Ashlyn Landrum — Hello RVA

I met Ashlyn several months back when I joined Femme Forward - a networking group for women and female-identifying business owners. She is an incredibly kind and gentle soul whose skills in the beauty industry are out of this world. For the interview, we met up at her studio and I was immediately impressed by her chic sense of style - so fitting for the type of work she does! (And I don’t know about you, but I could seriously use some interior decorating tips!) As we talked, we were graced by the presence of her newly adopted kitten who had a particular affinity with my camera bag… So of course I had to include her in a few photos (because cats… duh). Anyway! I loved having the opportunity to get to know Ashlyn a little better and I’m excited to share with you her incredible transformative talents! If you know anyone who needs a makeup and hair service - whether if it’s for a wedding, a photoshoot or just for fun - she’s your girl!

Meet Ashlyn Landrum: Makeup Artist and stylist | owner of Transformations Artistry

In which we talk about the industry, her plans for the future and the importance of joining a networking group to help your business grow.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your business!

I own and operate Transformations Artistry LLC. We’re an on location beauty vendor who specializes in airbrushing, up-dos and false lashes. We’re based in Richmond but we travel within a two hour radius for weddings. We also service portrait clients, headshot clients, high school girls getting their senior portraits taken, people who need special occasion makeup done, gala makeup, some film and commercial.

How did you get into this line of work?

I have always had a driving passion for anything beauty related. My first passion was makeup, then hair came along. At a young age, I always had that artistic trait and I would paint and draw. My mom would always tell me that I just painted and drew beautiful women! I loved drawing eyeballs and lips and noses. So I’ve always admired that in people and seeing the beauty in things.

I went to school for something very different from hair and makeup. Eventually, that passion grew and some doors opened up for me to be able to pursue it and to educate myself and others. So now I try to incorporate a lot of that into what I do. It’s been a long, kind of fluctuating journey, but it stems from art and appreciating art.

Aside from your business, are there any other hobbies or side gigs that you have?

Yes! My biggest hobby is actually film. I do a little bit of acting on the side. Just local commercials, stuff for CBS 6, and NBC 12. I have a project next week with AMF bowling doing a commercial there. I’ve been a Homeland intern. I love to dabble in that stuff. Obviously my heart is to be to be backstage instead of in front of the camera but I love to do those things because you really connect with a lot of local actors who are trying to make it too, but it’s not cut throat. We’re not trying to build our resume really crazy or like add something to our reel. It’s just sort of a well-paying hobby.

Aside from that, I love live theatre. I see about as much of it as I can, and I try to usher for a lot of it. [I also love] live music. I go to all the festivals and some shows. I love to sing. If I had time, I would probably pursue theatre a little bit more because I used to love doing musical theatre.

For now I just watch it!

How long have you lived in Richmond and what brought you here?

I’ve lived in RIchmond maybe five or six years. I’m [originally] from King William county. I went to college at the University of Richmond, went back home for a year and then came back. I enjoy it! I’ve lived in different parts of Richmond but I enjoy the museum district the best.

What keeps you here?

The outskirts of it are less traffic-y and hustle and bustle-y. A lot of my friends are here, so when I’m with them, I’m always meeting new friends. There’s just a lot more opportunity here for networking and it’s a good jumping off point to travel for my business. It’s right on the major highways… and the airport’s relatively close… so you can travel.

What are some of your favorite places to hang out in the city?

Oh, that’s hard because there are so many! I really like going to Circuit if I’m looking to be a kid again. One of my favorite restaurants is Tarrant’s and its sister, Max’s. Lunch and Supper is a cute little place right up the street. My favorite coffee spot would be Iron Clad or Sugar and Twine in Carytown.

In general, my favorite place to be is just walking these neighborhoods. Between Monument and Boulevard and all these little side streets. They’re just so cute! Every time you walk up a different street, you’re like, “Oh, there’s a restaurant I didn’t know was there! Oh, there’s a cute ice cream spot!” There are so many tiny parks that are nestled inside the city that you’re just like, “What? Where’d you come from?”

I love doing Yoga outside in the spring to the fall with One Drop Yoga. They have free pop-ups, one at Maymont on Tuesdays and one at 17th street on Wednesdays. Thursdays, there’s Jazz night I go to with a much older crowd and then sometimes I’ll go with my sister to salsa dance at Havana 59. So, that’s also fun!

Then, I’m at my church a lot - Hope. I do worship stuff there and I do bible studies in groups. So I guess those are my main hang-outs.

That’s a lot! You must stay pretty busy!

I guess! Happy hour at VMFA - that’s also a good way to get friends together and to meet new friends. I find that it’s an easy no-sweat place to go if you just want to chill and drink a very cheap glass of wine and feel classy while the breeze blows!

What are some of your focuses in life and/or line of work?

I’m not someone who ever wanted to own a business. So, this has been a new endeavor that has been sort of thrust upon me. I’m not somebody who was like, “in five years I’m going to be a business owner and make half a million dollars.” That’s just not me - I’m not like that. I just want to do my work, be creative in it and do a good job. So, I guess my goal in life is to be the best at what I’m given. I don’t have to be the best makeup artist in the world.

