[01:00:00:00 - 01:00:16:07]
Speaker 1
This is episode 55 of the Artist to Artist podcast. This is the podcast for self-taught and undertrained makeup artists who are ready to stop second guessing themselves and start showing up like pros. I'm Angie and if you're tired of feeling like you're faking it until you make it, you are in the right place.
[01:00:16:07 - 01:00:34:09]
Speaker 1
Today, we're talking about something that I think holds a lot of new MUA's back and if I'm being honest, it held me back for way longer than I want to admit and that is your station setup. And I guess if we're being specific, how the way you set up your station on a job is probably slowing you down, making you uncomfortable.
[01:00:34:09 - 01:00:40:09]
Speaker 1
because you are uncomfortable, it might be chipping away at your confidence on the job as well.
[01:00:40:09 - 01:00:49:01]
Speaker 1
Let me tell you about what used to happen to me on set. I would show up, I would find my spot or be pointed in the direction of my spot and immediately, I just start setting up.
[01:00:50:01 - 01:00:56:10]
Speaker 1
Sometimes setting up the way I always do on repeat, almost like a robot without thinking about what I was doing.
[01:00:56:10 - 01:01:03:02]
Speaker 1
I would think about all the setups that I had seen on social, what might be more efficient, what artists who I was following do with their setup.
[01:01:03:02 - 01:01:08:07]
Speaker 1
I would be paying attention to whether or not people on set were watching me set up, you know how it goes.
[01:01:08:07 - 01:01:17:12]
Speaker 1
I was very focused on how I was appearing to other people, to other artists that were there, to the client, to anybody watching, models, whoever.
[01:01:17:12 - 01:01:21:14]
Speaker 1
But I wasn't asking myself what is probably the most basic question,
[01:01:21:14 - 01:01:22:20]
Speaker 1
am I comfortable?
[01:01:22:20 - 01:01:30:17]
Speaker 1
And I definitely was not. I would be hunched over a table that was too low. There's tons of content of me out there working like this.
[01:01:30:17 - 01:01:36:12]
Speaker 1
Or I'd have my kit shoved into a corner where I couldn't reach half my products, couldn't get into my bags.
[01:01:36:12 - 01:01:46:14]
Speaker 1
I'd be working with a chair that had me bending my back or twisting around in really weird ways for hours on end. But did I fix this? No, I did not. I just stayed uncomfortable
[01:01:46:14 - 01:01:55:14]
Speaker 1
Looking back, it kind of feels like I was in this trance. I thought the goal was to just blend in, not make a scene, and definitely not ask for anything.
[01:01:55:14 - 01:02:06:04]
Speaker 1
And I think a lot of new MUAs are in that same trance. You're so busy watching what everyone else is doing or worrying about how you look that you forget to set yourself up to actually do good work.
[01:02:06:04 - 01:02:13:02]
Speaker 1
For me, the shift where I started to prioritize my space and my station setup, this happened very gradually.
[01:02:13:02 - 01:02:27:16]
Speaker 1
As I started getting more consistent work, especially work where clients were asking more and more of me, I realized something. I am a valuable person on set. I am valuable to my clients. I'm doing something that matters.
[01:02:27:16 - 01:02:42:06]
Speaker 1
I'm helping create images that are going to be used in campaigns or I'm doing makeup for someone's wedding day, pictures that they're going to look at for the rest of their life. And if I'm that valuable, then at the very least, I should be comfortable doing the job that I'm hired to do.
[01:02:42:06 - 01:02:45:01]
Speaker 1
So I started asking for what I needed. And I'm not talking
[01:02:45:01 - 01:02:51:02]
Speaker 1
being demanding or difficult. I'm talking about very simple, reasonable things that made my job easier.
[01:02:51:02 - 01:03:01:06]
Speaker 1
bigger tables or a bigger space to set up in, extra chairs, a garbage can instead of trying to stuff things into a tiny dog poo bag all day.
[01:03:01:06 - 01:03:11:19]
Speaker 1
And what I learned was that nobody really cared that I was asking for these things. And in fact, most of the time, people were very happy to help. They just didn't know what I needed because I wasn't asking.
