Jen Clark
Microblading Instructor
Navigating a new career as a microblading artist can feel overwhelming and intimidating, but you are not alone! Most microblading artists choose to work solo and create their own business. There are so many upsides to owning your own business as well as its own unique challenges. By following these do’s and dont’s, you can avoid some of the usual growing pains.
DO’S
DO find a booth rental location that offers daily rent, rather than weekly or monthly. As a beginning artist, it is unusual to have a full clientele to make weekly or monthly rentals worth it. It’s normal to have some weeks with no clients at all. To avoid a situation where you can’t afford your rent, find a studio where you pay a small daily fee only for the days you work. These rental options can be a little more difficult to find, but they are available. Call different studios, and reach out to local artists to find the best options. If you are in the Salt Lake City area, we offer daily booth rental at our state of the art studio here at NPCA!
DO practice often. Practicing different patterns and techniques on your fake skins often can make all of the difference in your work. Even when you get to a point where you feel confident in your patterns, there is always room for improvement. Take inspiration from other artists work that you love and try new things, get out of your comfort zone! My favorite thing to do is to take screenshots of others work and sit down and try to mimic their patterns. From there you can put different techniques together and add your own flair to them. Soon enough you will have a solid lineup of patterns and techniques that can be used for just about any client.
DO take clear, high quality photos of your work and post consistently on social media. Social media, specifically Instagram is an incredible tool to grow your business. It is essentially free marketing to show off your work and your personality to draw in not only potential clients, but also others in the industry. You can have the most beautiful work but if your pictures are bad, no one will ever see it. Focus on the lighting and clarity in your photos, a step as simple as wiping off your camera lens can make a huge difference. Learn to beautifully edit your photos by searching for tutorials online, asking your favorite artists how they like to edit or enrolling in our Social Media – Photos course for all the best tips. Make it a priority to post often and consistently, as well as showing your face on both your feed and your stories. Even if it feels like no one is watching, post as if they are. Soon enough your following and clientele will begin to grow.
DO invest in your equipment and business. The common saying “you have to spend money to make money” is absolutely true. Especially when building a business from the ground up. Invest in your education by taking multiple training courses, both online and in person. Research the highest quality products to use on your clients to give them the best results. Find a professional photographer to take gorgeous photos for you to use on your website, social media, and business cards. When clients see professional, cohesive branding, it makes them more likely to trust you and give you their business. If you don’t have the funds to do some of these things, see if you can find someone to trade services with. There is also unlimited free resources online to learn how to do some of these things yourself. You can learn how to take professional looking photos, or how to build your own website if you are willing to take the time to do so. If you would like guidance creating your best branding possible with a professional by your side, take our Create Your Brand Course.
DO understand that building up a full clientele takes a lot of time and effort. You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you assume you will be making a huge amount of money and have a full clientele right out of the gate. I see a lot of beginners quit because they think they aren’t talented enough, or don’t have what it takes. This is not true. You are just as capable as those artists that you look up to, it just takes time and effort to get there. By having realistic expectations, you set yourself up for success. It’s so important to understand that it may take as long as a year to begin making money and have a full clientele, you may need to do lots of work for free or heavily discounted to get clients in the door. You will need to do a lot of work behind the scenes that is technically unpaid. None of these things are “bad” however, look at them as building your portfolio and experience that will help you blossom into the incredible artist and business woman that you are!
DONT’S
Don’t take any and every client that walks through the door. As a beginner it is so important to be very picky with the clients that you work on. By taking complicated coverups, or non ideal clients such as those with very oily or mature skin, you run a huge risk of not providing them with the result that they are looking for. Some clients require a lot of experience and knowledge to be able to give them great results. Be very honest and open with your clients so they know what to expect. If you don’t feel comfortable working on them, let them know and explain why. Most clients are so understanding and grateful for your honesty and some will even be willing to wait until you are ready to work on them. By being selective with your clients you will build trust save yourself and your clients a lot of regret and heartache.
Don’t base your worth and success on followers. Every person that you see on Instagram with thousands of followers, all started with zero. One of my favorite quotes is, “don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s end”. We all start from the same place. You are not failing just because you have less followers than someone else, you are simply in a different place in your journey. Rather than doing anything to get new followers (like purchasing followers or following thousands of random accounts), invest your time and energy into the followers you DO have, and organic followers will come. By engaging with your followers and creating friendships, you will begin to build a beautiful community that love and support you rather than strangers who are just a number on your follower list. Take time to create content that you are proud of and be consistent, and give thoughtful responses to those that message you. I personally would rather have 500 followers who engage with me and support me, than 5000 followers who don’t really know who I am.
Don’t try and compete with other artists, but rather learn from them. Having a mindset of competition will only leave you feeling inadequate and possibly even jealousy and resentment. There is enough success, clients, and money for every single one of us! You will find that by supporting and shouting out other artists will help you build a loving community, and clients and success will follow. People can feel the energy you put out. If it is negative and competitive, you will likely have a harder time reaching your goals. If it is optimistic and supportive, people will naturally gravitate towards you. The great thing about the PMU industry is that artists are so quick to share tips and help one another. Being able to reach out to artists I look up to and ask questions was such a huge help for me as a beginner and still is today. If you want to know what pigment an artist uses, ask! If you’re struggling with your depth, reach out and ask that amazing artist that always nails her depth! The worst that can happen is they don’t answer, and that’s okay. But the information that so many are willing to share is priceless. As your skills improve and you gain more of a following, you will often find that others will reach out to you with questions. It is important to pay it forward and help others along the way as well. Again, helping someone succeed will never take away from your success, it will only add to it.
Don’t stop learning. Microblading is a skill that takes so much practice and continuing education. It is usually not something that someone will be a master at right away, or even after completing their course. You WILL need some form of continuing education. That can be taking additional courses, online courses, and shadowing other artists. The second you stop learning, your work will stop improving. Always be looking for ways to learn more and improve your skills.
Don’t GIVE UP! I am willing to bet that there is not a successful artist out there who hasn’t considered quitting at least once or twice. I probably considered quitting at least 10 times! Unfortunately, hard and stressful times are to be expected when building a business and growing your skills. Do not let giving up ever be an option for yourself. When things feel overwhelming, allow yourself to take breaks and step away from work. Reach out to a friend or fellow artist to vent (trust me, we get it!). If the amount of work seems overwhelming, delegate some tasks to a trusted friend or spouse, or cut back on clients as needed. It is important to take care of your mental health and other responsibilities you may have as well as your business. You are amazing, talented, and completely capable of reaching your goals.
You are doing an incredible thing by starting your own business and I can’t wait to see how much you grow. I hope these tips are helpful and give you some new tools to utilize moving forward. You’ve got this, girl!