December 27, 2024 • 17 mins
Fan Mail! Have any thoughts or feedback?
Ever wondered how to keep your creativity alive amidst the whirlwind of Hollywood's ups and downs? Unpack the thrilling yet unpredictable journey of hairstylists and makeup artists in Tinseltown with us. Discover personal stories that bring you right into the heart of Hollywood, where the high of seeing your work on the big screen is as fleeting as it is electrifying. Hear firsthand experiences about the importance of financial grounding and emotional resilience to weather the industry's seasonal droughts. Get ready to learn how to build a robust foundation that supports you through both the exhilarating highs and the inevitable lows.
We'll explore the diverse paths within the entertainment industry, from network gigs to the allure of the runway and film work. Understand the contrast between the seemingly stable "cush" jobs and the hustle required to carve out a niche and build a reputation. Celebrate your victories, learn from your setbacks, and keep pushing forward with perseverance. This episode is a reminder to stay passionate and proactive, keeping your dreams in sight even when the journey feels daunting. Connect with us and others online to find inspiration and growth, ensuring that your creative flame continues to burn brightly in the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello there and welcome back.
I'm Natalie, your host, yourmentor and, most importantly, a
friend who understands the wildride of Hollywood, whether this
is your first time tuning in oryou're a long-time listener.
Thank you for being here.
Today's episode is close to myheart because we're tackling a
(00:27):
topic that doesn't always showup on the highlight reels the
emotional ups and downs of thisbusiness.
It's so crucial for anyonestarting in Hollywood.
If you're a hairstylist ormakeup artist hoping to break
into Hollywood, you've probablyalready tasted some of these
highs and lows.
Maybe you just nailed yourfirst gig and felt like you were
(00:48):
soaring, or maybe you're in aslower season and the self-doubt
is creeping in.
Trust me, I've been there.
So in today's episode, we'regoing to unpack these highs and
lows, talk about how to staygrounded and, most importantly,
how to keep moving forward withresilience and confidence.
You can ride the waves of thisindustry without drowning, and
(01:11):
I'm here to show you how.
All right, shall we get started?
Grab your coffee, your wine,your pen and paper and get
settled First up.
The thrilling highs ofHollywood, that first major gig,
seeing your work race thesilver screen, collaborating
with someone you've looked up tofor years it's electric.
(01:34):
These moments remind you whyyou're here and inspire that
fire in your soul all over again.
But one important lesson I'velearned is that these highs
don't last forever.
And that's not a bad thing.
Hollywood just moves quickly.
The project wraps up, the jobends and suddenly it's that
what's next moment.
(01:55):
What matters most is thefoundation you're building
during and after those highs.
And right now Hollywood ismoving quicker than it ever has
before.
I remember sitting in a packedtheater next to my dad and
sister and for the first time Isaw my name in the credits of a
major film.
(02:16):
It was surreal, the kind ofmoment that makes all the hustle
and the struggle worth it.
I was so proud to have themthere to experience it with me.
But then reality set in.
Once that high faded and I waslooking for a job, I had to ask
myself what's next.
(02:39):
That moment taught me tocelebrate the wins, but also to
focus on the bigger picture.
There's always another gig,another opportunity ahead, and
you have to stay ready for it.
I think some of the best advicethat I got from a mentor was
that there will always be work,and sometimes it's really hard
(03:03):
to believe in that and to knowand trust and have faith in that
.
But I always made sure, nomatter what was going on, that I
could find my way and I willfigure it out.
And I was always blessed.
I took time off between shows,not at first, but years into it,
probably half my career into it.
I started taking time offbecause I was getting burnt out
(03:24):
and the what's next became moreand more natural to know that
when you finally release thatand let go of that and don't
worry, I feel like that's whenthe universe, god, allows that
flow to keep happening.
Instead of you getting in theway of worrying because I truly
(03:46):
believe that worrying putsblocks in your past You're
literally sabotaging yourself.
Anyways, I always advise thisto anyone starting out Financial
preparation is key.
Hollywood is unpredictable.
Build a savings cushion whentimes are good so that when the
(04:07):
slow period comes, you're ready.
Not worrying about how to makerent allows you to stay calm,
not set into that worry.
Make clear decisions and keepmoving forward.
Financial planning is justanother way to build resilience
and is a way of being able totake that time off.
In between, we work super longhours and super long weeks and
(04:31):
by the time a six to eight monthjob is ending, you're exhausted
.
