Before COVID, I was doing some freelance work. This includes prom makeup, wedding guest makeup, face painting and cutting and styling hair. Doing freelance work, I’ve had to plan to share my ideas with a client and communicate with them in order to get a desired look. I’ve also had to think about equipment I’ll need, what the client wants, ti... Read More

Before COVID, I was doing some freelance work. This includes prom makeup, wedding guest makeup, face painting and cutting and styling hair. Doing freelance work, I’ve had to plan to share my ideas with a client and communicate with them in order to get a desired look. I’ve also had to think about equipment I’ll need, what the client wants, timings, costs and any problems that might occur and how I’d overcome them. I have had really good feedback from clients about my punctuality, reliability, organisation, the way I work and how I’ve met the clients wishes and have gained some regular clients because of this. I’m really looking forward to building my skills and knowledge further, so I can take more transferable skills into the industry and explore more areas within the field such as film and TV. Looking forward, I hope to complete my BA (Hons) after the next 2 years alongside working to build my portfolio and experience. I’m also looking forward to seeing my progression over the next few years and to improve skills already gained and learn more. From 2014-2019, I worked as a Saturday girl in a hair salon and I currently work at the Grand Opera House in York as an Usher and Ticketing and Sales Assistant. Working at the Opera House, I’ve been able to shadow the hair and makeup artists on touring shows. Up until now, I have shadowed on shows such as Dirty Dancing, Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky Horror Show and Club Tropicana. While shadowing, I learnt about styling and maintenance of wigs and how to apply stage makeup and the difference to normal makeup. I was also able to shadow during the shows so I could see how hair and makeup artist work and how fast they work along with the level of organisation needed. This helped me in shows I have worked on and helped me understand all the important skills needed when working under pressure. I have a very good work ethic and am always willing to do what I can to gain experience to build on my knowledge and skills. I have been very lucky to do the hair and makeup on local productions such as Pick Me Up Cats in November 2018, York St. John university High School Musical in March 2019 and York Stage Musicals Shrek the Musical in September 2019. After having work experience in theatre, I would love to expand my knowledge and experience further in industry by working in film and TV as this is and area with lack of experience. Due to prior work experience, I have first hand knowledge of industry standards, confidentiality and discretion and I have a professional outlook and attitude when it comes to my work. I am currently completing my Foundation Degree in Media Makeup, Special Effects and Hair Design after completing my VTCT L2 & L3 Hair and Media Makeup qualification. Due to these qualifications, I have experience in hair cutting and styling, basic makeup application and special effects. Being able to work on shows such as Shrek the Musical and Cats, I was able to show a wide range of different skills such as face painting, stage makeup and applying wigs. Working on shows helped me be able to work under pressure and quickly but still getting the required looks while helping me gain confidence in my work. Working on Shrek has been my biggest opportunity so far. On this show, I was part of the planning when looking at the hair and makeup designs for the actors. Working on the show, I was able to do Donkeys and Lord Farquaards makeup. I had to adapt these looks to suit the actors and make sure the looks lasted the whole show. During the show, we had a 1 minuet, 20 second quick change. In that change, we had to change the actress playing Fiona from a princess into an ogre. This required 6 of us to work within a small space very quickly to ensure she didn’t miss her cue. Read Less