We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sandra Capaccio. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sandra below.
Sandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
To say that my parents have supported my career choices would be a massive understatement. My parents have shown my sisters and I from day 1 that when you work hard for what you want, it will always pay off. Right out of high school, there were so many decisions that I could’ve made to further my education, but College didn’t seem right for the type of creative outlet I’ve always been interested in. My dad spent his working years in the trades as a Laborer, so the conversation of “I’m not actually going to College” didn’t even make them flinch. If anything, they were excited to be a part of the new journey with me when it came to touring trade schools, meeting the facilitators there and talking about the future of what could be by going into a career like Esthetics. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t have the support of my family.
Every decision that I make towards my career is discussed with who I call my “Momager”, Dominica. My mom has always had my best interest at heart and she sees the potential of the next new project that I want to take on. Recently, we decided to take the leap and acquire a studio for clients to come to me and get their Makeup done for special events. My mom was with me during the whole process, and I can’t thank her enough for being there during the good and the bad when it comes to working in the Beauty Industry. All this to say that without my parents leading by example, Artistry by Sandra, LLC., would not be as successful as it is now!
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 interest in becoming a Makeup Artist started during the last year of high school. I was extremely interested in color theory, always thriving during projects that included using the creative side of the brain. I decided that College was not going to be the route that I was going to take, so I started looking into careers in the Beauty Industry. I knew Cosmetology/Hair wasn’t going to be centered around what I was most interested in, so I figured I’d get my Skin Care Specialist license as in the state of New Jersey, you cannot be licensed as a Professional Makeup Artist.
I started Esthetics training and ended up falling in love with the slow paced, calm environment that being an esthetician can provide. Unfortunately, there was still something missing; the creative outlet portion. So, I became obsessed with learning all I could learn from YouTube while in training to be an Esthetician. Fast forward to Graduation & passing State Boards, I was ready to take on clients and the next step of my journey. From teaching classes to clients at Sephora, to acquiring an LLC for Artistry by Sandra, I feel like I’ve already lived a thousand lives in this industry.
Which brings us to the present! For the past 10 years I’ve been working as a Professional Makeup Artist, specializing in Bridal Makeup Artistry. I just opened my studio right in Hammonton, NJ which allows me to have a work/life balance. It has been life changing to say the least. I’m able to create my ideal environment for myself and my clients, and I sincerely feel like that’s what’s made me thrive the most as an Artist.
This industry is extremely rewarding, I genuinely can’t imagine anything better than the privilege of being a part of the brides’ most special day. I never take that honor lightly and I really think that’s what keeps me going on the days that I want to throw discipline out the window!
The discipline this career takes can be described as not being for the weak. It’s staying in on the weekends because you know you have a 2-hour commute at 4am the next morning, it’s spending an astronomical amount of money on products that you’ll never put on your own face. It’s the paperwork that needs to be done, the accountants that have to be paid, the networking and social media demands that make you feel like your phone has become an extension of your hand at some points.
I think the biggest thing that sets me apart from others in the industry is the pride I take in my work. I feel it is evident throughout the day I provide for Brides’ & their party. Being in this industry, there is a certain type of confidence you must have in order to have the ability to say “I believe I’m good enough to put myself out there and I’m even willing to advertise that”, so I make sure that my work and work ethic on location proves that. I become best friends with whoever is in my chair at any given moment, while being their sense of calm for what could be an extremely stressful morning.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I feel like the year of 2020 was a game changer for so many people, but especially those who ran their business through close human interactions. When Covid hit, I was working at a spa as a manager & makeup artist after spending years in the cosmetic retail industry. It was a beautiful change of pace and intentions while being in the beauty industry. Unfortunately, while the virus spread, so did the lack of work. I was then given the opportunity to work for a Laborers’ Union, the same one my dad works for. It was a huge decision to make because I knew that my priority to becoming a business owner with my Artistry would have to take a massive back-seat. Instead of memorizing foundation formulas, I was now trying to memorize how many hours were in a Concrete Class. Instead of maintaining my Instagram with client “before & after’s”, I was learning the proper terms for Apprentices & Journeyworkers.
In December of 2020, I had a slight health emergency which forced me to make myself a priority. I was at home quarantining until the date of my surgery, and for about a month after. Needless to say, throwing myself back into the industry where I was within 4 inches of someone’s face really wasn’t an option. I became scared to put myself out there and risk something affecting me just to fulfill a dream of mine, but I believe in the Universe and what she has to provide. It turns out this hiatus made me realize that my place in this world is to try and work both as a Makeup Artist, and for the Laborer’s Union.
When restrictions were lifted, I felt confident in myself & my health to open my books and see if I could get appointments rolling again. To my surprise, there were so many loyal clients who wanted to get their Makeup done and couldn’t be happier that I was available for them again. I will never be able to thank everyone enough for that, I definitely wouldn’t have been as motivated to push through the fear without them.
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 a huge lesson that I had to unlearn was that followers on social media doesn’t equate to notoriety. There are so many Artists on social media that could have a huge following, but don’t always have actual clients in their chair. In my opinion, social media has a tendency to be all smoke and mirrors when it comes to transparency. There are certain privileges that accounts can have just based off of the demographic that they advertise to, thus creating more of a following. When starting out, my goal wasn’t to be a content creator, but there are so many hats we all have to wear in order to be a successful business owner. Creating, capturing, and editing content are all examples of those. I had to keep reminding myself that sometimes there are content creators for followers, and clients for makeup artists, and there should be a balance for those in between!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artistrybysandra.com
- Instagram: @artistrybysandrallc
Image Credits
Freyabearphotography meganmcgouldrickphotography