10 reasons why volunteering your services is important for a MUA

It is not possible to become a makeup artists overnight, you need time and patience to practice your skills. Enrolling yourself into a makeup school will give comprehensive knowledge about makeup, but you start your own business and get paid for your services you need to practice a lot and find clients who will pay for your work. 

And volunteering is a great way to get both. And here is why:

Volunteering gives you a chance to practice your skills.

You can try out different techniques and apply your sometimes only theoretical knowledge into practice. It anchor all the things you’ve learned some far as well. Sharpening your skills and decreasing the amount of time you spend on doing a makeup will allow to use your time more efficiently in the future. 

2

Volunteering helps you establish your reputation both among your potential clients and other makeup artists.

Makeup is all about the reputation and showcasing. If you are new at this, you have hardly anything to attract a potential client. No one knows anything about you and they won’t unless you show yourself first. Volunteering is a way to do it. While providing your service for free or little money you will co-work with many different people who will not only  professionalism but also what kind of person you are. Are you punctual, hard-working, can you work under pressure?

3

Volunteering improves your communication skills and provides you with an extremely valuable experience of talking to real people.

Providing makeup services involves constant communication with people and in order to earn a living on that you need to be a great communicator. It starts from the way you describe yourself on your website to the way you talk you people while you are working. Dealing with many different people is definitely a good way to practice. Mind the questions people ask you, you might use it later in your work. It helps to predict different situations.    

4

Volunteering develops your networking skills.

It boosts your visibility among other makeup artists which is extremely important in such a competitive industry as makeup. What is more, while providing your services for free or very little money you can get a chance to observe how other makeup artists work and to become friendly relationships.    

5

Volunteering provides you with feedback on your work. 

Ask people to share their feedback with you on the results of your work. Make sure they are happy and satisfied. Ask them what they enjoyed most and what was not very comfortable. Take notes and analyse the information later to meet the expectations of your future customers. 

6

Volunteering gives you a chance to gather reviews of your work

Providing your services for free is a great way to receive some reviews. Ask your clients to leave a comment on your website or mentionj you in their instagram post. You will get more if the review is not too broad but more specific and detailed. Don’t forget to check if they are ok with sharing their reviews online.  

7

Volunteering is a great source for your portfolio

To build up your online presence you will need a great portfolio and volunteering your services is a way to get it. You can find a local photographer who needs to build their portfolio too and unite your efforts. Make sure your portfolio is varied, invite models with different types of looks.  

8

Volunteering is a great option to understand your future job’s routine

It is a good idea to check out what a makeup artist job involves before you start up your own company or quit your job. Working as a volunteer for some time is a great way to find out if you really enjoy the job and know what it takes to work as a makeup artist.  

9

Volunteering is a great way to find your first clients.

And usually these clients are very loyal to you. Volunteering gives you a possibility to showcase your skills and allow the word of mouth to attract more clients in the future.Make sure you have some business cards with you in case someone wants to hire you later. 

10

Volunteering helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your preferences in work. You might have already decided that you want to work with makeup for brides and special occasions, but you still need a thorough knowledge and skills in other areas of makeup to become a real professional. 

If you are

seriously considering to start your makeup business, it’s time to volunteer and get the most out of it: contacts, first clients, great portfolio pictures, reviews and priceless experience. Take it seriously because you have only one chance to make a first impression.