[01:03:11:19 - 01:03:19:16]
Speaker 1
So why does set up matter so much? Because speed isn't just about how fast your hands move, what steps you're skipping.
[01:03:19:16 - 01:03:25:19]
Speaker 1
It's really about how much mental energy you're wasting on things that shouldn't take any energy at all.
[01:03:25:19 - 01:03:50:15]
Speaker 1
When your station is chaotic, you're spending mental bandwidth searching for products. You're breaking your rhythm of application every time you have to dig through your kit or reach across the table or move other things to grab something that you should have had within an arm's reach. And all of that adds up. It slows you down. It makes you look less confident. And honestly, I think it just makes the job harder than it needs to be.
[01:03:50:15 - 01:04:01:04]
Speaker 1
But when your station setup is right, you're kind of in this flow state and you know where everything is. You're not thinking about your setup. You are thinking more about the work that's in front of you.
[01:04:01:04 - 01:04:19:09]
Speaker 1
Let's talk about what actually makes a setup work. And I think the first thing is space. You need room to move and I don't just mean space on a tabletop. I mean room to walk around your client or model, room to step back and see your work, room to not feel cramped and like everybody's on top of you.
[01:04:19:09 - 01:04:28:04]
Speaker 1
And here's the thing. If the space you're given isn't working, you are allowed to change it. There might not be other options for you, but that doesn't mean you can't ask.
[01:04:28:04 - 01:04:44:06]
Speaker 1
Move the chair, move the table, ask for a different spot. I always take a photo before I move anything when I'm working, especially if I'm in someone's home or on location so I can put it back exactly how it was. But I give myself permission to make the space work for me and I adjust as I go.
[01:04:44:06 - 01:04:51:12]
Speaker 1
I don't use the same chair for the entire application. If I'm doing lashes, for instance, I like my clients to be a little bit lower.
[01:04:51:12 - 01:05:01:05]
Speaker 1
complexion work, I like my clients to be a little bit higher. So I adjust. It takes two seconds and it saves my back and my brain and what I'm focused on.
[01:05:01:05 - 01:05:10:21]
Speaker 1
So your space and how you can get it to work for you is a first priority. Second thing is the layout of your actual kit. And this is something I see a lot of people struggle with.
[01:05:10:21 - 01:05:18:16]
Speaker 1
If your kit is just stuff everywhere, you're pulling things out as you need them, like going through a grocery cart. By the end of the application, it's
[01:05:18:16 - 01:05:36:06]
Speaker 1
It's important that you try to maybe organize your kit products by zone, maybe your skin prep together, your eyeshadows together, your lip products together, your tools in one spot, your disposables in another spot. It sounds very basic, but it's the difference between searching and then scrambling or reaching for things.
[01:05:36:06 - 01:05:42:16]
Speaker 1
The third thing I wanted to mention, have everything that you need within arms reach with nothing in your way.
[01:05:42:16 - 01:05:44:15]
Speaker 1
This isn't just about being efficient.
[01:05:44:15 - 01:06:13:12]
Speaker 1
If you have to turn around, bend over, stretch unnecessarily, or move things to get a product, your setup isn't quite done yet. If you're knocking over things all the time, your setup is going to need some work. On the flip side, if you have too many things on your station that are in your way that you're not using, move them out of the way or put them back in your kit. You do not need your entire kit on the table. You need what you're using for that job or that person.
[01:06:13:12 - 01:06:27:16]
Speaker 1
Fourth thing is garbage management. My favorite thing. I know this is boring, might sound a little odd, but if you're trying to stuff dirty sponges, tissues, disposables into a little plastic bag all day, you are wasting your time and energy. I did this for years.
[01:06:27:16 - 01:06:29:18]
Speaker 1
It would drive me crazy, but I would keep doing it.
[01:06:29:18 - 01:06:39:09]
Speaker 1
You can ask for a garbage can or you can bring a smaller garbage bin that you can use. I use a collapsible garbage thing that's normally used in cars
[01:06:39:09 - 01:06:50:11]
Speaker 1
just use a bag that's actually big enough. Just don't let trash pile up on your station. It's distracting. It looks gross. It's unprofessional and it's one more thing taking up space in your brain.
