Meet Maggie Overbaugh

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

Maggie, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I feel like confidence and self-esteem may feel like something that can be built and stay, but it is ever changing. Its not linear and for me personally, I go through waves of confidence with my work. I think the thing that was most important in developing my confidence & self-esteem was learning patience with myself and lessening the need to take everything so serious. While it is great that I have standards for myself and want to constantly be putting out new & improved work- the reality is that majority of my work can be mediocre to me, and still be good! That is confidence to me- knowing that you may not be fully impressed with your work, but not getting in your own way at the same time. I think Ive also slowly placed a ton of emphasis on my social media engagement overtime, which I think a lot of people relate to. I had to take a step back to realize I need to put out my work from a place of confidence, not from a place of approval. Ego seems like it would be fueled by confidence, but I believe that it is fueled by the need for approval. I think for anyone struggling with confidence, that is an excellent place to start. Lessen your ego through meditation / journaling, or practice being authentic and not looking for an audience when you post. Just do it because it feels creative and right to who you are. Nothing truly matters and it’s really just you sharing your perspective. Take pride in it. Once you learn to do that it is so much easier to be yourself and build natural confidence.

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?

Building a “brand” feels very unnatural for someone who started their career as a hobby-but here we are! Makeup and Photography are huge passions of mine that Ive been working really hard on these past couple years. I love story telling through my creative direction, whether with makeup or photo. I tend to have references to movies, myths, iconic photoshoots, fashion shows, etc. But also get inspired by the everyday things around me! I love working with people who aren’t afraid to commit to the bit- and really put themselves into a story. I am self taught in both makeup and photography, and have been so lucky to meet many mentors/industry friends who have helped me increase my workload and tweak my craft. I started out makeup when I was 10, for dance recitals, which led to theatre makeup, which led to prom makeup, which led to beauty counter makeup, and now freelance makeup! Photography started as a way to showcase my makeup and I ended up really enjoying it. I’ve networked & worked my little booty off this past few years to build up my resume and I was definitely surrounded by love through it all! My friends and family have always encouraged me to keep following my dreams and I seriously would not be able to do this job without the help of my partner Eddie. He is behind so much of my editing and production. He let me borrow his camera when I did not have one , has helped me edit when I simply can not make a vision come to life, or even just cooks me dinner when Ive had a long set day. I feel so grateful to live with someone who is creative like me and can always lend me a second opinion or helping hand. Ive also been surrounded by successful people in Los Angeles who inspire me to keep learning who I am in this space. If you feel everyone around you may be better than you, you’re in the right room to learn. I just now am working with my first artists who are signed to a label, and its really an incredible feeling having random people trust you to do whatever you are creatively inclined to do. Theres a moment when you’re like “Wow, maybe I can really make this work!” I was able to quit my restaurant job last year to pursue freelance work full time! To anyone out there working a day job while pursuing their art, just know that you gotta prioritize your networking/opportunities. Don’t be reckless, but know that you eventually have to push yourself if you want to make it in your field! Being kind and creating friendships with coworkers who can cover for you was extremely helpful for me to keep my job and still seize every opportunity I could.

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

One thing Ive discussed recently is the scam that college often is of people pursuing arts. While I do think that college can provide you with a path, or lead you to opportunities- I am so glad I opted to just start in small roles whenever I could. Especially if you are a person who would need to take out high loans in order to complete your Arts degree, it might be best to just search for people looking for assistants/interns. I have gotten so much paid work by doing one free work day for someone. It truly works! Another asset that I want to share was the importance of creating work centered friendships. Freelance work is a bit different than a 9-5, in the way that people will rehire you if they consider you friends or good company. You can be the most talented person in your craft, but your lack of friendliness can ruin your career. Keeping a positive attitude, using good manners, being respectful of the space you are in are all super important parts of the job that no one talks about. You can be introverted and still possess all these qualities! A third important thing I have learned was the need to set up boundaries. As I gain more experience, my boundaries change- which is a good thing! Everyones boundaries will look different, but the important thing is to know that you will not let yourself get taken advantage of twice in the same situation. Women creatives especially tend to not speak up for themselves, but we gotta start being courageous! Learning from my mistakes and applying new boundaries has saved me so much stress- and with a polite explanation of your boundaries- anyone who is worth working with will respect them. This industry tends to discredit the work put into photography, but it is really an expensive and time consuming job! Knowing that my boundaries are reasonable and not being afraid to vocalize them has truly built up my confidence as a business woman.

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?

I love this question!! I am actually still figuring it all out myself. Makeup has always been a strength for me- I started in middle school and have put in countless hours of practice since then to get where I am today. Makeup is therapeutic to me, almost always feeling like a breeze. On the other hand, Photography is so technical, which is very very difficult for my brain to comprehend. I also do production design sometimes when needed, which can be a breeze or sometimes very difficult! I love being well rounded- some will say it spreads you out too much, but it feels the most true to me. As the saying goes “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!” I have the ability to jump into so many different roles which makes me the perfect person to have on set. As someone who does this for financial gain too, it nearly triples the amount of opportunities Im able to bring in. I was a set design assistant on an Ellen Von Unwerth shoot , and the makeup artist flaked so I had to jump in!!! It pays off to have multiple skill sets, and you can sometimes save the day! I’m a person who enjoys when every day looks different, and this definitely helps with that! Yes, I may have to do a lot of new learning, but things are sometimes easier than they seem to learn. If you are a makeup artist, consider adding hair, sfx, or photo as an extension. If you are a photographer, consider maybe adding videography, graphic design, or lighting design to your resume. Being a person who can do more than one thing not only makes you more desired to be hired, but also widens your knowledge/network. This industry is constantly expanding and changing, so you should always be trying to grow your talents- even if they just start off as hobbies at first. Youtube has a tutorial for nearly anything! Use it!

Contact Info:

• Website: maggieoverbaugh.framer.website
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/maggie.overbaugh

Image Credits

Models:
@MarleyTipper
@Sydneya.j
@liamsx_
@itsquinnyc
@latto

Photos of me by @wileyimage