MAKING A PLAN

HStructure helps me create I have ADHD so I need structure in order to plan all my thoughts out I have been diagnosed by my primary care physician and medicated since I was a child to help me focus in school I have definitely talked to people over the years about my bipolar disorder and my ADHD has affected me over the years. It's been overwhelming to deal with I can't express how annoying it is to deal with something that will never go away This is something that you're always going to have and there is no cure for it You just have to learn how to navigate it There have been times where my ADHD and my bipolar disorder have had a negative effect on my career. One of the biggest negative affect my mental illnesses has had on my career is my social anxiety It has kept me from putting myself in rooms that I probably should have been in

AI spent a lot of time couped up in my apartment alone not experiencing the world because I was so overwhelmed by what was going on with my mental illnesses

Today I actively go to therapy and see my doctors I still go through highs and lows but now I feel like I have a team. I'm also more self-aware and know what triggers me. It has helped me acknowledge where I need help and ask for help when it's needed uke London jumped right into his craft after high school Using every tool to his disposal in cosmetology school Luke London understands the importance of finding and maintaining a diverse clientele Taking the time to study what works and what doesn't work across the board Luke London shares his tips on building your kit and being your biggest advocate.

I started doing makeup about nine years ago I did hair before I did makeup I graduated from cosmetology school in 2013 so it will be ten years for hair Then a year into my career is when I started doing makeup

I had my regular hair clients and people would ask me to do their makeup At the time I would recommend them to someone else because I just wasn't comfortable doing it myself Then I started to ask myself why I was giving away all these potential clients to other people when I could just learn how to do makeup. It was something I had never really thought about doing, but once I sat down and really learned it actually came really easy to me. I loved doing it. The next thing I know I started building a clientele and have been doing makeup for the past nine years.

Not only is building your clientele very involved but so is building your kit You have to have all different types of tones and types of products If you want to be a good makeup artist you have to be prepared for what people want from you I do bridal, editorial, events, photoshoots all sorts of things so I never really know what type of jobs I'll be put into So I really need a kit that is prepared for any type of client That includes all different types of skin tones, ages, face shapes, body types, and genders

To build your clientele you have to be ready for anything I do editorial, bridal, soft flam, and more I work with different skin tones, ages, face types, body types, and genders Being a good makeup artist is about being well-rounded Building up your kit will take some time because you need to dive into what makes a good product you can pay $60 for a foundation but there are $12 drugstore foundations that can actually, do better. It's a lot of trial and error but it will take some time to build a kit that you can be proud of.

From day one I've always been big on embracing a diverse chair Being a queer POC, I'm Filipino and we're definitely not the majority So starting off I know what it's like to not feel represented all the time in every space

A lot of times in cosmetology school they only teach a certain curriculum for certain types of people While the fundamentals can be taught to anyone for a broader client base It's so important to have experience with different types of people

Even though the fundamentals you can learn and apply to everyone it's important to have experiences with all kinds of people Clients aren't going to just fall in your lap so you have to put in the work to get a diverse clientele I would also offer free work but I would also be selective about the jobs that you end up taking on

If you're going to believe in anything you need to believe in yourself No one owes you anything If you really want to make it you have to be your number one advocate and your number one fan You have to believe that what you're doing is what you're supposed to be doing

Sometimes I catch myself comparing myself to other makeup artists that might be younger than me and are doing stuff that I want to do but I always try to reframe it I just say okay this person is going for it so why can't I? Reframe those thoughts and situations in a different way It's all a journey

When I look back at my career, I've done things and I'm doing things that I have always dreamed of if you told me 10 years ago that I would be working for myself full time and have my own clients I would be so excited I never try to take that for granted

Lead with gratitude

Leading up to the fall of 2020 I was working in cosmetics for 8 years and I worked for multiple companies like Ulta, Beauty Brands, Mac, and Dior. I was still practicing my business on the side when I wasn't working for them, I was working on my craft. The goal was to always build my artistry to where I can go full-time In 2020 when the pandemic happened I was laid off from my job in march and I was off work until about May during that time it was scary and stressful but I wanted to make the most of it I took the time to nourish my creativity, tried new looks at home, and experimented It really reminded me why I loved doing makeup