Even if it's just a few weeks,have that padding in the bank so
that way you could take two tofour weeks off.
Okay, now we're going to moveon to the lows.
We've all been there, no matterwhat industry you're in.
(04:52):
Maybe the offers aren't rollingin, or maybe you're questioning
your talent after a rejection.
These moments can hurt, butthey are temporary.
Don't forget that.
I've been in your shoes,wondering if I was good enough,
replaying past opportunities inmy head and questioning what
went wrong.
But here's what I've learnedthose moments of doubt are where
(05:15):
the most growth happens, andthis is so true.
One of the toughest times for mecame right after a huge project
.
I was riding that wave ofexcitement, but then crickets
nothing.
My calendar was empty.
I started spiraling, thinkingwhat if that was the peak of my
career?
But instead of collapsing intothat fear, I used the downtime
(05:38):
to work on myself.
I practiced new skills, reachedout to old connections and
stayed productive.
I even practiced new healthskills.
I learned a lot about health.
I learned a lot about balance.
I took an Ayurveda class andgot my Ayurvedic practitioner's
license.
I mean, I just decided I'm notgoing to waste away this
(06:02):
downtime, I am going to expandand grow as a human being, even
outside of this business.
I trusted that the next jobwould come and of course you
know spoiler alert it did so.
Staying optimistic and proactiveis key to pulling yourself
(06:23):
through the lows.
I know it's hard to trust theprocess when it feels like the
phone isn't ringing or the gigsaren't coming.
But Hollywood thrives onconsistency.
Keep refining your craft, keepshowing up, because those low
moments do pass, just like thespeed bump in my last episode.
Sometimes they take a littlewhile to pass and sometimes they
(06:46):
take a lot longer to pass.
So, as a hair or makeup artist,even if you have to go and find
side gigs or go work at a drybar or go work at a Sephora or
go work at Mac or anover-the-counter thing, you can
find ways to survive until thatnext job comes.
Okay, and now we're going toget into the practical.
(07:08):
Emotional resilience is one ofthe greatest assets you can
build in this industry.
Here are a few things that workfor me and may work for you too
.
You need to first acknowledgeyour feelings.
You're human.
You get frustrated, you getdisappointed, you get burned out
.
It's okay to feel those things.
What matters is not lettingthose emotions define your day,
(07:31):
and even if it does, you know,I've had plenty of days, or even
weeks.
You know, especially as women,we are very emotional and we go
through like four waves ofemotions every single month.
We're on cycles.
It has been proven.
Men can, their cycle is a24-hour period.
(07:55):
Women it's like four cycles ina month.
So we're human and we're goingto have these emotions.
And if we have a bad day and welet it get to us, don't worry
about it, reset for the next day.
Don't beat yourself up anddon't get down.
There's been times where I'vehad a bad week and then I snap
myself out of it.
(08:15):
I'm like what are you doing?
Or even lately, a bad month.
I had a really bad full monthand I was like, oh my gosh, you
just wasted a month.
But then I was like, no, Ineeded that.
It's been crazy.
And I've started a new businessand my career right now is down
because of the strike and allof these things.
(08:36):
It's fine, there's a lot goingon and there's a lot going on in
the world.
So give yourself grace.
And then, secondly, you need tothe second practical thing you
need to revisit your why.
What drew you into thisbusiness?
Was it the creativity, thestorytelling, meeting afters,
(09:00):
what is it?
On the, the tough days, anchoryourself in that purpose to keep
yourself focused, and thistruly does work.
The times this year that I'vehad really bad days, I've
anchored myself in that.
Why, like with my business?
Why am I doing this?
Because I want to help others.
I want others to succeed.
I want people to believe inthemselves.
So you have to get that anchorin, okay?
(09:27):
The third thing celebrate smallwins.
Every little step matters.
I know I've said this in acouple episodes, but the small
wins keeps you going, andthere's so many times now.
I wish I would have writtendown a lot of the small wins.
I've gotten lazy with itbecause I'm like I know, not
(09:48):
only to keep myself motivatedbut those small wins are so
beautiful and sometimes they'rejust so magical and to be able
to have that as a reminder ofwhat happened, not just to keep
you motivated and confident andall of that, but to bring that
memory back up and to be like,oh my gosh, that was such a
(10:09):
beautiful moment.
So keep that in a journal andwrite one thing that you are
proud of each day or the magicalmoments.
It could be something small,like mastering a tricky curling
technique, but over time, thosesmall wins build up and kept my
momentum going Okay.
