Today we’d like to introduce you to MacKenzie Franklin.
MacKenzie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was 6 months pregnant with my daughter and it was a time where I isolated myself from the outside world. Some days were better than others but I started to use makeup as a form of therapy for myself-mostly to minimize my round face that kept getting bigger closer to the due date.
After I had my daughter, I felt more inspired to follow my passion and started to do friends and family’s weddings and that slowly expanded to more styled shoots and bigger weddings that led me to meet dozen of brilliant other vendors who would refer me to their clients and my small business just took off in the past year and half. I love what I do and I love being able to give my client the highest level of confidence and make them feel beautiful.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think my biggest challenge is balancing it all- between being a single mom, working 2 jobs, expanding my business, and continuing to invest in myself to keep up with all the new knowledge- it can easily become overwhelming. Especially during the pandemic, I questioned if this was the right path for me to pursue at the time. There was a lot of self-doubt at the beginning, lots of new information to learn, and with each wedding and with each client I gain a lot of confidence in myself to not give up and power through those rough patches. In this industry you got to have tough skin (and the sooner, the better)- I had to learn that not everyone is going to like my work and criticism isn’t always a bad thing- you got to learn from your mistakes and always be open to learning more.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a freelance makeup artist- it allows me to work for myself and also work for bridal companies or brands without being tied down to one thing. I’m essentially able to pick the work I’m inspired to do without overwhelming myself.
The bread and butter of my business is bridal makeup and special occasion/soft glam. As of late, I’ve been fortunate to work with a handful of brands and photographers to do more creative content, which are so opposite of bridal and wedding makeup so it’s a bit challenging (in a good way). I get a little bit more freedom with my art.
I’d say I’m most known for the “no makeup, makeup” look-the soft natural glam look. Majority of my clients come to me and say “I don’t wear a lot of makeup” so I always want to make them feel confident in their own skin.
I’m most proud of my growth the past two years, I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of events and emotions- my journey to get here happen so quick sometimes I forget to take time and enjoy the process of makeup. Owning your own business and being a one-man show is a lot to take on so I had to create boundaries and remind myself that it’s okay to take time for myself and step away for a few days or a weekend. It’s all about creating a healthy work/life balance.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My inner circle of friends- my support system- deserve a lot of the credit. When I had moments of doubt or a bad day, they were right there to pick me up and give me the reassurance that I needed to keep pushing through.
When I was still on the fence whether the beauty industry was for me or not my best friend at the time was the main person who really gave me the extra boost to pursue my dreams. She believed in me when I didn’t. She herself is hairstylist and has been in the bridal industry for 8 years so she gave me access to her network and helped me get with the right people who can help me grow and teach me the ins and outs of the industry. I owe a lot of my beginning success to her giving me the tools to grow and expand on my own to make my business my own.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kenziemua
Image Credits
Julie Jackson
Kylie Reier
Brooke
Whitney K
