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Life and Work with Madicyn Reid

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Madicyn Reid.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Madicyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born with a love of make-up in my bones. Until the age of seven, I was the only girl in my family with three brothers (who had each other), so I turned to dolls, barbies, and dress up to occupy my time. That quickly grew into a love of all things beauty or fashion related. It wasn’t long before I was putting make-up on my younger brothers, painting nail polish “lipstick” onto my dolls, and fixing my dads hair while he was napping on the couch. Any chance I could get to create a look, I took. By the age of eight, I was convinced all I wanted out of life was to be a mom and a makeup artist working for myself to help support my family. This love of creativity, partnered with a natural love for people quickly grew into doing makeup for family friends just for fun, and then eventually for their events.

At 14, I did a bride’s hair and make-up for a wedding and realized this truly was more than just a hobby for me. I immediately started looking into cosmetology schools and programs I could start while still in high school. I didn’t have the same passion for cosmetology as I did for make-up artistry and the fashion/design world, so cosmetology school wasn’t for me. I knew I needed something more specifically make-up and art focused. So, I got a job, worked hard in school to graduate a little early and pursue a career in makeup. It wasn’t until several years later in Arizona I found Maxima, a school for Make-Up Artistry. After meeting Salpie Tatka (owner, instructor, and phenomenal MUA), I knew I finally found the place where I could take my passion and receive the training to make it a career. I wanted to be confident in any situation and I knew that investing in proper instruction would allow me to do that as well as give me a solid foundation in all areas of make-up. I learned the different application techniques and styles for film, fashion, photography, special effects, and more. I learned how to approach different features, skin types, eye shapes, age ranges, skin tones, and genders.

I graduated in 2014, with my certification as well as an award for my final project, and immediately got to work. One of the other benefits of attending Maxima and pursuing specialized training that I quickly realized, was the network I inherited and the personal connections I made while in school. Not only was I added to Salpie’s personal list of Maxima students that she would pull from and send out on projects, but I met Dania Blanco, owner of Cosmiix Artistry. She is another amazing MUA who has been a huge supporter and mentor of mine. With guidance from these amazing women and help from a handful of other wonderful people, I have started to build a foundation of my own in the film industry as well as the photography and fashion industries. I still have a lot I hope to accomplish as I build my brand and expand my business but I am extremely proud of the progress I’ve made and grateful to the ones who have helped me along the way.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It always sounds like a smooth road when telling the story to others from where I am now, but there were a lot of bumps getting here and it’s still not an easy path. I think committing to chasing your passion is committing to a difficult journey, but one that can bring you a lot of happiness. Having a passion for anything artistic immediately comes with challenges so you have to be patient with yourself and with success. When you choose to step outside of the traditional workforce and commit to paving your own way, I think one of the biggest struggles can be believing in yourself despite the lack of support. It took a long time for me to stop explaining how I could make this work for my life, and instead get to work showing people how I could make it work. The support will come so believe in yourself. Be your own biggest fan and be confident in the fact that your unique talent is in your individuality. There is so much wisdom in being yourself while setting goals and working hard.

Some of my advice for others would be to: commit to yourself, learn to be happy making the necessary sacrifices, always be grateful, and use every experience to your advantage by learning from the difficult experiences and staying humble and eager during the better ones.

For me, I built quietly and slowly for a long time. Life doesn’t make it convenient to be ambitious or a dreamer sometimes, but I think that’s because the reward is hidden in the work and looks like a success. I kept waiting for someone to believe in me enough to support and encourage me the way I needed when all along I was the one that needed to become that for myself. So, I did. It took a lot of tough life experiences breaking me down but I finally learned how to fight for myself, believe in my ability to change my own life, and got to work building the habits that bring success. I had a really hard time committing to myself, I was so used to doing things for others, or because it was what was mapped out for people my age, so stepping into a space that was mine to create was really scary. It took a little time to adjust and find my footing but then it started to get exciting that life was mine to build. I got to work and the more I invest in my passions the more beautiful life becomes. I’m a mom, and a make-up artist working for myself to support my family! I’m not quite “there” yet, I still have a part-time job to help with stability, but essentially, I’ve achieved a major childhood dream! I get to invest a lot of time into my children, and a lot of time into my make-up career. Life will distract you with all the trivial things, so finding the determination to focus on positive habits, and push towards your goal in spite of circumstances or difficulty is really the only way to obtain success. I always think of Robert Frost’s Poem “The Road Not Taken”, the last two lines say, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I, I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

Please tell us about the Vanity Rabbit.
I’m a certified Make-Up Artist, and I specialize in film, fashion, special effects, beauty and event make-up. Some of my recent accomplishments include commercial work for Discount Tire, work with Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, commercial work for the Phoenix Zoo, a published feature in Madison Fashion Magazine, a Published Feature in Bello Magazine, a Published Feature + Cover of Women’s Running Magazine, as well as work on several local feature films, and short films now showing in the Sundance and Phoenix film festivals. I think what sets me apart is the combination of my simplistic approach to a glamorous art with my love of storytelling. I love what makeup can do and the feelings it can create, but I also love that my art is unique every time because my canvas is unique. Unless the desired look is to dramatically alter their appearance to tell a story, I love doing what I call “Natural Glam” where I enhance their natural beauty adding a glamorous glow.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I have grown so much through my life and see all my experiences as lessons for my benefit. Having the same desires and passion to pursue my love of make-up since a young age, it is easy for me to look back now and see how everything brought me to this place. I grew up in a traditional family home with a lot of strong values and morals. While I believe this is important for home and family when you’re a kid, you don’t always see rules as something good for you. I struggled between my desire to stay within all the lines that were drawn for me, by society, my own beliefs, and the beliefs of the others in my life closest to me. At 18, I wanted to move to Oregon and pursue an education in makeup but instead chose to pursue a traditional education at a University in a state close to family because I felt immense pressure to go to “real” college like everyone my age. How could I miss out on this huge life experience? Education is important, but learning is the most important. We all learn differently and learn what we want to learn. While sometimes, I jokingly say I wish I could go back to get started on my desired skill earlier, I think everything happened exactly as it was supposed to, for me to learn the life skills needed to succeed. I needed to go to college and be so miserable doing what everyone else was doing, to realize that fitting into tradition didn’t have to determine my decisions. It also taught me that while the people closest to you may have your best intentions at heart, they still may not know what is best for you because that is something only you can truly know. Learning to trust myself most has been one of the biggest life lessons for me and I am so grateful for the experiences and inspiration in my life that has helped me build that confidence. A lot of those experiences came disguised as tough times but having gained the knowledge and ability to do better, I wouldn’t change it for anything less. I was made and prepared for all this.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Matt Young Photography @mattyoungphotography, James Deak @jamesdphoenix, Chris Llin @chris.llin, Bri Garcia @dollhouse_studiosaz

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