Meet Charis Michelsen

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charis Michelsen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charis below.

Charis, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I remember the exact moment I made the conscious decision to never give up. I was a teenager exercising in my bedroom and verbally confirmed the thought out loud: “I will never give up. Never, ever, ever.” Before my mouth surprisingly uttered my private thoughts, the thought that it was a simple decision whether I would be successful in life or not overtook me. To quote George Bush Jr., I realized I was “the decider” of my fate. The thought behind taking full responsibility for my destiny, happiness, and making the decision to never give up, no matter what, came from weighing two courses of action against one another. The first included staying in fifth gear to meet my goals and possibly upset those who are offended by others’ hard work to realize their talents, as this camp seems to view others’ successes as their personal failures. And the second included keeping the lazy, jealous, and fearful, who don’t work hard to explore their talents in my life, so I wouldn’t be alone, in exchange for sabotaging myself and my bright future. I decided my company was enough. I would never give up on myself, ever. Instead, I decided to be my own champion, no matter what. We can all make that choice. Do you give in to fear and those who don’t want to see you fly? Or do you challenge your fears, decide to be your own best friend, the kind who will always be there for you, and go for it? It’s never too late to choose to live life to the max, despite the consequences. You may find that the consequences include your dreams coming true and meeting others who genuinely want to see you soar.

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?

I’m involved in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries on both sides of the camera, and I love it, as I’m able to be creative and uplift others, which I have a passion for.

My journey started with me moving from a small town in Oregon to New York City to study to become fashion designer at Parsons School of Design/The New School. Within two weeks of being in NYC, my path took a turn. While standing on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, I was scouted by a photographer for Harper’s BAZAAR magazine. This led to modeling for renowned brands such as Levi’s, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Dell, and Conair, top magazines such as Mademoiselle, Paper, Glamour, Redbook, People, Hamptons, Seventeen, Surface, and Psychology Today, and starring in music videos for bands such as Type O Negative.

When my modeling agent sent me to audition for a supporting role in a movie, I booked it, and the project’s producers offered me the lead in their next film, which launched my professional acting career.

While at a rock concert, actress Liv Tyler and her singer/model/manager mother Bebe Buell spotted me in the crowd, and they were introduced to me. Bebe was managing the careers of both Liv and Debbie Harry of the legendary band Blondie and became my career manager. She connected me with the talent agency Innovative Artists and the Celebrity Division within the modeling agency IMG. I was invited to star in a music video with Liv for her stepfather’s band and went on to work with some of the most talented people in the entertainment industry, such as Academy Award-winning directors Martin Scorsese and Curtis Hanson and major stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Michael Douglas, Katie Holmes, Tobey Maguire, Radha Mitchell, and Nicolas Cage.

While on photoshoots and movie sets, I loved watching what makeup artists and stylists did and noticed a connection between their work and fine art. Having a natural interest in fine art from studying at Parsons School of Design/The New School, I was inspired to get my professional makeup artist certification, which I was successful in doing. I was then offered a position as a national and international spokesperson for one of the world’s top five luxury cosmetic companies, which I accepted.

During and after speaking on behalf of the luxury cosmetic company at events, attendees would ask me, “What should I do to look my best?” Not initially having all the answers, I went to work to answer this question for everyone, so all could look and feel their best, and thankfully, I succeeded! I created what I call the Universal Beauty Standard System™, which is a science-based system that prescribes to each individual what they can do to maximize their physical appeal. I used my system to create the world’s most comprehensive beauty books, which I self-illustrated and which include techniques I invented, titled Hollywood Beauty: The Art of Star Makeup and Grooming for Men: Dirty to Polished. My books can be viewed on my website, charismichelsen.com. Through my books, individuals should no longer feel compelled to copy the beauty looks of their favorite stars, as they can now be their own celebrity. Former president of Universal Pictures Thom Mount, who independently produced films such as Natural Born Killers, kindly wrote that my books will “have meaning and value in society and will stand alongside the work of other authors who understand their subjects at an extraordinary cellular level; think Julia Child’s [Mastering] The Art of French Cooking.”

I met Thom while starring in a film he produced, and during one of our conversations, he discovered I had written a screenplay and asked to read it. He loved it and wanted to develop a project with me, and did. I’m now commissioned to write feature-length screenplays, have created and developed TV projects, one of which is fashion & beauty-related, which I’ll be hosting and directing, which is connected to a legendary Hollywood establishment, and am producing an important movie with an A-list Executive Producer.

