We were lucky to catch up with Shaina Paulson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shaina, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethic from my drive to succeed and advance in my career. I know that talent and natural ability can only take you so far. In this industry the effort, time, and intentions you put in will take you further than waiting for things to come to you. My mother is also a huge influence on my work ethic. She always managed to juggle raising a family and putting in long hours into her career while finding time to have a thriving social life as well. Growing up with her was a great example of stretching out the hours in the day to get as much done as possible.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Shaina Paulson and I am a professional Makeup Artist based in Los Angeles, California. I began my makeup journey in 2016 when I booked a one way ticket and moved across the country from Rockville, Maryland to LA. It was the best decision I’ve ever made to make the jump into the unknown and pursue my career as a Makeup Artist in the film industry. I am a self taught MUA. I do beauty makeup, special effects makeup, and body painting. I love having a range of skills so each job and each makeup will be different and exciting whether it be bringing out an actor’s natural beauty or completely transforming their look into a creature. When I first moved to LA I didn’t have any contacts, clients, or connections so I would just cold-message different artists, celebrities, directors, producers, photographers, etc. whose work I really liked and respected. I would send them my information and portfolio and luckily a few responded that I had the honor to work with and from there I just continued to meet as many people as I could and build my network of talented artist I loved working with. It took about a year and a half to 2 years for me to quit all my side gigs (I was working 3-4 jobs at a time to make ends meet) and work as a full time freelance artist. It was the best and scariest feeling in the world leaving behind that safety net and embracing being a full time artist.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills/qualities that I think are important in this industry are: 1. Always lead with kindness and pure intentions. Whatever your goal is and whatever you are working toward always do it with good intent and never compromise your morals to get there.
2. Never stop learning. Even when you think you’ve completely mastered a skill, there will always be new technology, products, techniques, and trends that will arise that you can learn and grow from. Growth is never ending and learning from fellow artists is a continuous state being no matter how many decades you’ve put into the industry. It also keeps the excitement and wonder alive by having new things to learn and achieve.
3. Take the risk. Whatever it is you’ve been thinking of doing or wanting to do but don’t think is “realistic”, do it. Take the leap and go for it because trying something and not succeeding is always better than never giving yourself the chance to try and wondering what could have been. Living a life of regret and wonder is will wear on you more than you giving it your all. Especially if you’re lucky enough to have something you are passionate about pursing in your life.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
The artist and film community in LA has been the most helpful to me in overcoming any challenges I faced and developing essential skills and knowledge I needed to be successful in this career. I have made such meaningful friendships through this community and met so many amazing artists from all departments who I’m constantly inspired by and in awe of. Surrounding yourself with a good, supportive, determined group of people is one of the most important facets of pursuing a career as a full time artist. Having people to go to for advice, to lean on, to motivate and inspire you to keep going, or just a shoulder for comfort is such an important pillar to longevity in this career.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shainamakeupfx.com
- Instagram: @shaina_makeupfx
- Other: Tiktok: shaina_makeupfx