Once things started to open back up everyone was ready to start getting back to their life When I felt comfortable accepting appointments again It was like everyone wanted to book The wedding industry had a big boom from people who had to reschedule their weddings It got to a point where I had to continuously call off my job So I tried to switch to part-time at my current job and they actually gave me an ultimatum They told me it was all or nothing So I said it was nothing, and I quit my job That moment was so rewarding

If I can offer any advice that would be I know this shit is scary but you're never going to be in a position that feels like you're ready It's not going to happen until you force yourself over the edge and just take a chance on yourself and your abilities It may feel irresponsible and unstable which is the risk you take when you become an entrepreneur. You can set yourself up as much as you want but there is no knowing unless you take action and do it and I am so happy that I took this leap of faith in October 2020 so that I can be where I am today.

Dj

Sometimes it's unbelievable just how far I’ve come and I always think about how most of the stuff just kind of came to me I did work very hard to get where I am, but being a St. Louis artist is so much fun It’s a blessing All of the experiences I’ve gotten to have while doing what I love have been incredible I can’t even believe I’m practicing my craft and getting paid for it.

After doing one year at Avila University and then transferring to Northwest Missouri state it didn't take me very long to realize that college just wasn't for me I liked being away from home and learning new skills but just getting out of high school I had so much going on I just couldn't navigate it

I came home and tried to actually go back to school but it still just didn't end up working out The deciding factor in finally dropping out of school was seeing my friends doing all the artistic things that they wanted to do. AGame STL was one of them and we would meet up and I was able to look at their lifestyle and what they were doing. It showed me that following my artistic passions is possible

Sometimes it's unbelievable just how far I’ve come and I always think about how most of the stuff just kind of came to me I did work very hard to get where I am, but being a St Louis artist is so much fun It’s a blessing All of the experiences I’ve gotten to have while doing what I love have been incredible. I can’t even believe I’m practicing my craft and getting paid for it.

Being an artist in St Louis is fun but it's also a challenge This past year it took me a minute to learn the craft of DJing and actually going to buy the equipment. I didn't think I was actually going to be hired for parties As a DJ you set the tone for the party so it can be nervewracking but the love I've received from people has been so crazy

You're not going to please everybody If something doesn't resonate with you that is okay, don't do it. You can't be a yes man for everybody

Since working in a band I've had to work with other people There's been times when we'll work on something and our ideas will clash so I've had to learn to stand my ground and understand my worth. Sometimes people may want you to do a show for free or show up to an event and help build up their brand Which is definitely fine but I recommend being selective on which times you decide to perform for free That was something I had to learn about not being everyone's yes man and that I need to follow my gut

For me, I’ve always loved being a St. Louis artist. I think St. Louis produces some of the best talent across the field. There are so many talented people here.

I’ve always danced since I was a kid. Ask anyone in my family I’ve always loved music and movement. I didn’t take my first dance class until I was a teenager. Up until the point of me meeting Rita Harris anything I learned before then were things I learned from tv. I would record award shows and music videos, I would learn every routine from anyone who had choreography in their videos which back then was everybody. When I met Rita Harris I wandered into a class she was teaching and asked if I could take class with her. From that day forward I was with her dancing.

Louis artist. I think St. Louis produces some of the best talent across the field. There are so many talented people here. As it pertains to what I do I have always loved being from St. Louis and doing what I love in the city. Yes, I travel outside of St. Louis but I always come back to St. Louis. I've always loved and thrived in St. Louis.

A lot of my biggest opportunities have come right from St. Louis. I choreographed Nelly's European tour. I co-choreographed shake a tail feather with my god sister Eboni I was able to go to new york and teach Puff Daddy how to do the mono at that time. All of this happened with me living in St. Louis. Moving to another city wasn't even on my radar at the moment and I had already started working professionally. I've always had drive, passion, determination, and a love for my craft.

I would never mishandle my craft, and the one thing that everything came second to was dance. If I had a job and it got in the way of me performing, I would quit. There was no negotiating. When I look back I see how irresponsible that is as it pertains to what I was doing to other people, but dance was my number one. If it did not fit into the mode of what I had to do with dance, it had to go.