Feeling compelled to use the Universal Beauty Standard System™ to answer the age-old question “What should I wear?” for all, I wrote additional books, so each person would know how to use fashion products to maximize their physical appeal. Realizing the need to make the information quicker to access, I created an algorithm from my fashion books to build an artificial intelligence (AI) personal stylist. My AI Stylist helps one choose personally ideal fashion and beauty products and styles one better than a celebrity stylist without making stylists obsolete, because of a Pro feature. My AI Stylist will also help fashion and beauty vendors reduce returns, so they can retain more revenue.

In homage to my initial passion to be a fashion designer, I designed and patented a signature diamond-dot pattern, which is intended for use with a line of conscience fashion and accessory products I’ve designed. My pattern is expressed in twenty colors and contains a unique color technology that makes each act as a neutral, allowing each color to be more compatible with various outfits. Brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Goyard have gorgeous signature patterns, and I wanted to create my own that employs unique, beautiful, and wearable color combinations.

I was invited to be a Co-Editor and columnist for two gorgeous luxury global publications, Elle Global Woman (EGW) Magazine (egwglobalmagazine.com), whose Editor-in-Chief is Monica Lofstrom, and Bella Vida Magazine (bellavidamagazine.com), whose Editor-in-Chief, Erin Schmidt, honored me by putting me on the cover of Bella Vida’s first issue, and I’m in talks to be involved with other publications. It’s a joy to uplift great new designers, artists, and brands, as well as those who are established, by writing about them and wearing their products in images for these publications and others. I also enjoy being inclusive and sharing about the best products, services, and events, so readers can get the inside scoop.

I’ve been offered several C-level positions and consult with major brands to help them build more and better business. I also consult with individuals and groups who are interested in being walked through how to use makeup and grooming to maximize their physical appeal.

I’m also developing an online learning program that’s based on my books, with one of the world’s top instructional designers, Mya Eveland, who’s created courses listed in Forbes’ top ten.

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?

The top three qualities that have helped me the most are:

1. Utilizing my own process of analysis to make decisions.

To utilize your own process of analysis, fearlessly practice performing your own evaluations. Don’t blindly accept what’s presented as fact or accepted by others. Do your own research, pay attention to detail, look for concrete evidence, refrain from bias, question motives, and let your understanding be based upon your scientifically gained conclusions. Then ensure any decisions or choices you make include unwavering morality and integrity, as well as respect for others and self.

2. Tackling difficult tasks with tenacity and attention to detail, to ensure they’re not only finished but to the highest standard.

Big goals can seem daunting, but as Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Step into the mindset of a long-distance runner, and pace yourself. Some goals take years or even a lifetime to achieve. Being detail-oriented is another important key. I’ve noticed a pattern with those who rise above, no matter the industry; they’re nearly all hyper-focused on detail. The more you care, which is what being detail-oriented is, the higher the quality of your work. Thus, a great indicator of how successful one will be is how detail-oriented one is.

3. Sacrificing leisure time to achieve goals.

If you want to be successful, attack achieving your goals as if your life depended upon meeting them. If you lose focus on meeting your goals, you may face delays in achieving them or fail to reach them. Distractions, wanted or not, can naturally fill life and overtake our time, leading to setbacks in meeting goals. I’ve found that working at least twice as fast as one might normally can help with getting past life’s speed bumps more quickly. This requires excellent organization, severe discipline, such as sacrificing desirable leisure activities, and employing extra energy. To ensure you’re operating with top energy, take care of your body by drinking enough water, exercising, eating a healthy diet of plant-based foods, and abstaining from what is harmful to your body and mind.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

It’s important to utilize strengths and use them to our advantage, as they can gain us opportunities; however, it’s also important to strengthen weaknesses, particularly if they could hold you back from meeting your goals or growing. For example, I believed my destiny was to be a fashion designer, but when I got scouted to model, I encountered the unknown, and eventually, by engaging in unfamiliar activity, I developed a new set of skills. I experienced a repeat of this when I became a professional actress and every time I faced not knowing how to do something I desired to participate in. The best way to overcome not knowing how to do something is to investigate it and start doing it, and not give up until you’ve mastered it, which also applies, of course, to creating new inventions, such as techniques or technologies. At one point, there was no system for how to achieve maximum physical appeal, but after studying what little information existed on the subject, I went to work to figure out how to fill the gaps and tested my conclusions until I found solid answers. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, but there’s a process involved. If you stick with the process, you can transform your weaknesses into strengths and empower yourself, which has a domino effect, as it inspires others to do the same.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://charismichelsen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charismichelsen_official/

Image Credits

Daniel Weber, Mikhail Goldenberg