How I Became A Master Lash Artist in Under 1 Year
Every week for the past 9 years, I’ve been blessed to receive messages from lash artists all over the world complimenting my lash work. It is truly flattering and I am so grateful to have a career where I get to share my passion and inspire others.
What many people don’t know is that although I have been doing this now for nearly 12 years, the first few years were rocky for me and I wasn’t creating lash art that I was proud of. In fact, there were many times I almost gave up on lash extensions to go back to my roots as a hair extension artist.
But as you can see, I didn’t quit. Instead I stuck it out and within a year’s time, I got tools I needed to change the direction of my career and quality of my work. So what did I do to turn it all around? Keep reading to find out.
SELF AWARENESS
The first thing I had to do was get real with myself and that part was pretty easy. I could see the lash art of other artists and compared to mine, it made it clear that I wasn’t the best artist out there and I still had a lot to learn. The first step to becoming a better artist is getting super clear on where you are now. What are your strengths? What areas can you improve? Change and growth starts with self awareness.
This doesn’t mean you have to beat yourself up or be hard on yourself. It’s just a simple mental note you need to make so you know what next steps you need to take in order to grow.
ASK
I was desperate to become a better artist so I reached out to salons in other states that trained with the company I trained with and asked for pointers. I called outside of the state because I knew if I called local artists, they might see me as a potential threat or competitor and be less willing to help. When I did this, some artists blew me off likely because there was no benefit in their eyes to help me. But there were also a handful that were super helpful. From my persistence, I managed to get a salon owner on the line and in that conversation, she encouraged me to try different products. Especially adhesives. She said that there were so many different adhesives out there that were likely better than what I’d been using so I took her advice and I’m glad I did because that nugget of advice was a game changer.
So after you’ve acknowledged where you are, the easiest thing you can do is reach out to your peers and ask. 12 years ago I had to pick up the phone and make phone calls. But these days, you can join Facebook groups like one I created called, “Master Eyelash Artists” and there you can share with your peers, ask questions and get support to help you grow as an artist.
PRACTICE
After finding a better adhesive, I practiced like a mad woman. I worked on anyone I could like friends and family and I would keep their lashes up so I had regular practice. When I wasn’t working on someone, I would sketch out different designs for various eye shapes and I would try them out when I had a client. Every day, I would do something lash related. Even if it was sitting in front of the TV in the evening with a sponge and my adhesive practicing lash placement or figuring out how much adhesive I needed to use to get a nearly seamless bond. I was committed. And within a matter of a year, the quality of my work had improved tremendously.
Maybe you’re new to this industry and you see all of this beautiful lash work by other artists and want your work to look just like theirs. Or maybe you’re like I was in the beginning where you’ve been at this for a while and need help improving the quality of your lash work. When you practice doing the right things often, that’s when you see a dramatic change. As Anthony Robbins puts it, “repetition is the mother of skill.”
I hope that by sharing this, I’ve helped you to become a master eyelash artist. Feel free to join my free Facebook group and once you’ve done that, leave comment below sharing one thing you’d like to dramatically improve in your lash career within the next 60 days.