Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlee Gonzales.
Ashlee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After three years of going to school to be a Dental Hygienist, I did a complete 180 and decided to pursue the career of my dreams. I became an esthetician. I started out as a self-taught makeup artist and built a career in freelance artistry for 2 years before yearning for more. I went to school to obtain my esthetician license and fell in love with the concept of beauty being something from within. At my school, we were introduced to the true healing power of touch and how true change begins with ourselves.
Since then, I have gone on to explore every option my license has to offer. I teach full time at a cosmetology school. I continue to work as a freelance makeup artist and work closely with local musicians. I spray tan, microblade, and am currently learning to do lash extensions. I am very passionate about what I do and I hope that my story will help inspire someone else to follow their pipe dreams and dedicate 100% to making it happen like I have. I hope my journey can show others that your goals are totally obtainable and no dream is out of reach.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to where I am now was not the smoothest. The choice to leave behind dental hygiene was a hard one but I now know it was the right one. Living the life you want to lead is far more important than trying to make anyone else happy. Choosing the career I have now was the first time I made a decision with only myself in mind. At first, it felt extremely selfish. but as I learned in school true change begins with yourself. The happier I became the more I realized those around me became happy.
The more I believed in myself, the more people believed in me. The more I showed myself the respect I showed others, the more others respected me. The more I believed that I deserved all the good things that were manifesting in my life, the more bountiful my life became. It was and continues to be, a lot of hard work. I remind myself daily that all I have to do is the be the best me I can be and that is more than enough.
Beauty By Ashlee – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I wouldn’t have the success I have today if it weren’t for my career as a makeup artist. While in school, we were visited by a famous makeup artist for film. He told us that the biggest piece of advice he gives to up and coming artists is to begin building a portfolio while still in school. I quickly reached out to my friend Said Abusaad who had recently picked up photography as a hobby and the rest is history. Two kids with a camera and a dream soon turned into what we now refer to our a team as Afterglow. We reached out to Zhora, a local musician, to see if they would be interested in free photos in exchange for allowing us to build our portfolio.
From that shoot, we soon began to hear from other local musicians who wanted to shoot with us. We have since then partnered with the PR firm Culture Hype and work with the individuals they represent. I have never met a more passionate group of individuals that believe in the dreams of others so much that they will go to great lengths to help them achieve it. If it weren’t for the wonderful people I have met along the way, I would not have the success I have today. Because of the name my makeup career created, I was able to branch out and explore new creative outlets.
The newest adventure I have began is the art of permanent makeup. I currently specialize in microblading eyebrows and tattoo freckling. My ultimate goal is to perfect the art of tattoo nipple reconstruction. There are many women in my life who have been affected by cancer and have had to sacrifice so much for a chance at life. I want to be able to give back to survivors something they may have lost, whether it is their hair or their breasts. I am working hard to add this skill to my bag of tricks.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career is any time I can help someone see themselves in a way they have always wanted to see themselves. As a makeup artist, I have hugged crying teenagers before prom who didn’t believe they could be beautiful. I have celebrated with clients over a new set of fluffy eyebrows that had previously been lost to trichotillomania. My success lies in the success of others. Making others feel good is what makes me feel good.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2146019773
- Email: ashleedg92@gmail.com
- Instagram: beautybyashlee
Image Credit:
Said Abusaad
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