Meet Andrea Samuels

We recently connected with Andrea Samuels and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, 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?
Good morning people! To kick things off, I would say I get my work ethic from a combination of my dad and my mother and mostly from myself. I remember my father naturally waking up at 6am without an alarm, smoking about two cigarettes before 8am, then he would be as bright and chipper as a teenager before heading to his construction job. I don’t know how he would have the energy and vibrancy THAT early in the morning, but I remember him always having a great attitude before heading out and I would carry that with me. At the end of the day, the house would reek with the odor of his feet from a 9+ hour day from building the Chicago skyline but he never complained; he would do it all over again the next day. My mother Lyn is not a quitter by any means! When I was born, my mother was the primary caretake of my sister and I, but as we got older, she started to show more of her personal interests in poetry, writing and music. When I was in grammar school, my mom was really influenced by the band from the 60’s called “The Doors” and started writing poetry and making art in her own personal magazine called ‘Mojo Risin’, This was when the AOL chatroom was HOT and alive! lol. My mom was making friends all around the world and they would share poetry in the aol chatrooms. I was about 7 or 8 at the time, I didn’t fully understand it then but I so appreciate it now looking back on things! I really loved and appreciated how she showed peeks of her true self to me which helped me to find my own path and my own way of doing art. Overall as a makeup artist, I would say I have the work ethic of my father combined with the creativity of my mother.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Andrea Samuels, I was born and raised in Chicago IL with my sister Antoinette. We lived in a neighborhood called, “Rogers Park:” which is the most northern part of Chicago before it reaches the suburbs of Evanston. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, I had a vivid imagination and would draw and paint for hours! I started off drawing and sketching people around the age of two. Around age 8, I really wanted to take art more seriously but I just didn’t have any direction on how to start. I was becoming really unfocused in school and started drawing and painting on my math and history homework. My 3rd grade teacher Ms. Hogan paid attention and rather than scold me, helped me re-direct my attention and showed me how to use an art journal. Ms. Hogan also helped me to receive an art scholarship and I started taking art course at The School Of The Art Institute by age 9. I remember being in a room full of adults and a few kids and we would paint and draw together for a semester. This helped me to open my mind to color theory, bone structure and facial anatomy. The scholarship helped me lift my confidence and I started entering into art and painting competitions with the help of my mother. Around high school, I started getting very interested in makeup and fashion. I started playing around with makeup and quickly discovered how similar it is to painting, so I gravitated towards makeup rather quickly. Around the age of 21, I started having the confidence to try makeup on other people and that was when makeup was super fun for me, Fast forward to today, I am a full time makeup artist, hair stylist and beauty educator! I am 39 and I live in Los Angeles, CA. I work in Hollywood tv and film and I also work with a few celebrities; clients like Snoop Dogg, Dwyane Wade, Kelis, Megan Suri, and more!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the three qualities you NEED to have for an impactful journey in life is: 1.) Patience
2.) Flexibility
3.) Resilience
A career in Hollywood is NOT for the faint of heart or for the weak. Los Angeles can feel discouraging sometimes because every week, every day, and every hour is not consistent. If I am not chosen to do a certain job or if I am not called upon to work with someone, I can mentally beat myself up sometimes and over think a situation. When that happens, I really try my best to practice these three things so I don’t lose my mind! I have to constantly remind myself that there is a balance to all things in life, one week is up and one week can be down; either way, I have to make sure that I am balanced within so I cannot be mentally pushed or pulled when life is imbalanced.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I think a challenge I am currently facing is aging! lol. A makeup industry is filled with young faces, YouTubers, macro and micro Influencers and it can feel frustrating when seeing this day in and day out, ESPECIALLY if they are spreading misinformation. The makeup and entertainment industry has changed so much since I first started and sometimes I get very confused on how to navigate this part my career from time to time. I have to constantly remind myself to find the balance within all of this and not get clouded with everything and everyone around me. I am turning 40 this year, and although I don’t quite look it I definitely feel it in my spirit and in my bones!

Contact Info:

Image Credits
GettyImages: (celebs Dwyane Wade, Snoop Dogg, Kelis) Painted Face: Photography Nathalie Gordon Teen Vogue: Photography by Keli Anne

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