We were lucky to catch up with Richie Allyn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Richie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

The first time I realized that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally was in 2021 after I left my 9-5. I have been involved in the creative arts since elementary school. I stayed in school plays, poetry contests, talent shows, literally anything to express my creativity. I then went to a performing arts high school, where I majored in vocals. Subconsciously, I always knew I was one of those people who strived in creative environments, but I chose jobs that did not necessarily align with that. It took a while for me to realize that having the ability to create or being surrounded by the creative arts, are a HUGE part of who I am.

In 2021, I had a lot of time to reflect on my career choices and I realized I was not satisfied because I was not choosing paths that aligned with who I am. From there, I told myself that I would no longer shrink myself to fit into some job description just to be able to say that “I work here.” I know what I want, and I know what I enjoy doing, so I will do exactly that!

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 background and context?

I’m a Philadelphia native. I was born to create and inspire through all of my passions. I feel like when you look up “creative” I should be an example. I like to inspire whether that’s through makeup artistry, writing, painting, anything and any way I can express myself creatively. I try not to put myself in a box because I can do so much and like to be remembered that way.

I have been involved in the creative arts since elementary school. I was always in school plays, poetry contests, talent shows, literally anything to express my creativity. I then went to a performing arts high school, where I majored in vocals. My love for makeup artistry grew while in college. I started watching YouTube videos, practicing on myself, and just buying products here and there. Next thing I knew, I was doing friend’s makeup for certain occasions, and I grew from there. I started taking on more opportunities: photoshoots, weddings, Philly Fashion Week, special occasions, etc.

I really pride myself on making my clients feel and look good. A lot of my clients are first timers, they never wore makeup before, so I enjoy showing them that yes you can pay for a full-face makeup application and still look like yourself (which I noticed is a lot of their fears and reasons they do not get their face done).

I think what sets me apart from other artists is that I do not just do makeup. Makeup artistry is just one of my passions. Aside from making my clients look and feel good, I also like to think of myself as a humanitarian. I remember back in elementary school, maybe first or second grade, the class was reviewing those interactive career flashcards. The cards had the name of the career and a picture on it. I remember how the “humanitarian” card stuck out to me, but of course I did not think too much of it because I was young. It was not until a few months ago and after realizing the type of work I do outside of my creative passions, that I am a humanitarian. It started around 2016, when I interned for Philadelphia City Hall. From there, I went onto working at a non-profit where I was responsible for contributing to the welfare of residents in low-income communities throughout Philadelphia by providing relief through public health, food security and other resources.

While working there, I became more involved in the community: coordinating community events such as community give backs, assisting clients obtain certain things such as their GED, housing, medical assistance. I was able to visit other non-profits throughout the city and form partnerships, which inspired me to start my own. A few months after writing this goal down, a friend contacted me about an opportunity to help a mutual friend start a non-profit, Heal the Hood Project. Our non-profit was in response to COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of public health resources in the community.

Today, Heal the Hood Project has served over 3,500 people in Philadelphia by providing access to food, wellness and education. Heal the Hood Project created its first enrichment program in 2021 called STEAAM (science, tech, entrepreneurship, arts, activism and math) that serves over 75 low-income girls.

I am proud of the fact that I am chasing after my goals. Younger me would definitely be proud of the woman I am becoming and that is all that matters.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the fact that I am inspiring people, whether that is by picking up a makeup brush to become a makeup artist, a paint brush, starting a blog, or non-profit or simply by just promoting their work on social media. It makes me feel good when I post my work and people’s responses are “I’m trying this next!” or “You inspired me to do such and such.” I think a big part of being an artist/creative is just knowing that you are inspiring someone somewhere to just go for it.

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.

I think one thing non-creatives might struggle to understand about my journey as a creative is that I do not stick to just ONE thing. I have my hands in many hats, but as stated before, they all align with who I am and what I feel as though I am destined to do. I think we as a society are taught to find “a” passion, or something we are good at and just stick with it for years. As a whole, we are not encouraged to venture outside of our career goals and actually find things we enjoy doing, things that fulfill us outside of our 9-5. For me, I not only see myself as a successful makeup artist, but I also see me being a successful entertainment lawyer with a non-profit focused on public health, that will eventually be known on a global level. I always thought there was a straight and narrow path to achieving my goals, but I was wrong. There will always be an end goal, and I will always work towards that, but I will also venture off course because there is no right way to become what I want to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.healthehoodproject.com | www.everythingbeautybyrich.com
• Instagram: @richieallyn and @everythingbeautybyrich
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richangoodman/
• Other: Tiktok: @richieallyn Pinterest: @richieallyn

Image Credits
Photographers: @_j.bullock @stgphotograph.y @5smphotos Models: @samorah.j @reyesli_ @iamsoca_