If you know anything about the Enneagram, I’m a 4, which is an individualist/romantic and it is our innate desire to be unique and different from others. We don’t have to be the top… like, we don’t have to be Beyonce’s makeup artist but we want to be very well-known in our circle... but I want to keep learning. There’s so much that I’m finding every single day that I don’t know how to do. [Like] edges on African American hair or how to hide facial hair on a man after he shaves. People look at me and go, “Oh my gosh, you know everything!” and I’m thinking, “Actually, no I don’t! There’s a lot to go!”

So I just want to be the best at my craft whether or not my business comes with me. I really don’t know what the future of it is. Right now it’s my bread and butter, so I have to keep it going, but there’s a very real possibility that I might move next year to pursue my interests in commercial, editorial and film makeup and hair.

I guess my goal in life is to continue to recreate myself and educate myself and in the process hopefully I’ll be educating others. I love to talk about what I’m doing and not just keep it to myself. Ultimately, I want every person I touch to come away a little bit changed whether it’s, “I should try this new moisturizer or I love the new lip color she did on me.” Or whether it’s something deeper like, “The way she said I was pretty beforehand made me think that I can be fine without wearing makeup! Someone saw that in me and said something.”

You said earlier that it was thrust upon you - what do you mean by that?

In the fall of 2015, I was working as an HR generalist and I loved my job. It was part time and I was still doing hair and makeup underneath another salon brand. So, I was doing both and it was a great balance. And in the fall of 2015, they laid off 10 of us corporate employees and I was devastated. It was almost like getting slapped on the wrist for no reason. So, I kept searching for jobs and searching for jobs and nothing was coming up. After my severance ended and my unemployment started to run out, my mom said, “I really think you should try to bulk up the hair and makeup that you already do and turn that into a business.”

I was like, “I don’t know. To run a business, you need to get a lawyer and get a contract and all this stuff.” But providentially, the city of Richmond had a grant program for people who were unemployed looking to be entrepreneurs. I applied for the program and got in. It was a six or eight week course called the Gate Program - growing America through entrepreneurs. We got to hear from a lawyer; we got to hear from a business analyst, and a social media guru.

By the time I finished, I had a contract that had been approved by a lawyer, I had my license, I had my name incorporated and everything. So, I took that and started building off the contacts I had made. And because I already knew a lot of photographers and wedding planners, when I launched, it was easier to be like, “Hey ya’ll! I’m doing my thing! Just FIY.” Then I signed up for platforms like Wedding Wire and The Knot and, at the time, Borrowed and Blue. And started from there.

But once the weddings started rolling in, and I couldn’t do 10 people at once… I started looking for assistants. That was this other burden of, “Not only do you have to manage a little business, but you’ve got to manage people.” That’s been a lot.

Sounds like it snowballed!

Yes, it snowballed! In the best way - I mean, I’m grateful for it! It’s a burden that you bear. You know, if you get to work from home at times, some people look at that like, “Oh, you get to cuddle under your blankets and be on your computer!” And I’m sitting here grateful! Like... yeah, I’m in my PJs! I don’t have to go to an office! That’s great! But at the same time, your business doesn’t quit. Your assistants don’t just leave you alone for weeks on end. You still have to manage them.

You also mentioned that you were thinking about possibly moving in the future to pursue more commercial and film. what does that look like for you? where do you want to go?

My “shoot for the moon” is somewhere between San Diego and LA. My “land among the stars” is Nashville. So, all of this right now is Ashlyn’s idea of what her life could be like. Where God takes me, I don’t know. But Ashlyn’s idea - and I need to have some sort of set plan - would be that. So, I’m going to California again in July to visit with a lot of artists that I connected with on Instagram - which is amazing - and hopefully meet with some agencies who represent hair and makeup artists.

California is across the country, so that is hard because I’m very connected to my people here and I value relationships over work, but I think that there’s more opportunity there, especially for the commercial and editorial side. For film, there are burgeoning film makers who are younger and don’t need a union makeup artist who might be doing low-budget films … and I could practice that way and not have to be 100% perfect. I think the commercial and editorial side is still blossoming out there and I can fall back and do bridal whenever.

If I do Nashville, there’s going to be heavier music, artists that are probably needing album covers and public appearance makeup. Probably more brides out there too. Everyone’s getting married everywhere.

Tell me about some of your most rewarding experiences.

There have been a few sweet, wonderful brides who I’ve either completed their trial or their wedding day ... when they see themselves and I hear, “Oh, this is perfect!” I mean, my heart could just flutter away. Because usually if you get a silence... if there’s sort of a glance to a fro, or just peering closely at themselves, you’re like, “Oh dear, oh dear. What is happening?” But there are some wonderful people who are really grateful and … I think their spirits are more humble because they’re happy to just have makeup on and to experience that moment of, “I feel really special and glamorous!”