(10:30):
Finally, we need to talk aboutconsistency.
Hollywood is full of dreamers,but the people who truly succeed
are the ones who show up dayafter day, even when it's hard,
truly.
When I first got started, I wasworking seven-day weeks for $50
a day and was surfing around oncouches.
(10:53):
I was homeless.
Okay, you have to keep going.
If this is what you want to do,no matter how hard it is, you
keep going.
Okay, and you stay consistentwith all the things I want to
teach you in these episodes.
So that way, you build abeautiful reputation.
You build a reputation assomeone dependable, professional
(11:17):
and passionate about your craft.
If you are not passionate aboutdoing this and not excited about
entering this industry, thisindustry is not for you.
You may get an easy ride so youcould try it and see where it
takes you, but you have to havethat resilience.
(11:40):
You have to be a hard worker.
The hours are long.
Like I told you in, I think,episode one, there is great
magical things about it, but itis an intense, grueling job at
times.
So just ask yourself thatbefore getting into this
(12:01):
business.
You know there are people thatwork at network jobs and it's
cush.
You're doing eight, ten-hourdays and you're going to a
studio and that's it.
Or if you're doing runway andyou have these fun, creative
days, but they're few and farbetween.
Like, if you want to do thingslike that, yes, but for film and
television specifically, thereare still cush jobs that are
(12:25):
like 10 12 hour days and it'seasy peasy.
Contemporary hair, everybody'slovely, wonderful to work with
and you get those.
But there are moments,especially starting out trying
to get your feet on the groundand get connections and
networking and all of that,where you're going to have to
hustle and you're going to haveto put in the work to build your
(12:48):
reputation and meet people.
So if you can't, if you aren'tprepared for that, then you need
to take a step back and getprepared.
Okay, all right.
So we're going to wrap it uphere.
This has been a powerfulconversation today.
I know it's a little bit on theshort side.
You know my episodes are goingto range from probably anywhere
(13:13):
from 15, 20 minutes to once Iget start getting people on here
or telling stories.
I can talk a lot.
It could be 30, 45 minutes, anhour, hour and a half, so it'll
be all over the place, but, um,yeah, I just.
If there's one thing I want toleave you with today, it's this
(13:34):
the highs and lows are part ofthe Hollywood experience, not
the end of it.
Celebrate those wins, learnfrom the challenges and keep
chasing your dream.
Keep that consistency.
If you love today's episode,make sure to hit subscribe,
share with a friend who's on thesame path as you and leave a
(13:57):
review.
And don't forget to connectwith me online and learn more
about the Hollywood Elite and Ihave a wig class and just you
know.
Follow me on Instagram, tiktok,youtube.
Keep creating, keep growing and, most importantly, keep going.
No-transcript.
Hello there and welcome back.
I'm Natalie, your host, yourmentor and, most importantly, a
friend who understands the wildride of Hollywood, whether this
is your first time tuning in oryou're a long-time listener.
Thank you for being here.
Today's episode is close to myheart because we're tackling a
(00:27):
topic that doesn't always showup on the highlight reels the
emotional ups and downs of thisbusiness.
It's so crucial for anyonestarting in Hollywood.
If you're a hairstylist ormakeup artist hoping to break
into Hollywood, you've probablyalready tasted some of these
highs and lows.
Maybe you just nailed yourfirst gig and felt like you were
(00:48):
soaring, or maybe you're in aslower season and the self-doubt
is creeping in.
Trust me, I've been there.
So in today's episode, we'regoing to unpack these highs and
lows, talk about how to staygrounded and, most importantly,
how to keep moving forward withresilience and confidence.
You can ride the waves of thisindustry without drowning, and
(01:11):
I'm here to show you how.
All right, shall we get started?
Grab your coffee, your wine,your pen and paper and get
settled First up.
The thrilling highs ofHollywood, that first major gig,
seeing your work race thesilver screen, collaborating
with someone you've looked up tofor years it's electric.
(01:34):
These moments remind you whyyou're here and inspire that
fire in your soul all over again.
But one important lesson I'velearned is that these highs
don't last forever.
And that's not a bad thing.
Hollywood just moves quickly.
The project wraps up, the jobends and suddenly it's that
what's next moment.
(01:55):
What matters most is thefoundation you're building
during and after those highs.
And right now Hollywood ismoving quicker than it ever has
before.
I remember sitting in a packedtheater next to my dad and
sister and for the first time Isaw my name in the credits of a
major film.
