JSterling - MUD N.Y. Instructor

JSterling

MUD N.Y. Instructor

JSterling’s resume reads like a who’s who of the entertainment industry. He’s worked with Liam Neeson, Mandy Moore, Natasha Henstridge, Vivian Green, and host of other celebrities. His makeup artistry has appeared in national and international publications like Rolling Stones Italia, Playboy, and Cosmo. You may have seen his handiwork in music videos and commercials on MTV, VH1, or HBO. If that wasn’t enough, JSterling’s stellar career also includes teaching aspiring make-up artists at MUD New York. Incredibly, his journey began on a small farm in Ohio.

www.jsterlingbeauty.com

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY?

I was born and raised on a farm in Ohio, but I knew early on that wasn’t going to be my lot in life. In the late eighties, I went to cosmetology school, moving from my tiny little nowhere to Columbus. I was seventeen years old. Back then beauty school included everything. The fulltime program was over 1600 hours and included skincare and make-up.

While I was in school, a headhunter recruited me for one of the top salons in Columbus. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but the owners of the salon had operated in New York for years before moving back home to Ohio. In 1989 they were charging $300 a haircut. They invited me to come on as an assistant, and I hated every moment of it. It was not what I was looking for. Back then, I didn’t even know you could make a living doing make-up. There was no social media, the business was somewhat underground, and nobody saw who did a celebrity’s make-up or cared about it. Eventually, I went back to the woman who owned my school, and she introduced me to somebody who would change my life.

That somebody was Dan Campbell Place, and his name, unfortunately, is unknown to many of today’s make-up artists. Dan was from Ohio and moved to New York. He was the Kevin Aucoin of his time, doing covers for publications like Vogue and Town & Country. I met him after he moved back to Ohio. He looked at two very embarrassing pictures in my photo book, which were poorly done by local photographers, and said, “You’re very talented, but it’s not going to happen here.”

I knew I didn’t have enough make-up training, so I started to look for schools. In the U.S. in the late eighties there just weren’t schools that matched what I needed. I ended up liberating a British Vogue from the local library (because it really wanted to

be free). In the back was an ad for a school called Complexions International School of Makeup. They had a sister school in Toronto, where I put in another 200 hours of training. When I finished, I sold everything I owned and moved to New York.

I moved without knowing anyone and spent the year visiting every modeling agency and photography agency I could find. This was before Google. Within a year I had a pretty strong portfolio. There were only four agencies for hair and make-up reps at the time. I was signed by, Zolie Illusions, the very first agency to represent make-up artists anywhere in New York. They had been representing Reggie Wells since 1984.

The agency was connected to Sony Music and a wide range of talent. Reggie worked with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, and Oprah. Another artist, Roxanna Floyd, worked with Queen Latifah and Sissy Spacek. My portfolio was edgy and avant garde, but they saw something in it and signed me.

WHAT PROPELLED YOUR SUCCESS?

I came to New York at a really important time during a transition of technology. When I first moved here, everything was very segregated. You were either a makeup artist or you were a hair dresser, not both. You either worked in music or in fashion or in movies and film. You worked for celebrities or you did advertising. The segregation was partly due to the technology at the time. They were still shooting with Kodak film that had to be processed. Make-up you did for television was quite different than make-up you did for print.

Jennifer Lopez was one of the first celebrities to cross over. She was a dancer who became a singer and then an actress. Her make-up artists had to figure out how to move seamlessly from the red carpet to a music video to a magazine. I think that change in technology really helped me, because it forced me to adapt much faster than people who were older and more entrenched in the business than I was.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THE MAKE-UP INDUSTRY?

I love that we make people feel good about themselves, but I think it’s more than that. What we do for a living as make-up artists is sometimes trivialized, but I believe we move people in a specific way. It doesn’t matter if they’re a housewife, a bride, a celebrity, a model, or a musician. When people get up in the morning and get ready to leave the house—maybe they put on full war paint or just a little bit of lip gloss—they choose how the world sees them. In our roles as make-up artists, we see highprofile actors, models, and singers with no make-up and without their hair done. These are people who make a living based on how they look, and they allow us to see them in a very vulnerable state. It’s a privilege. I also love that we play a role in their day. If they are comfortable in their make-up, they’re going to perform better.

