created in my head. I had originally went to college for law because I wanted to help people and thought that was the best way. When I wanted to switch my major to art, I had family tell me I would never make a living doing that. That stuck with me. Now I tell my son and daughter quite the opposite. The cost of not fulfilling your dreams will far surpass any financial debt you may ever encounter.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Be genuine. Do everything for the love of what you do and how you can serve others.
Anyone given these gifts has a responsibility to use them to make the world a better place. It’s never about the money, it’s about the mission to help others. The money will come and when it does pour it right back in to your purpose and keep building.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.noellecarina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noellecarina?igsh=MWhvaWV1aGRmdzFtdQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noellecarinamakeupphoto?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/share/NxfjJqGgTNTvP7A8/?mibextid=K35XfP