(02:16):
It was surreal, the kind ofmoment that makes all the hustle
and the struggle worth it.
I was so proud to have themthere to experience it with me.
But then reality set in.
Once that high faded and I waslooking for a job, I had to ask
myself what's next.
(02:39):
That moment taught me tocelebrate the wins, but also to
focus on the bigger picture.
There's always another gig,another opportunity ahead, and
you have to stay ready for it.
I think some of the best advicethat I got from a mentor was
that there will always be work,and sometimes it's really hard
(03:03):
to believe in that and to knowand trust and have faith in that
.
But I always made sure, nomatter what was going on, that I
could find my way and I willfigure it out.
And I was always blessed.
I took time off between shows,not at first, but years into it,
probably half my career into it.
I started taking time offbecause I was getting burnt out
(03:24):
and the what's next became moreand more natural to know that
when you finally release thatand let go of that and don't
worry, I feel like that's whenthe universe, god, allows that
flow to keep happening.
Instead of you getting in theway of worrying because I truly
(03:46):
believe that worrying putsblocks in your past You're
literally sabotaging yourself.
Anyways, I always advise thisto anyone starting out Financial
preparation is key.
Hollywood is unpredictable.
Build a savings cushion whentimes are good so that when the
(04:07):
slow period comes, you're ready.
Not worrying about how to makerent allows you to stay calm,
not set into that worry.
Make clear decisions and keepmoving forward.
Financial planning is justanother way to build resilience
and is a way of being able totake that time off.
In between, we work super longhours and super long weeks and
(04:31):
by the time a six to eight monthjob is ending, you're exhausted
.
Even if it's just a few weeks,have that padding in the bank so
that way you could take two tofour weeks off.
Okay, now we're going to moveon to the lows.
We've all been there, no matterwhat industry you're in.
(04:52):
Maybe the offers aren't rollingin, or maybe you're questioning
your talent after a rejection.
These moments can hurt, butthey are temporary.
Don't forget that.
I've been in your shoes,wondering if I was good enough,
replaying past opportunities inmy head and questioning what
went wrong.
But here's what I've learnedthose moments of doubt are where
(05:15):
the most growth happens, andthis is so true.
One of the toughest times for mecame right after a huge project
.
I was riding that wave ofexcitement, but then crickets
nothing.
My calendar was empty.
I started spiraling, thinkingwhat if that was the peak of my
career?
But instead of collapsing intothat fear, I used the downtime
(05:38):
to work on myself.
I practiced new skills, reachedout to old connections and
stayed productive.
I even practiced new healthskills.
I learned a lot about health.
I learned a lot about balance.
I took an Ayurveda class andgot my Ayurvedic practitioner's
license.
I mean, I just decided I'm notgoing to waste away this
(06:02):
downtime, I am going to expandand grow as a human being, even
outside of this business.
I trusted that the next jobwould come and of course you
know spoiler alert it did so.
Staying optimistic and proactiveis key to pulling yourself
(06:23):
through the lows.
I know it's hard to trust theprocess when it feels like the
phone isn't ringing or the gigsaren't coming.
But Hollywood thrives onconsistency.
Keep refining your craft, keepshowing up, because those low
moments do pass, just like thespeed bump in my last episode.
Sometimes they take a littlewhile to pass and sometimes they
(06:46):
take a lot longer to pass.
So, as a hair or makeup artist,even if you have to go and find
side gigs or go work at a drybar or go work at a Sephora or
go work at Mac or anover-the-counter thing, you can
find ways to survive until thatnext job comes.
Okay, and now we're going toget into the practical.
(07:08):
Emotional resilience is one ofthe greatest assets you can
build in this industry.
Here are a few things that workfor me and may work for you too
.
You need to first acknowledgeyour feelings.
You're human.
You get frustrated, you getdisappointed, you get burned out
.
It's okay to feel those things.
What matters is not lettingthose emotions define your day,
(07:31):
and even if it does, you know,I've had plenty of days, or even
weeks.
You know, especially as women,we are very emotional and we go
through like four waves ofemotions every single month.
We're on cycles.
It has been proven.
Men can, their cycle is a24-hour period.
(07:55):
Women it's like four cycles ina month.
So we're human and we're goingto have these emotions.
And if we have a bad day and welet it get to us, don't worry
about it, reset for the next day.
Don't beat yourself up anddon't get down.
There's been times where I'vehad a bad week and then I snap
myself out of it.