[01:06:50:11 - 01:07:03:13]
Speaker 1
Next up, lighting and chair height. You will learn this the hard way like I did. I would always just do my client's makeup on whatever chair is available. I would only use available lighting. Let me tell you, these are times where I was not doing my best work.
[01:07:03:13 - 01:07:20:16]
Speaker 1
the lighting isn't good, you can ask to move or better yet, always bring your own lighting. I tell everyone this. Your lighting is just as important as your brushes and the products in your kit. You cannot do good work if you cannot see. It's very plain and simple. And as we know, I've talked about this on many episodes in a lot of the content that I share.
[01:07:20:16 - 01:07:37:13]
Speaker 1
so important. So you've got to have a light not only to see to do your makeup applications, but also to get content and chair height again, adjust as you go. Everybody's body is different. How people like to work is different. You don't have to commit to one height for the entire application. You can make it work for your body.
[01:07:38:13 - 01:07:54:18]
Speaker 1
How I think about it is, if you worked in an office every day, you'd set it up to be comfortable, right? You'd get a chair, you'd get a little back support thing going on, you'd put up pictures of your family or your cat or whatever. You'd choose maybe a plant or some accessories you want to look at.
[01:07:54:18 - 01:08:11:01]
Speaker 1
You'd organize your desk in a way that makes sense for how you work. In our case, our office is different every single time we work, but that doesn't mean that we can't make it work for us. You are allowed to move things. You're allowed to ask for what you need and you're allowed to set yourself up for success.
[01:08:11:01 - 01:08:41:12]
Speaker 1
course, I'm going to leave you with some things that you can do right after you finish listening to this episode. Go take a look at your kit right now. How is it organized? If the answer is, it is not organized. That's your first step. Reorganize it by zones, as I mentioned. That's usually what I do. Face products together, eyes together, lips together, tools in one section. It's going to feel like a small thing, but the next time you're on a job, you will notice a difference. Then the next time you're on set or you're at someone's home or whatever it is, you want to ask yourself, "Am I comfortable?"
[01:08:41:12 - 01:08:42:13]
Speaker 1
Don't think about
[01:08:42:13 - 01:08:50:03]
Speaker 1
is everyone else doing. What setup did I see on social from this artist that I like? Let me go look at it before I set up. Just, "Am I comfortable?"
[01:08:50:03 - 01:09:01:04]
Speaker 1
the answer is no, move the chair. Ask for a bigger table. Ask for another table. Use a side table. Adjust your lighting. Give yourself permission and time to set up in a way that works for you.
[01:09:01:04 - 01:09:17:13]
Speaker 1
if this is something that resonated with you, if you're realizing that potentially a lot of your speed issues are actually maybe a setup problem or a permission problem or a confidence problem, that's exactly what we're working on inside the Artist to Artist membership this month.
[01:09:17:13 - 01:09:29:16]
Speaker 1
October is all about speed and on the job workflow, but not just the technical side in terms of what you can do with your applications. We're talking about the mindset shifts that allow you to move faster without feeling rushed,
[01:09:29:16 - 01:09:38:01]
Speaker 1
yourself up in a way that works for your body and your process, how to direct clients and models when you are under pressure and you do have to be quick,
[01:09:38:01 - 01:10:09:01]
Speaker 1
and of course how to troubleshoot on the fly when things with your makeup application go wrong. There's also a monthly challenge. It's a 3x30 speed drill, that's what I decided to call it, where you'll do three-timed makeup applications and reflect on what's actually slowing you down, not to stress you out but to help you see where the gaps in your application might be. So if you're tired of feeling slow or you're tired of second-guessing yourself on jobs, come try the membership for free for seven days. I'll share the link in the show notes. No pressure, just come and see if it's a good fit.
[01:10:09:01 - 01:10:11:13]
Speaker 1
Hope you all have a good week. I will see you in the next episode.