God blessed me with the opportunity to work for my mom since my mom is handicapped. She had been in nursing facilities for most of my teenage years and when she finally got back on her own I was able to work for her. Which allotted me more time to invest in my craft. That was the freedom I was given to wholeheartedly put myself in a position to better my career.

We didn't have a time of the day that was convenient for dance. We would dance whenever we wanted to, during business hours, and then go to another studio and dance until the wee hours of the morning. We would repeat that every day, for fun. There was nothing we hoped to gain except other than just getting together and expressing ourselves in the dance studio. The concept of night classes came from us here in St. Louis just going to the studio and dancing at night time. Back then no one was offering classes at no nine o'clock at night. We coined this term starting to go around and ask if people were coming to night class. The classes were a dollar and we would just vibe, create, and express ourselves with the privilege to be around dancers that wanted to learn.

Tonya Reed played a huge role in providing us with that space. One thing about Tonya is no matter where she worked, she was going to get us some studio space. When I met Tonya I was auditioning for the Breathe In Breathe Out music video at a nightclub behind Union Station. We've been dancing together from that moment on.

The beautiful thing about what's happening now is I had to crawl so a lot of people here now, can run That started with building relationships and pouring back into the talent that was already here and letting it blossom Now those same people can pour back into the city It's all in networking Also, what's different now is social media has really changed how we navigate opportunity

For anyone saying they can't be seen and there is no opportunity, it's a prison that they have engulfed themselves in. It's insecurity and a way of not going for what they want full force because of the work that may entail A lot of times people are afraid of it not happening Not realizing that at the end of the day, it can happen for everybody, but when it happens is up to none of us Some people hit right away and for some people it takes years Everybody's journey is not and should not be the same You have to be down for the ride and you have to be willing to work your butt off for every second of it. Nothing is entitled to any of us.

Even if you feel like it's something you deserve is selfish At the end of the day, there are so many avenues for the current artist in any capacity to outlet, or network, that at this point it's up to you on how you benefit from those things So if you’re waiting for opportunities to fall in your lap you’re going to be sitting there waiting for a long time because you’re waiting for something that is not owed to you. At no point is anything entitled to you. When you create the mentality to work for everything you want that habit is so beneficial to your success Most of all beneficial to your mental health and to your outlook on situations and scenarios with people

It really helps to create a sense of gratitude that will help you from becoming jaded and bitter You can start to feel inferior to everything without gratitude If we stop trying to outdo each other and competing with one another we could go further. A lot of situations have real growth and overflows is because a lot of fo people in these scenarios are pouring into each other

New york aint new york because everyone trying to be better than everyone it's because they try to stick together and they push their people. In St. Louis, people are quicker to compete with you than they are to work with you. That is the biggest downfall in our community as a whole as it pertains to becoming more national and for people to want to come here for talent and use talent here We dilute ourselves when we compete on the level of trying to downplay what everyone in the city is doing because all that inner competition in the city just mutes St Louis

If that energy was put into being a community and working together all the time the level of material and content that would be pouring out would be huge. It would be tremendously beneficial to the community as a whole. I do see more often now that dancers are starting to share other dancers' classes I see what you're doing to promote art and great local things in the city It's needed but it's just one thing A lot of people see me sharing other people's stuff Now I've shared my platform and audience with you and as big as you think you are as an individual there are always people that don’t know who you are

So even Yes Honey Studio sharing my posts is creating a bridge between communities and a network that keeps circulating. Now how you use it is up to you and where the jade can come in because some people are happier to have a celebrity share their post than they are for me to share How are you so happy about Beyonce' or somebody sharing your content for the same reasons I would share your content? Then when I share your content it's frivolous to you it's just a share That's what signals to me that there is a sense of entitlement there that you are expecting more from me although I just did exactly what somebody didn't do that you are expecting.

Just sharing someone's content can take them from a zero to a thousand.

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You don

T Have To Do Anything Negative To Get Where You Want To Go

Your belief has to be matched with work So if you have bad habits and you're not putting in the right amount of work you can pick up and move to another city and you’ll still have the same amount of opportunities because you’re not working for them Part of the work is knowing the resources to get you where you need to go and not expecting things to fall into your lap.