Today we’d like to introduce you to Treyna Jackson.
Hi Treyna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Miami, FL; the youngest of five siblings and so naturally, the weird one. Though a few of my older siblings are naturally gifted artists, I was the only one who truly embraced all mediums of art and always desired to find a career that allowed me to exercise creative expression.
When I was younger, I dreamed of being a fashion designer, though that passion died out nearing the end of my high school career, as the reality of my coming adulthood somewhat forced me to think practically.
I attended Florida A&M University for two years, while the artist in me sat somewhat dormant inside. This was such a difficult yet necessary time for me. Despite being a gifted student my entire life, as well as coming from a family that produced an attorney, executives, and educators, I could not seem to get a grasp of collegiate life. It took this experience for me to really look over my life and realize that I had not been true to myself. Not to mention I had just experienced my first real heartbreak. I was going through it! Lol! I can laugh now, but there was absolutely nothing funny about it then. HA!
On a random Valentine’s Day, I met the woman who would go on to become my mentor when she complimented me on the brows I’d filled in moments before walking out the door to pick up dinner. I thanked her, to which she replied, “You’re welcome, honey! I’m a makeup artist so I just notice stuff like that.” Now listen, I know there is supposed to be some big “AH HA” moment when you first realize your calling, but-er-ruh, nah. That was mine. I was kind of like “Duh! How did we not think about makeup, girl! We can do that!”; in my head of course.
When she exited the restaurant, I followed after her (like a creep), and asked her to tell me more about her career as a makeup artist, and asked if she mentored artists as well. Despite her never having mentored another artist, we still exchanged numbers, and I annoyed her every chance I’ve gotten since.
I felt so hopeful that night, which was not a feeling I’d had in a while at that time. I began to do tons of research and found that pursuing this career would not be easy, nor would it be cheap. I mean, this was ten years ago, before makeup artistry was the phenomenon it is today. There were, of course, many legendary artists to look up to at this point, like Sam Fine, Pat McGrath, and Kevyn Aucoin (to name a few), but they seemed so out of reach at the time. I committed to not overwhelming myself with that thought and chose to take things one baby-step at a time.
Soon, I was practicing on friends and educating myself in every way I could afford to. I was and still am. HUGE about sanitation, and so I decided I’d need to build a kit from scratch. This is where the expensive part comes in. That’s NOT an easy task for a broke college student, so after praying, and crying, and praying some more, and yes, crying some more, decided to call my parents and tell then I’d chosen to suspend my studies to work full=time in order to support a career that had no guaranteed salary or benefits. (SIGH) Good times.
Despite my parents’ initial fear and I’m sure confusion, they chose to support me in whatever ways they could. From there, I went on to work for MAC, ULTA (for like 2 seconds), before eventually falling into an 8-5. Though I eventually decided to leave that position, I will always be grateful for the stability it provided at the time I’d needed it most, as well as how it allowed me to sharpen my business acumen and prowess.
When I felt it was time, I opted to take all of my savings and bet on GOD, I moved back here to the MIA, where I have been working for myself since. There is no way for me to fit all I’ve learned even in the short time since I’ve been back into this article but will sum it up by saying it has been the scariest yet most rewarding thing I’ve done since beginning this journey all those years ago. I have grown so much as an artist, businesswoman, and person that I have been able to craft beauty out of situations that were probably meant to deter me. I have done some really amazing things in these past ten years, have even crossed off goals I’d forgotten I’d set. That being said, I still feel I’m just getting started. I wish to never lose that ambition and yearning for growth.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Nah! Not even a little. But I don’t think it’s supposed to be. What’s rewarding about something that came easily?
The “starving artist” is not a myth. Some may starve longer than others and in different ways, but the reality is, being a creative entrepreneur requires sacrifices and compromises in some fashion, at some point in your career. For me, it was the instability of income when I’d grown accustomed to a guaranteed monthly payment (I worked for the state government; we were paid monthly. IYKYK.). I used to be like “Girl, what were you thinking! This ain’t us!”, but honestly, I’ve found that I thrive when I’m forced to work with less. This is where my creativity really shines. I have produced shoots that have been featured all over the place, with an idea, and like $100.
Obviously I, as well as my business, have grown since then, but once you acquire a skill, you’ll always have it! These skills, born out of necessity, make you that much more valuable as an artist.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in providing luxury beauty services in the South Florida and the Greater Miami area. Though I am skilled at and proud to service a diverse clientele, I focus heavily on celebrating the varying hues of black women. This is super important to me because we are often treated as an after-thought in almost every aspect of life and in most industries. The beauty industry has perpetuated this mistreatment of black women since its inception, all while using the culture we created in spite of our exclusion to create their “trends”.
Though many strides have been made to promote equality (some genuine, and others performative), there is still much work to be done. It may seem trivial to think or care this deeply about an issue seemingly rooted in vanity, but it is more than that to me. Makeup artistry is a luxury service in that it is usually being carried out for individuals to look and feel their very best for a special occasion. When you do not create suitable products to cater to a specific demographic’s skin tones/undertones or bother training your “professionals” to properly work with their unique features, you create the narrative that said demographic is either unfit for or undeserving of this particular luxury (both of which, are false). I refuse to support that ideology. Instead, I have focused on perfecting not only my craft but my client experience in hopes that I may leave my clients with the joy of feeling beautiful, pampered, and valued. I have also extended my services to include makeup education for both “everyday women”, and fellow artists alike. I feel most fulfilled when I am teaching because it allows me to share all that I have acquired throughout my career with my clients, in hopes that I am planting a seeds that they will cultivate and share as well.
How do you think about happiness?
Growth. Growth makes me happy. Whether it’s mine, a loved one, or a total stranger, being able to reflect on where a certain individual, idea, or entity started and seeing how far it has progressed makes the incurable optimist in me happy.
I know it’s cliché, but my family is also a huge source of my happiness. I grew up in a big, loving family, so time with them will always be my comfort zone.
Aside from that, I love to travel (although I HATE flying), trying/learning new things and absolutely LOVE a good laugh and some QUALITY music.
OOH, AND let me not forget to mention the JOY of getting through an entire “To-do List”! I know I’m showing my age with that one, but I don’t even care. I KNOW my fellow adults can relate!
Contact Info:
- Email: treyjmua@gmail.com
- Website: www.treynajmua.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treynajacksonmua/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/treynajacksonmua/