A couple other times are when older women come to me for makeup lessons. [These] lessons are either based on product information and education and the steps that they need to take to bump up their makeup game, or they’re more focused on application. Either way - whether I’m helping them sort through the old makeup in their kit or teaching them how to apply eye shadow for the first time, at the end of the lesson when they’re like, “Thank you so much, I’m so glad I did this.” Or, “I have so much to work with now.” Those are the two things I love because that means everything I told them and all the recommendations I gave really sunk in. And because they’re older ladies, they’re probably feeling super hip right now too. So, that makes me feel cool too! Because I’m like, “Yes! You ARE cool in and of yourself! You don’t have to feel fuddy duddy. You can feel like you’re a million bucks too. It’s not just your daughter you get to dote on.”

I watched [one of my assistants] grow from a baby makeup artist to doing a solo wedding. So that makes me feel really great too because I can see that she’s taken stuff to heart. I’ve seen her come into her own, be brave enough to ask for people to come sit in her chair instead of just waiting for them to sit in her chair. For her to be able to give product recommendations, or color advice for what lipstick they should wear. That makes me feel good. And it’s not just me that helped her... she took all the affirmation I’ve been giving her and the encouragement and really took it to heart and personalized it

What has been some of your greatest challenges?

Owning a business! Managing people and customer service. You’re not able to please everyone and I want to really badly. I want to please everyone. And customer service would tie in with my assistants too. It’s really hard to train people who are either unteachable or who don’t want to put in the effort. They think they’re already good and you’re like “You are, but you could be better and you need to abide by our standards.” So, between customer service in a high stress environment like weddings where there is already a lot on the line, coupled with having assistants and trying to manage younger people.

How many people work for you?

Currently three. I’ve gone through ten. They’ve come from all walks of life. They’ve been students - college students and high school. They’ve been in cosmetology school, they’ve been sisters of friends or workers of other friends who own businesses. They each come to me so uniquely.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

In my life, it’s been my mother. She was the one who gently nudged me and said, “You can do this, you can conquer your fear of business ownership and you can do it!”

She still ooo’s and aahh’s over any picture that I send her of the transformation that I did, which means the world to me. I mean, obviously, your mother is going to think you’re the best at what you do, but she really does - she’s my biggest cheerleader. When I call her, frustrated, she fully sympathizes and she’s very emotionally present … and helps me in ways that I need the most.

So yeah, thanks mom!

Do you have advice for anyone seeking to start a business like yours?

Surround yourself with some sort of group. Wherever you are. If you’re in the creative industry, go to creative industry events. If you’re in a business industry or if you’re in finance or realty, find those networking groups. Don’t just attend but really try to get to know each person. For me, it’s one thing if I read a list online on how to start a business. But it’s another if you’re in your industry and learning the nuances of it and business ownership. It’s not just cut and dry for each business start-up. It’s very specific to the industry that you’re in.

I joined Tuesdays Together RVA and it’s part of a nationwide group called the Rising Tide Society. It’s not a networking group where you’re just madly handing out business cards. [You] meet with somebody who probably doesn’t do the same thing that you do, but they’re in similar zones and let’s go out to coffee and talk. And then also meet once a month and learn about how to do taxes and how to do Pinterest and how to shower your clients with love and affection. That way, you don’t feel so alone and so isolated.

Those kinds of people are usually going through the same issues, but [they] will show you the best app to track your mileage or the cheapest client gift that they were able to give their past bride. Even if you’re in the same industry, like for makeup artists, if we’re together, it’s the coolest new primer that is on the market. You can share things that will just boost your business up to the next level. At the same time those people know that if they ever couldn’t do a job, then you’ve got their back.

So, while you’re learning about business, you’re also becoming involved in potential referrals. So, that’s the biggest blessing in my business startup.

Also, don’t sell to your friends! I will give my friends any free make over that they want and I don’t feel used because your truly good friends won’t use you. But yeah, I just don’t appreciate it when I see other people pushing things on their friends or inviting them over for what you think is a just a nice coffee [date] or something and then they’re like, “Also, here’s what I’m selling!” I did that. I worked for Clinique and Bare Minerals and stuff and I don’t want to sell. I just want to make people look pretty and feel pretty!

In that case, how do you handle more distant friends or acquaintances requesting free services or discounts? Where do you draw that line when it comes to your business?

I go by the connection that we made. If it’s an acquaintance that I really jived with and I feel like blessing them or their situation is dire enough. I’ve had too many people use me to be naive to certain situations, so I feel like now - at the age that I’m at - I know when someone is truly in need and when they’re not.

In the past, I got used quite a bit. Like, “Could you do a free shoot? We’re going to do a styled shoot and we’re going to take two pictures,” but actually they were getting married. That sort of thing. Or “Hey, we’re doing a styled shoot of a bride and groom. Oh, just kidding, there are [also] four bridesmaids.”

Very few people have come up to me like, “I know so-and-so, could I get a discount?” Honestly, it’s people in the industry who are trying to use and abuse you than it is people outside of it. And I am very choosy with discounts. I get asked in general - do I give discounts? And it’s a no. It’s a flat no and no apologies either. Because we’re in the average range - if not the lower end - of all services in our area.

It’s a really hard line to walk because you don’t want to offend but at the same time, you do own a business. You wouldn’t go to target and ask the cashier that you know “Can I get a five percent discount?” That just wouldn’t be the case.