We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Graffam a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I knew from an early age that I liked helping people. I didn’t know how that would translate into a career or adulthood, but now that I am in the Cosmetic Tattoo Industry it all feels so right. Before getting into this industry, when I was trying to figure out a career path, I was stuck between nursing and fashion design. Very different careers, I know. I was drawn to nursing because of my desire to help people and I was drawn to fashion design because I loved being creative and working with my hands. I ended up going to art school in Chicago and pursing fashion. When I moved back to Nashville, I got a job as a seamstress at a small business I really looked up to. This was an extremely pivotal part in my life. I got to see the inner workings of a small business. A place that valued its employees as well as customers. A place that created clothing that made people feel confident in themselves. I was sewing clothing that made someone feel empowered and happy. While I was there, I was inspired seeing my own boss achieve her dreams and wanted to branch out on my own. My sister suggested I get into cosmetic tattoos. I decided, why not and booked a plane ticket to New York to take a class. I immediately fell in love with this craft. It is creative, yet technical and has the ability to make people feel so much more confident in themselves. Now that I’ve been doing permanent makeup for over 5 years, I know wholeheartedly that I’ve found my purpose. I’m inspired daily by the talented, kind, amazing people that trust me with their faces. I’m so honored by each person who books with me and it makes me so happy that I get to help these people feel better about themselves. I also love that I’m in an industry where growth and learning is always encouraged. I’m always working on getting better at my craft and I to me that is something I really value.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I own Primrose Beauty Studio and I am a cosmetic tattoo artist in Nolensville, TN. I offer Nano Brows, Powder Brows and Lip Blush. I specialize in permanent makeup that enhances my clients natural beauty and make them feel their best. Every service is extremely customizable to each client. I love that no set of brows will be the same! In the last year I started offering trainings and apprenticeships. I have fallen in love with training people in PMU. It has been so fun and rewarding. I teach beginners as well as other artists who want to learn my techniques and feel more confident in their skills. I currently have 2 apprentices that are going through a year long mentorship with me and it is just the best. I care so much for each client that walks through the door, and my goal is always to provide the best service to them. I love that I’m able to train my apprentices to feel confident in their work so they can go out in the world and also make people feel amazing! I am expanding into a larger space next year and will be growing the business. I always feel like it’s important to get out of my comfort zone and continue to grow. This expansion will allow for my team to get bigger as well as Primrose Beauty Studio to be able to offer other beauty services beyond just PMU. I’m super excited for 2025!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. – Resilience is so tough but honestly so important. When I first started this career I was so scared. I was starting a new career and was afraid I wasn’t good enough and that I would fail. I still feel a lot of these things. It is not something that just disappears, but it’s something I’ve learned to use to my advantage and learn from. I think for me, having a strong support system with people who believe in me has really helped me be more resilient. I think you can’t do everything on your own and sometimes as a business owner it is hard to lean on other people. Just learning that has made a big impact on me.
2. – Practice is something I thought you only did when learning a new skill. That really isn’t the case with permanent makeup. I practice all the time even 5 years in. I think it’s so important to treat every client with the most care and part of doing that is practicing your craft all the time. I think having the desire to keep getting better is something that is so necessary in this industry. We have the opportunity to keep improving and learning, so why wouldn’t we?
3. – I think patience and loving what you do in this industry is necessary. It isn’t easy to master these techniques and build a clientele from scratch. It is super rewarding and something that takes time. I think just staying positive and inspired is so important when starting out and even years in!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I think moments of being overwheled are just a given when it comes to being a business owner. There are always fires to put out and never-ending To Do lists. I have always struggled to find a balance with life and work. When owning a business, it can feel like you are working 24/7. I think this will always be a struggle, but finding ways to block out time for rest in my calendar has been a game changer. I block out time as though I’m at work, but the goal is to read a book, or hang out with friends. Anything other than work. I try to stay super organized and my calendar is my best friend. Starting each week by laying out my week and scheduling everything, even when I’m supposed to relax, is super helpful. What has also helped me is surrounding myself with other business owners and having a good support system. I am lucky to have really great friends, many of whom also own small businesses, and nothing is as inspiring as seeing them overcome hurdles and being there for each other. I really think it takes more than just me to run my business. I have my husband who is my biggest cheerleader, I have supportive friends who I can run ideas by or even collaborate with. It makes any obstacles feel more doable and less daunting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.primrosebeautystudio.com/
- Instagram: @emily.primrose.beauty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primrosebeautystudio/
Image Credits
Photographer: Ashley Kaneko (@ashbranding.co)
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