We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yakira Finkelstein also known as Makeupbyyakira a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yakira , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I think one of the hardest aspects of being a creator is keeping your creativity alive. It’s not always easy when your job is to constantly be creative. As most creative people can agree on, creativity is something that strikes you. It doesn’t come from forcing it upon yourself. When I get into a creative funk, I like to look at other creators around me. Get inspired by their work and art. Most of the time that really helps me. In the cases that it doesn’t, I like to look back at my old work. See the passion in art that I created, go back to the reason why I am doing what I am doing, because I love it.
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 costume makeup, special effects, and glam makeup artist. I create so many different types of looks for my social media, ranging from a beautiful cutcrease, a glam skull to a bloody zombie. It depends on what my mood is that day and how long I want to sit in the chair for. That’s the most exciting part, not knowing what will happen until it does. I’ve been creating for over 6 years. It’s my passion and what it’s what I love doing most in the world. I will fight tooth and nail to be able to call being a mua content creator my full time job.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Here are my three pieces of advice. After putting years into this job, I say this confidently. If you want to get better, practice. No matter what skill level you have naturally, your never going to rise and build your skill if you don’t practice.
If you want to go anywhere in life, you have to fight for it. There are thousands upon thousands of people trying to do exactly what your doing, what makes you different? You have to put in the work to start seeing the results. Your not magically going to wake up and suddenly be where you want to be. Are some people luckier than others, yes. That doesn’t mean you should sit and mope about them being successful and how your not. Work for what you want and things will fall into place.
Lastly, know your worth. In this industry people will try to use you all the time. Companies will send you products in order for you to make content for them. They will do anything they can to not pay you. Fight for yourself, the only way your going to turn this into a job is to start making money/ having brands deals. Don’t be afraid to “lose” out with a brand. If they don’t want to pay you for your work, it’s not worth it. (Genuinely believing and posting a product you like is not the same! I’m talking about the brand obligating you to post in exchange for products.) We all know makeup products aren’t going to pay our bills!
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was allowing me to chase my dreams. They always encourage me and have supported me throughout the years. My mom comes home with new things that I can create with whether it be wigs, facepaint, a tripod… She’s always on the lookout for me and I truly love and appreciate her.
My Dad might not always express and understand it but I know he appreciates the hard work and dedication I put into it. He helps me financially, which allows me to continue chasing after my dreams. I couldn’t ask for better parents.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/makeupbyyakira?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@makeupbyyakira?si=ZHU0Lv3qGXaJ5ZFC
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeupbyyakiraa?_t=8gZoJqDG0Eg&_r=1
