MENTOR OF THE MOMENT

Recently I was asked to speak about my favorite world, Editorial Makeup, at Bennett Institute in Washington DC. There I participated on panel with fab makeup artist to THE star, Ms Oprah Winfrey herself—Sir Reggie Wells (okay I knighted him). Mr. Wells was on the panel sitting along side me—yes right next to me people—I died!!. On our downtime I had an opportunity to have a conversation about the industry, who I wanted to be as an artist and just listening to his own stories. He shared with me his knowledge and wisdom and at that moment he became my mentor. Not mentor for life, not my new BFF but “mentor of the moment”. Not every makeup artists has the time or the will to be a mentor. Please know long-term mentorship is a give and take, not take-take-take. If you receive knowledge then you are to work on your strategies on how to use them on your own, you are to listen and not interrupt, you are to be professional at all times. (More on mentorship at a later time-promise)

When you have the opportunity to meet an artist, speak with that artist and actually get one of your questions asked and answered—that was your moment. Not every experience you have with a mentor must last for years or be followed up with weekly phone calls. Take what you can from that moment learn from it—and then run like hell and implement. I know I did.