WHAT’S CHALLENGING?

Staying motivated is challenging, especially when people keep telling you “no.” It’s hard to stay positive when you’re not working. For a freelance artist or even a general make-up artist, it’s not a nine-to-five job. That means when we’re not working, we’re not off. We’re still looking for work. That hustle is very important, but it’s a challenge. This profession attracts people who are, should I say, unique. There’s a reason we don’t work in an office. At the same time, what makes us unique also makes it very easy for us to be self-critical and to give up when we don’t see results.

Every job has a certain amount of challenges. What has made me so successful through hard times and industry changes is that I’ve always been a problem solver. I am not the best make-up artist in the world. I am good at what I do, I am experienced, and I have both logic and creativity. But what has always set me apart is the ability to problem solve—and problem solve on my feet very, very fast.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?

The challenge I find in most students today is that they don’t use their imagination. A lot of younger people grew up with so much entertainment that they don’t know how to exercise their most important tool, their imagination. It used to be you were forced to use your imagination to make a spaceship out of a box or a wand out of a stick. My mom encouraged me to be an avid reader while I was growing up, so I got into my own head and went to different realms.

Inspiration isn’t just about imagination, though. It’s also about experiences. I went from a tiny little farm where I was sheltered to traveling around the world and coming to New York. Traveling exposed me to things I had never experienced before. Now I’m inspired by artists, seasons, and even some odd little things. If you see beauty in things that most people don’t find beautiful, then that’s where your creativity and your power lies. For example, an oil spill is awful, but if you really look the iridescences caused by it are amazing.

Growing up in nature was also a big inspiration. I was a bit of a loaner and I spent a lot of time by myself, so nature was almost like a friend. If you observe the world around you, you cannot help but be inspired. Now I live in New York, but I still get out of the city on a regular basis to proverbially stop and smell the roses.

WHAT CALLED YOU TO TEACH?

When I first went to beauty school, not too many people were interested in what went on behind the scenes. Then this really great shift happened, and hair and make-up people became celebrities in their own right. Kevin Aucoin is a great example of this, along with Frederick Fekkai and Oribe. What really got to me were the interviews I saw with make-up artists. Not many could communicate in a creative and professional way. I wanted people to know that makeup is a serious business, and I felt like a voice was needed there.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT TEACHING?

My favorite part is helping a student to claim his or her creative voice. So often, I can see they have something to say

creatively but they don’t know how to say it. That moment when I help them connect the dots so they can hear that creative voice and let other people hear it too is one of the best things about teaching.

IS THERE ONE LESSON YOU HOPE STUDENTS WALK AWAY WITH?

Perseverance. Nowadays, there’s so much attention placed on what happens behind the scenes—on social media and elsewhere. Students have an unrealistic idea of what it means to be a professional make-up artist. They think all they have to do is be a star on social media and suddenly they will be famous. I started when I was eighteen, so for me perseverance has been key. Students need to understand it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be challenging. It’s going to be a journey. You’re going to hear “no” a lot, but you will learn from it every time. Just one “no” doesn’t end it.

WHAT FIVE TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO ASPIRING ARTISTS?

First, immerse yourself in your business. I ask my students who their favorite makeup artist is, and they often don’t have an answer. I ask what Broadway play or movie they last saw, and they’re at a loss. You have to educate yourself about the business you want to work in. Research, research, research, and consume entertainment.

Second, prepare yourself for success. Make-up is not just a creative process. It’s a logical process. Set goals.

Third, we talk a lot about networking. Engage with other industry professionals, including the students you went to school with but also people you meet at events or working on projects.

Four, understand business. Make-up is a business. I know my students are artists, but I don’t want them to be starving artists. They need to understand business.

Fifth, constantly recharge your inspiration. To me that means traveling, watching a movie I don’t want to see, or going to an exhibit I don’t want to go to. Do something outside your wheelhouse because only then will you experience something new and exhilarating. •