Meet Deborah Rutherford

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deborah Rutherford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Deborah, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience, a quality I inherited from my mother, is deeply intertwined with my faith in God. My mother was my cheerleader, and I remember her supporting me as I nervously tried out for my first play, “Guys and Dolls.” She also gave me ideas for cheerleading tryouts (spoiler alert: I got on the squad and played a hotbox dancer in the play). Working hard to attain a goal taught me perseverance at a young age. Unfortunately, I grew up in a dysfunctional family that led to young adult self-abuse, causing even more trauma. I would not be here today if it had not been for my faith in God. I saw firsthand how my life was restored, reborn, and given second chances, leading me to trust in God even during setbacks, challenges, and tragedies. My faith is a constant source of strength and hope, guiding me through the darkest times and leading me to a place of healing and peace. So even if things do not turn out how I thought they would, always down the line, they are better than I ever imagined.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As a woman of Mexican American, Irish, Welsh, and English descent, my upbringing in the suburbs of Los Angeles was marked by a significant discovery in a creative writing class at 12. This revelation of the power of writing, I believe, was a divine gift that helped me navigate the turbulent waters of an alcoholic father and the trauma of child sexual abuse from an uncle. Despite grappling with deep-seated insecurities and low self-esteem, my creative spirit and the gift of writing have become my tools for healing and self-expression.

By my third year of college, I dropped out and embarked on a journey of self-discovery, hitchhiking across Canada with a typewriter. This led me to write plays, poems, stories, and rock reviews before I was at the helm of an all-girl punk band, eventually immersing me in the vibrant music and spoken word poetry scene of Los Angeles in the 1980s and 90s.

After meeting my musician husband, Don Rutherford, we transitioned from music to makeup for film and television. We were grateful to find a career where we excelled. In 2009, after 15 years, I returned to college and received my Communication Arts and Theater degree from Loyola Marymount University.

In 2021, I felt a calling from God to share my faith through writing, which led to the creation of my blog, Behold-Her Beauty, and a podcast of the same name. I am currently working on my debut poetry collection, a project that has been challenging as it requires revisiting my childhood and young adult trauma and experiences. However, with the guidance of my creative counselor editor, poet Kimberly Phinney of TheWayBacktoOurselves.com, I’ve experienced God’s grace and healing, which I can now share with others in need.

I am also working on a faith and beauty book from a Christian makeup artist’s point of view. This book is inspired by my experiences in the film industry and my personal journey with faith. It’s about finding peace with the beauty God has given us through my observations, experiences, and the lessons God has taught me.

My poetry and writing have been published in Aletheia Today, The Way Back to Ourselves, Vessels of Light, and the Calla Press Literary Journal, Spring 2023/2024. Also, I have a devotional in the “Shepherd On Duty” collection on Arabelle Publishing.

As a makeup artist, I have worked on iconic films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, On Stranger Tides, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Avengers Infinity War and Endgame, Fly Me to the Moon, and the faith-based film Southern Gospel. I received an Emmy Award and three Local 706 Makeup and Hair Guild Awards for my makeup artistry. My journey in the film industry has given me a deep understanding of the power of transformation, both on the screen and in real life. This understanding and my faith have given me a unique perspective on beauty and its relationship with God.

Another passion project has me returning to singing, a lovely second chance God is doing in my life. Back story: Don and I had a band together in the 1990s grunge era in Los Angeles called “Holy Water.” Later, we sang in a Baptist church choir for about a year. In 2018, I was afflicted with single-sided deafness just as my husband was going into the recording studio to do his album. I was supposed to sing on the album but couldn’t hear. Our producer kindly had me sing back up on a few songs. After treatments and hearing aids, I began to hear well enough. This past January, we started doing Sunday Gospel Music jams in our living room, which led to doing it daily. It’s taking over our lives, and we couldn’t be happier. We have a little dream of driving around the country performing them. This is a beautiful God moment because I never imagined that God would have me singing again or that I could. I have a long way to go and a lot of hard work, but I love it.

I want you to know that there are always second chances. The first step begins with listening to God and stepping out in faith. I would love to hear about what God is doing in your life. Also, if you need help, please reach out. I am here to pray for you or to talk. There is no need to do any of this alone.

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?

1. Faith: My faith has impacted my journey the most. As a teen, I stopped going to church due to unhealed trauma and spent years as a prodigal daughter. But God pursued me until I accepted Jesus as my Savior. At that point, my whole life transformed as depression and chaos were exchanged for healing and peace. Having a solid faith foundation makes me better at my writing and as a makeup artist, as it has created integrity, humility, and a servant’s attitude in me. I approach my work by serving my reader or client. What are their needs, and how can I help them? Creativity flows when you come from a posture of serving.
2. Perseverance: Writing and makeup artistry are two creative fields in which one experiences a lot of rejection. You must have a clear vision of your end goal, a deep understanding of your identity and values, and the determination to keep going. This is where perseverance comes in. My mother instilled this lesson in me, often recounting the story of Grandma Moses, who launched a successful art career at 78, whenever I wanted to give up.
3. Communication is critical in both personal relationships and professional success. It begins with clear communication with God and understanding his plan for my life. This helps me cultivate good communication skills and practices in my relationships with others. I had a lot of misunderstandings when I was young. When I returned to school to get my degree after 15 years, I had to take Communications 101. I often think had I taken this course earlier in life; it would have spared me a lot of grief. Clear communication is a vital skill for a writer and makeup artist.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I love collaborating on my socials, blog, and podcast. I envision partnering with other creatives and entrepreneurs looking for words, images, and publishing opportunities in all mediums. I am a partner with a clean makeup beauty brand, and if you would like to know more about that, check out my Limelife by Alcone Store at https://www.limelifebyalcone.com/DeborahRutherfordBeauty/home.

For my writing, I would love to connect with you. I invite you to join my Behold-Her Beauty newsletter, where you will first receive all the latest updates: https://deborahrutherford.com/subscribe/. You can also find me on Instagram @deborahrutherfordwrites. I want to hear if you love poetry, beauty, or faith. I am here to listen to and support you. Your presence and engagement are deeply valued.

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