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Tania D. Russell...

Tania D. Russell is a career media makeup artist of 25 years and counting with a career that has run the gamut from early hip hop videos to print advertising. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Elle Sweden and Runners’ World, on TV shows for clients such as BET, MTV, and HGTV, and for more commercial fashion and beauty clients than she can remember.
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With Labor Day weekend officially behind us, it's With Labor Day weekend officially behind us, it's time to get back to business which for me is a mix of on-set client work and education client work. Fam, I needed this reset. Between juggling all the things, my consistency took a backseat. But here's what I know after 25+ years in this industry: consistency beats perfection every single time. To help me regain my focus, I've been leaning heavily on my MVP productivity tools; @freedom.to – Freedom features customizable blocklists that keep me from silly-scrolling when I should be working. You can customize it to block what you want, for however long you want so you can focus on your own brilliance and not cat videos. @flodesk – It's not just for email lists anymore (although I do think email lists are undervalued in today's social media obsessed world). The new integrations plus all of the new features available in Checkout = Flodesk has really gotten its GlowUp on over the last year. It's an indispensable tool for my business. ALERT - **They just announced their big pricing change** . Get Unlimited pricing while you still can! @planoly – I'm back in baby's arms. There was a snafu that made me have to leave Planoly for a minute at the end of 2023. The other scheduler I was using worked fine but I never really made peace with their funky interface. Planoly's visual scheduling lets me see how everything will look which is a game changer for visual folks like us. And scheduling in advance means still being present on social even when we're with a client or somewhere on set. 👍🏾 I know that many of us aren't natural content creators – we're makeup artists trying to build careers while actually doing the work. But as one of my business mentors often says - Everything we want is on the other side of Consistency. Brand deals, PR lists, better clients for better rates, successful launches, etc. are all there waiting for us, we just have to stay focused, and show up on the regular. What tools help you stay consistent? Drop them below! 👇 And if you want to learn about these tools I've mentioned, hit my Link in Bio or comment FOCUS and I'll get you that info 👍🏾 #mediamakeupartists #makeuptogoblog
It's Action Time. This year is definitely been w It's Action Time. This year is definitely been wacky dacky but September marks the final month of Q3 and we are heading into the madness of Q4. The whole theme of this Five Small Things list is that historically speaking Q4 - for nearly everything from retail to private clients to media work - this is the busiest time of year. And when there's more activity, there's more opportunity 👍🏾 Now we have to be real here – at least for those of us in the United States - it is extremely difficult to say what is Q4 is going to be like. Things right now are chaotic to say the least, particularly in retail, and that undoubtedly trickles down into other facets of work life. But as freelancers no one knows the art of the hustle and the pivot the way we do. In my experience now right now - September - is one of the best times of the year to do a promotional push. Reconnecting with past clients, reaching out to new clients, starting to plan and pre launch your holiday season offers, all of this type of thing. Do it! 💪 As they say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is 𝒏𝒐𝒘. If you did some marketing and promotion early in the year, go ahead and start following up. If you haven't done any promotion/marketing/etc. already this year, go ahead and start now. A little push now can reap benefits that will last through the end of the year. So how are you going to prep for Q4? (Need some help? I got you! DM (or hit the Link in Bio) about my Services - Need to Talk or the Five Small Things Monthly membership - and we'll help you get your groove on going into Q4 👍🏾) #makeuptogoblog #mtgfivesmallthings #promakeupartist
August has been a month. I've been in the endless August has been a month. I've been in the endless Hold/Release loop. I had an opportunity appear then not appear. I just got rejected again this morning, actually. I've also gotten two new brand opportunities. A new Corporate client. And I've got multiple holds for some upcoming large-scale events. Such is the life of a creative freelancer. If it seems like you're putting in maximum effort and getting minimal return just keep working through the process. Much like a fitness plateau you just have to push through it. The worst thing you can ever do is give up and stop. Keep going 👍🏾 Need a little support as you move through your career? Check out the Five Small Things Monthly Membership for monthly information, support and community to keep you moving on your career path. Link in Bio or comment Membership for the deets 👍🏾 #mediamakeupartists #mtgfivesmallthings
