What it means to BE...

Yesterday, I spent the day doing two things that really interest me: doing makeup and bartending. Both of them had me tired as hell, but I must say I enjoyed them both. Now, anybody that really knows me, knows what my ultimate dream in life is. And everyday, I'm seeing that dream become more and more of a reality. Doing makeup yesterday was something like an eye-opener for me. I was at a wedding assisting a make-up artist while she did everyone's face in the bridal party. There was one other assistant there too. This older lady. Let's call her Mary. Mary, like myself, is an "aspiring" make-up artist. When we go on these events or shows, we are there just to assist, watch and learn. I soak up everything around me at these events, because my mentor is extremely good at what she does. I mean, the girl is BAD!!! And I've been truly blessed to have met her and to work with her. I hear what she asks me to do. I listen to her and I follow through. What I've found at these events is that, even though I've been introduced as "the assistant", the clients still look to me as the professional. For so long, I've never looked at myself as a "professional make-up artist". I would always tell people that I know how to do my make-up, but not others. But at the same time, I always wanted to be a make-up artist. So when I met my mentor and began to do events with her, I was sort of thrown into a professional role. The clients would come to me and ask me questions that they would ask a professional, and I'm thinking, "Lady, I am not a professional! Don't you know this!" So, between meeting my mentor for the first time and yesterday, I've been practicing on my sister and friends, so that I can become familiar with working on other people. I'm getting some of the movements down, and learning how to maneuver around my kit. My best friend, Neace, always comes to me for tips on make-up and hair, and I'm like, "Damn, am I a professional?". So yesterday, I went to the event and I felt really confident, more confident than usual. When my mentor gave orders or requests, I listened so that she would not have to repeat them. These events are high pressure, and having to do the same thing over and over can only add to these pressures. I watched my mentor and the way she moved across the clients' faces. She was a professional. Then, I watched Mary, the other assistant. And I realized, she came across as nervous. Not a trait you would see in a professional. And I decided right then: If I want to be a make-up artist, THEN I AM GOING TO BE A MAKE-UP ARTIST! I am going to talk like one. I am going to walk like one. I am going to move like one. Because I am one. How else am I going to get there unless I just do it. So, my life lesson for today is to simply be who/what you want to be. And when you've found your calling, that statement will mean everything to you. So thank you to my best friends, Neace and Sparkle and all those others for pushing me to BE.