Day Hill, a true artist with having worked with such names as Marlo Hampton, Sheree Whitfield, TLC, Eva Pigford, Shanell, Jessica White, Clifton Powell, Eddie Griffin and Mychael Knight. Day’s most iconic work, to date, has been presented on the live canvas and phenom that is known as Nicki Minaj. Her work has appeared on the covers and pages of Rolling Stone, Essence, Vibe Ebony, People, and Cosmopolitan. What more can be said but BE INSPIRED!
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BSS: What an honor! Thank you so much Day for taking the time out to answer a few questions for the Be Simply Stunning Beauty Blog.
You have been working in the beauty industry for quite awhile. Can you tell our viewers when you began doing makeup and inform us of what the transition into full time makeup was like for you?
Day Hill: I started professionally in 1996 at a makeup counter in the mall. It was a side hustle because at that time I was a performer in a theater company, The Freddie Hendrick's Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, better known as YEA. The transition to working on celebrities and with magazines was only God. Being that to performance arts high school, as well as performing in a professional company, many of my friends began to do great things in the entertainment industry. They went off to LA and NY and tried makeup artists there and would always come back because they loved my work. I then started to feel like "Wow maybe I'm pretty ok at this thing?"
As they grew I grew. I always told myself I wanted to earn it and not expect to be chosen. I tell all makeup artists, "Make sure you have a network!"
BSS: With the way applying makeup has begun to be such a phenom that any and everyone is doing, how have you continued to set yourself apart, not be in the limelight but still obtain amazing opportunities?
Day Hill: I truly believe in focusing on your craft and just be good. God will send your clients. I never went after celebrities.... They came to me. If you don't chase people you will be able to name your price. If you become a chaser you will be vulnerable to your fears of losing a client. I only want the people God sends me to use my craft on. Every client isn't for me.
I limit my social media because I truly care about what God has put before me that day. What's happening in everyone else's world sometimes deflects on the blessing that's sitting in your face.
I really think it depends on your personal goals. I never aimed to be famous.... I want my work to be known because my client is known for having great makeup. I love my privacy, but I can not front, I love many of the perks to working with celebrities. But I also work with business professional women and different children organizations. I like having a diverse clientele all celebrity is stressful and can become mundane for me. I need all types of people to spark my creativity.
BSS: You were recently honored as one of the Best in Atlanta Beauty. What was the feeling like when you received the call that you would get such recognition?
Day Hill: Best in Beauty in Atlanta was such a sweet award. I'm not in competition with anyone or thing but it's truly a blessing to be recognized for the things God has allowed me to accomplish. Atlanta is a tough city and many people cannot survive here. It's great to be honored in my hometown. That's rare!
BSS: What advise would you give a person who is great in the craft of makeup but just have not landed the opportunities to take their career to the next level?
Day Hill:No two journeys are alike. Focus on the blessing of your journey and not on the outcome so much. Don't get me wrong, have goals, but don't try and dictate how they are supposed to manifest. No client is greater than the other. Learn and give your best to each one and it will prepare you for the responsibility of handling clients who are more in demand.
Also I find it more fulfilling to get with an up and coming artist and help build their brand than to come in on an artist that already has a brand. When you are dealing with your people who have already become stars then you will have to fill the footsteps of whoever came before you. It usually takes time for them to trust you enough to allow you to become your own artist. I hate trying to recreate other artist.
Up and coming makeup artists I will say, Prepare yourself and don't be so eager for celebrity life. If you know you are charging at the lower end of the spectrum and are not in a place that you feel comfortable in charging celebrity rates then wait on your confidence. This industry is not just about how great an artist you are, but also how great of a business person you can be. I do way more business than actual makeup. Just know that your client can wear a ponytail, wife beater and jeans but that face MUST be beat! When you low-ball your prices and under cut other makeup artists you are not hurting the other artist you are hurting our industry as a whole. Now everyone's rates have to go down instead of everyone's rates going up. Let's get money together!
BSS: What other things does Day Hill have going on that we must stay tuned to?
Day Hill: At the moment I'm working on Bravo's, season 3, Married to Medicine with Mrs. Toya Bush Harris. I also worked on a few independent film projects that have been submitted to several festivals such as Sundance and Tribecca. I just started working with a new female group that I'm betting will be signed shortly. There's also a project that I am working on that may have me in front of the camera that we are shopping to the networks as we speak. My future is bright and I love the artistic direction my career is taking. God is the greatest artist of ALL!
WOW! WOW! WOW! This woman is a true inspiration. As a makeup artist myself, I was all ears to get all the wisdom I could from such a person who has definitely paid their dues in this industry. I have followed the work of Day Hill for some time now and I truly believe that God is very strategic about how he connects people. We have exchanged little words here and there through social media but never really connected one on one. So the moment I saw her at the Best in Beauty event, I thought to myself, Don't miss this opportunity to finally meet. I won't lie, a little fear came over me to speak, when I seen her in the same room as me. I thought to myself will she even remember who I am? But the moment I said hello, she was so warm and knew exactly who I was and even affirmed the words to me "Girl you out here doing your thing" and she said that if I ever had anything going on to let her know and she would be there to support me. You never know how your words can be the very motivation that inspires someone to keep going. I'm INSPIRED!
Stay updated with all the things Day Hill has going on by following her on all social media and visiting her website:
www.dayhill.me
@dayhillmua
[email protected]