I recently saw a post that got me thinking about h I recently saw a post that got me thinking about how artists sometimes struggle when they transition from private clients to media work - which makes total sense because nobody really teaches you this stuff!�� Well, actually, I do ;-) And I can see how the rules of engagement of working with media clients might trip you up if that hasn’t been your bag, so let's clear some things up for ya: PRIVATE CLIENTS = YOUR CHAIR, YOUR RULES Straightforward. You’re running your own business, so you call the shots. MEDIA CLIENTS = THEIR DIME, KINDA THEIR RULES - Less straighforward. Understand you're being 𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 as an independent contractor, providing a service to the end client. Yes, there are things you absolutely can and should negotiate, but the dynamic is different. PAYMENT TIMING IS EVERYTHING - Private clients? PLEASE get payment upfront. Media clients? That will almost never happen. Now - different jobs pay in different ways - production jobs may have you on payroll, agency booked jobs the client pays the agency and the agency pays you less their cut.. etc. You might be able to negotiate a faster turn around time in some instances, however the reality of the reality is trying to demand payment upfront on a media job is going to raise eyebrows. BOOKING SYSTEMS VS CONTRACTS- Your private clients might book through whatever method you prefer. Booking with media clients needs detail - preferably a contract - that outlines 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. Trust me - you want this. The person who contacted you is likely not the same person who will be paying you. A paper trail brings the Clarity needed to ensure the payment process goes smoothly. These aren't better or worse ways of doing business - they're just different systems for different types of work. 👍🏾 If you're ready to level up your media client game, comment AGREEMENTS below and I'll send you a Sample Agreement and info about my upcoming Confirmation Agreements 2.0 release - plus get you’ll be on my list for all the insider knowledge that'll help you navigate these career pivots like a pro. #makeuptogoblog #mediamakeupartists #confirmationagreements
Hitting "send" just now made my heart race on the Hitting "send" just now made my heart race on the real. You know that feeling when you're about to do something that could either move your career forward or blow up in your face? That's what I've been working on these days. At 55, with decades in this industry and a solid client history, you'd think the hard stuff would get easier. Plot twist: it does not. I'm still pushing myself to do the things I hate - cold calls, networking events where I know nobody, sending proposals and counter-proposals that might get rejected. But the great @mariettacn Marietta Carter-Narcisse taught me many years ago: "To make the deal, you can't be afraid to lose the deal." Nerve-wracking? Yep. But also empowering. Here's what I keep reminding myself (and what I tell my students): if you want something different, you have to DO something different. When I was starting out, my drive to ditch the safety job and go full-time pushed me through every uncomfortable conversation. Today that same energy still exists - I'm still ambitious, and I still have goals I'm chasing even at my big age and doing this for a long time. The biggest thing holding most artists back isn't talent. It's putting yourself out there when your comfort zone is calling your name. It's doing the ick business stuff when all you want to do is make people beautiful (or ugly depending on what part of the biz you're in 😉) I get it. I keep telling myself I should just ride corporate makeup into the sunset. But that's not being honest with myself about what I want. Staying comfortable might feel safe, but it won't get you where you want to go. What's one hard thing you can do that could change everything for your career? If you want information, support, and community in figuring out and reaching your goals, consider joining us in the Five Small Things membership. Link in Bio, or comment COMMUNITY and I'll send you the details 👍🏾
It used to be me, too. I used to think that dolin It used to be me, too. I used to think that doling out affiliate links was sales-y, smarmy, influencer-y (back when I thought being an "influencer" was automatically a bad thing), you name it. Really, I was just insecure. What turned it around? Getting asked by certain clients. Hello? Recommendations is kinda part of my job. For us makeup pros, this isn't about liking every product we ever touch or going on about the latest fad trending on social. This is about making the recommendations we were already making in ways that serve our customers hence serve ourselves as well. #winning For me that looks like; - Only linking my Hero products that I can recommend with my whole chest. - Not talking about every product I ever try (which in our cases can be a lot so I don't start recommending until a product reaches Hero status). - Keeping it relevant to my audience. There may be some related things that might fly but ya know, no one is coming to me for fashion advice, for example LOL - Social can only do so much so I don't go on an on about it on social. YMMV but again, that's not the content my peoples are looking for from me so I don't go on and on. - Long form, evergreen content on the other hand? Oh yeah. 👍🏾 As a "micro influencer" with around 2K followers on this platform, I've still grown active and engaged mailing lists, my blog gets a regular good amount of hits, and I have an active Substack. With little or no "push" I'm good for a few $$$ a month through my links. I'll take it! 👍🏾 Interested in a few $$$ of your own? Comment "AFFILIATE" and I'll send ya my wee guide to help you get started. Is Affiliate Marketing of any kind part of your makeup career matrix? #mediamakeupartists #makeuptogoblog #mtgfivesmallthings #promakeupartists
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