(08:15):
I'm like what are you doing?
Or even lately, a bad month.
I had a really bad full monthand I was like, oh my gosh, you
just wasted a month.
But then I was like, no, Ineeded that.
It's been crazy.
And I've started a new businessand my career right now is down
because of the strike and allof these things.
(08:36):
It's fine, there's a lot goingon and there's a lot going on in
the world.
So give yourself grace.
And then, secondly, you need tothe second practical thing you
need to revisit your why.
What drew you into thisbusiness?
Was it the creativity, thestorytelling, meeting afters,
(09:00):
what is it?
On the, the tough days, anchoryourself in that purpose to keep
yourself focused, and thistruly does work.
The times this year that I'vehad really bad days, I've
anchored myself in that.
Why, like with my business?
Why am I doing this?
Because I want to help others.
I want others to succeed.
I want people to believe inthemselves.
So you have to get that anchorin, okay?
(09:27):
The third thing celebrate smallwins.
Every little step matters.
I know I've said this in acouple episodes, but the small
wins keeps you going, andthere's so many times now.
I wish I would have writtendown a lot of the small wins.
I've gotten lazy with itbecause I'm like I know, not
(09:48):
only to keep myself motivatedbut those small wins are so
beautiful and sometimes they'rejust so magical and to be able
to have that as a reminder ofwhat happened, not just to keep
you motivated and confident andall of that, but to bring that
memory back up and to be like,oh my gosh, that was such a
(10:09):
beautiful moment.
So keep that in a journal andwrite one thing that you are
proud of each day or the magicalmoments.
It could be something small,like mastering a tricky curling
technique, but over time, thosesmall wins build up and kept my
momentum going Okay.
(10:30):
Finally, we need to talk aboutconsistency.
Hollywood is full of dreamers,but the people who truly succeed
are the ones who show up dayafter day, even when it's hard,
truly.
When I first got started, I wasworking seven-day weeks for $50
a day and was surfing around oncouches.
(10:53):
I was homeless.
Okay, you have to keep going.
If this is what you want to do,no matter how hard it is, you
keep going.
Okay, and you stay consistentwith all the things I want to
teach you in these episodes.
So that way, you build abeautiful reputation.
You build a reputation assomeone dependable, professional
(11:17):
and passionate about your craft.
If you are not passionate aboutdoing this and not excited about
entering this industry, thisindustry is not for you.
You may get an easy ride so youcould try it and see where it
takes you, but you have to havethat resilience.
(11:40):
You have to be a hard worker.
The hours are long.
Like I told you in, I think,episode one, there is great
magical things about it, but itis an intense, grueling job at
times.
So just ask yourself thatbefore getting into this
(12:01):
business.
You know there are people thatwork at network jobs and it's
cush.
You're doing eight, ten-hourdays and you're going to a
studio and that's it.
Or if you're doing runway andyou have these fun, creative
days, but they're few and farbetween.
Like, if you want to do thingslike that, yes, but for film and
television specifically, thereare still cush jobs that are
(12:25):
like 10 12 hour days and it'seasy peasy.
Contemporary hair, everybody'slovely, wonderful to work with
and you get those.
But there are moments,especially starting out trying
to get your feet on the groundand get connections and
networking and all of that,where you're going to have to
hustle and you're going to haveto put in the work to build your
(12:48):
reputation and meet people.
So if you can't, if you aren'tprepared for that, then you need
to take a step back and getprepared.
Okay, all right.
So we're going to wrap it uphere.
This has been a powerfulconversation today.
I know it's a little bit on theshort side.
You know my episodes are goingto range from probably anywhere
(13:13):
from 15, 20 minutes to once Iget start getting people on here
or telling stories.
I can talk a lot.
It could be 30, 45 minutes, anhour, hour and a half, so it'll
be all over the place, but, um,yeah, I just.
If there's one thing I want toleave you with today, it's this
(13:34):
the highs and lows are part ofthe Hollywood experience, not
the end of it.
Celebrate those wins, learnfrom the challenges and keep
chasing your dream.
Keep that consistency.
If you love today's episode,make sure to hit subscribe,
share with a friend who's on thesame path as you and leave a
(13:57):
review.
And don't forget to connectwith me online and learn more
about the Hollywood Elite and Ihave a wig class and just you
know.
Follow me on Instagram, tiktok,youtube.
Keep creating, keep growing and, most importantly, keep going.
No-transcript.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.