Today we’d like to introduce you to Gianna Lamar.
Gianna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Although I began to develop my interest in makeup at the age of 16 I’d always loved playing in make up since I was a young child. At age 16 my mother saw my interest and encouraged me to take my craft more seriously. At that point I began watching make up tutorials on You Tube and this continued my interest and began a passion for makeup.
After a full year of watching continuous make up tutorials and practicing on myself and others, on December 25, 2014, I considered that this might be a good business for me to go into.
My Mother sensed that I was ready and set up
a nice quiet area in our townhouse for me to work. Having taught myself make up skills by watching You Tube tutorials and practicing on family and friends and myself, I then by accepting one referral found myself practicing on others that had special events, school proms, entire cheer squads, and others with birthday and retirement events to attend, etc. My firsts work as a make up artist had become well received. After three years I found I had unexepectantly become a very young make up artist and potential entrepreneur. I had also graduated from high school and was working in a call center where I learned a great deal about business and reconcilating accounts. I prayed and fasted for guidance and a new business name. One night I woke up at 4:00am and spoke “I Am Shi” into existence. I realized that because of the way I’d gotten into this business that this might have been something meant for me, but I did not realize how the business of make up could help others so much. I soon found myself with two jobs, which I’m still performing, which are make up and cruise line sales.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been many obstacles and challenges. I found that planning, setting appointments, communicating, product inventory, learning the correcting lighting, listening to feedback, identifying good business advice and balancing my life overall so I could become a responsible person were some of the challenges I had to overcome. My sales position helped me to develop good communication skills and business responsibility for my make up business as well. There were a lot of different things that helped me to grow. Being taken outside of my comfort zone made me more humble (I listened to the critique of my make up work and considered the advice from my clients and elders) I was also motivated (to learn the next level of the make up business). The challenges I’ve endured in my business have shaped me into a young businesswoman, something I never expected would come out of my having just enjoyed playing with my Mom’s make up during my childhood.
I Am Shi Artistry – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets me apart is that I am a focused on the make up businesses developmental success stories, history, and its trends, the care of the skin, my clients self esteem and of their over all well being also. In my work as a make up artist I realize heath and nutrition and relaxation and developing knowledge about caring for all skin tones and skin types is all a part of feeling and being lovely. I try to help my clients discover the beauty within themselves. I realize that I have to balance my own life to do a good job for others, such as appropriate rest and nutrition. I am so proud of how “I Am Shi” has grown. I discovered that through make up I was able to help my clients to realize the beauty in their own natural features which was an immediate uplift for their self esteem and a rewarding feeling for me as well. Helping others has become an even better purpose to be in this business. My artistry has become my contribution to society’s Improvement and a God given gift. Being a make up artist is not just a job to me, it’s my passion and my first purpose in life.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I value the bonds that form with my clientele. My clientele has kept in contact with me during the COVID Pandemic and I have checked on many of them as well.
Also, I am pleased that the reviews of my work have been good and I acquire new customers through referrals from previous and current clients as well. I look back on how my business grew from just practicing on family and friends to providing services to squads of young cheerleaders, to wedding parties, and people celebrating birthdays, and to customers getting ready to retire. I am excited about coordinating my first photo shoot to advertise my business. My Mother who was with me every step of the way has also just completed a skin care specialist course after she worked along side of me to help me on weekends for about a year. The upbringing that I had from a caring family who also have a deep respect for education, family business and spirituality has played an important role in what I have been able to accomplish. I desire to always be a positive influence as a make up artist a skill for which I am truly grateful.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5711 Hallandale Beach Blvd sSuite B5 West Park, Florida
- Website: IAMSHE_THEMUA
- Phone: 786-708-9767
- Email: iamshithemua@yahoo.com
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