Meet Kendall Swenson

We were lucky to catch up with Kendall Swenson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kendall, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I keep my creativity alive by spending time in nature and going to art museums or taking in other forms of inspiration that are ajacent to what I do. I get inspired by seeing different color combinations that occur in nature, the different vibrancies and hues that we don’t often pay attention to- or how an artist might layer or juxtapose different colors, mediums, or textures in their creations. It helps me to deepen my understanding of color theory and to experiment more.

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 a professional makeup artist and stylist. By day I work on set to help people look great in front of the camera for a variety of different kinds of productions.

But I’m also passionate about teaching women how to do their own makeup like a Pro, through makeup lessons and my online courses at GlamBootcamp.com.

I believe that every woman deserves to feel confident- whether she wears makeup or not- but that makeup is one of the tools we can use to bring out our own unique individual beauty. And it’s fun to use our makeup and wardrobe choices as a form of self-expression.

My approach is that putting on makeup should not be about trying to look like someone else but about doubling down on what you already love about yourself and turning up the volume on that.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think adaptability, active listening and continuous learning are really important and can be used in any work environment. My industry has certainly evolved over the years and I’ve had to evolve with it. There are always new advancements and strategies, so you have to go with the flow and not get too set in your own way of doing things or you’ll get left behind. I also think that active listening is one of the most important traits you can develop, no matter what industry you are in. Really being able to listen to the client and then interpret their hopes and desires is what’s most important. I bring my own talent and skillset to the interaction but ultimately it’s not about me delivering my vision to the client, but about helping the client give life to their own with my guidance. And after doing makeup for 20+ years, I certainly have the techniques that work best for me, but I always keep an open mind. You never know when you can learn something new or tweak one of your routines and make it better.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Time management is currently one of my biggest challenges. As a creative entrepreneur, I have so many different ideas and impulses every day, so focus has always been a challenge for me. I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all the micro decisions, and prioritizing my tasks. My strategy now is to keep all of my ideas in one central place and then to triage them on a weekly basis. I then won’t plan my day until the morning of, so that I can see where inspiration takes me that day. I’ve found that I work better when I have a spark of inspiration as motivation, rather than having to complete a to-do checklist “just because”. I listen to Marie Forleo’s podcast and she advises to focus on only three things each day. I tried to do more, but she’s right- three things is the sweet spot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.GlamBootcamp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glambootcampclass/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlamBootcampClass
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendallswenson/
• Other: https://www.BelleMademoiselle.com