Building Portfolio - Is Working For Free The Answer?

Storytime! I was once a passionate but naïve artist who wanted to get some images to her portfolio.

In the pursuit of doing so, I wrote to several agencies and photographers hoping someone would reply and I might strike a chance to work with any of them.

I did get a few replies. And I did get a shoot confirmed as well.

I was told I would get the images as compensation like others since the entire team on the shoot was a newbie. I agreed.

Though everyone was not a newbie, yet it was only I who wasn’t paid in money.

I did get the images, still have them in my portfolio.

But, is this the right way to build your portfolio?

From my professional point of view and experience, no, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Working for free just to get images does two major harms to your career right off the bat,

1.     The same people who call you in for free never call you back for paid projects, take it from my years of experience. Any price you set after will always be ‘too much’ for them.

2.     It gets really difficult for you to set a value/price for your work. You will have to work really hard to get there.

Instead, look for creatives who are on the same growth level as you or who are looking for fellow creatives to do TFPs (Time For Photos). TFPs do not involve monetary transactions for anyone. Everybody works to get the pictures for their portfolios.

Build your portfolio, set a rate (without undercutting the industry!), send it to potential clients and work towards securing the gigs.

Goodluck!

Fizzah.

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Bad Marketing 101 – How You Devalue Your Work

You might have read a lot of articles telling you how one should value their business, what should be done for clients and peers to take you seriously.

How you should navigate so the clients do not try and take and advantage of your services.

Well today I want to point out things you might be doing that devalue your work and put prospect collaborators/clients/students off.

-   You are not up to date with the platform you are marketing your business on.

-   You do not have a brand identity and you fail to incorporate simpler things in your marketing strategy such as creating impactful content.

-   You have not taken a good look at your competitors’ work and how they price their services.

-   You jump straight into putting a tag on your work that does not even justify your experience, knowledge and location.

-   You do not think highly of your work.

-   In your opinion what you do can be learnt in a matter of few days and it’s no rocket-science that people would consider spending money on (then why would anyone pay you for teaching them what you do, no?)

-   You lack curiosity.

-   You have not spent time researching and learning more about your work. You are content with what you did 15 years back.

I can go on and on about what more you (might be) doing that just should not be done because you are a Professional at what you do, but my head hurts from absorbing too much today.

Saving the rest for some other day.

Goodnight!

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Let's Collaborate!

Another day and another clothing brand approaches me with the offer to 'collaborate'.

I don't even bother asking now if they are looking forward to a paid collaboration.

They promise "proper" credits to be given to the Makeup Artist for coming on-board.

In their head, we are the most non-prioritized creatives in any project and we are worth nothing but a "proper" mention in the credits.

My reply? A professional flat-out No.

Dear Clothing/Jewelry/Shoes/Whatever Brands,

When you get in touch with a Makeup Artist for one of your commercial projects, kindly approach them with a good budget, not penniless and never ask for free work. Trust me, you neither come off professional nor respectful.

Yours Truly,

A Makeup Artist of 5 solid years of work experience.

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Choose Your Foundation The Fool-Proof Professional Way

Hey Guys, it's been a long hour since I last posted here. It's been ages actually. But I am back with the promise to keep writing.

Fingers crossed, wish me luck!

Picking up from where we left off, the complexion, something I always talk about and create passionately.

There are no shortcuts to doing a great complexion work, you cannot simply pick one foundation formula, swipe it all over the face, a little dab here a little dab there and voila! You get a flat complexion.

Let's look at it from a Professional's point of view.

When you are choosing a foundation shade, either for yourself or a client, start by analyzing the skintone and undertone. I can bet my entire kit on it that you cannot narrow it down to one single colour.

What should be done then?

Use three different shades. But how to pick those 3 shades?

Here are some important pointers (they are important so read carefully).

Sticking to the same undertone, make sure one colour (out of three) matches your client's cheek area, the second one matches their jawline and neck area, and the third one matches the bridge of their nose and the center part of their forehead.

Confused? I too was in the beginning, trust me.

Let's make it simpler.

Pick one shade that matches your client's majorly. Pick a second shade darker than the first one and another shade lighter than the first one.

Apply these shades in the said places, that is cheek area, jawline and neck and forehead and nose bridge, blend the demarcation lines ensuring one colour does not bleed into the other.

The result? You will get a beautiful three-dimensional professionally done complexion.

Try it and if you like it let me know here!

Much Love,

Fizzah

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