

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anh Pham and Vivian Le.
Anh and Vivian, please share your story with us.
I co-founded AKP Artistry with my partner, Vivian. We are a makeup and hair artist duo specializing in bridal and special occasions.
AKP Artistry is a passion turned side job. We are both in the corporate world for our day jobs but we always felt that our creativity was stifled doing what we do. Vivian is a CPA with a master’s degree in Accounting and I am a database developer working on my MBA. Both fields are structured and are finite. So, we honed in on our passions for the beauty industry into working hobbies.
We started off separately, working for 5 years alone prior to teaming up. We actually met at a wedding we were both vendors for and Vivian, being the business woman she is, saw an opportunity to team up and provide our services together to offer our clients what other competitors couldn’t; two artists working in hair and makeup as a team with competitive pricing, with a focus on Asian clientele, since there is a lack of skillset in this niche.
We pride ourselves in our work, making sure to deliver what our clients expect, but also bringing our personalities. We like to be personable, remember our clients by name, and hopefully become friends! We love what we do because it is so different from our day jobs. We are able to meet new people, explore our passions, and unleash creativity. We learn new things each time we meet a new client and we absolutely love what we do!
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?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road. As with most artists, we had to start off as amateurs, working our way to a professional standard. We took whatever job was offered to us, put our all into it, even if it meant doing certain jobs pro-bono with call times at 3 am. Sometimes, we didn’t even have any bookings for months but we didn’t let that bring us down. We used all the blessed opportunities we were given to fine-tune our skills and was able to cultivate a good client base as well as friendships with other vendors in the wedding industry. The life of a makeup and hair artist is not as glitzy and glamorous as painted. We wake up super early, stand for 10+ hours at a time, travel a lot and sometimes deal with not so great clients, BUT, if you love what you do, there isn’t a single moment we don’t feel blessed that we have the opportunity to share our passions and talent with others.
Our advice? Don’t be discouraged and put yourself out there. If you want to start in the beauty industry, just do it! Network, ask for guidance, even apprentice with other skilled artists out there to help you develop your skills. Practice, take on pro-bono jobs and educate yourself on techniques, products, and applications. Starting a business, even if it is a small side one, takes a lot of courage because you put yourself out there but if you truly are passionate about it, it’s just a small step. Being in a service industry, we definitely have gotten a lot of criticism and sometimes, clients and artists just don’t match and see eye to eye but don’t ever let that get you down. Take criticism constructively, remember everyone has a style and likes/dislikes and you cannot please everyone. That is why it is so important to stay true to your art and develop your own style so that clients can see your portfolio and identify with you as well. Don’t give into the trends, be yourself!
Please tell us about AKP Artistry.
AKP Artistry is a special occasion makeup and hair artistry business focusing on classic, natural, and effortless style. We focus mostly on Asian clientele since there was a lack in this certain niche but we are all inclusive! We are most proud of being true to who we are as a brand and we show this through our skills and interactions with our clients and vendors. We love being personable and we don’t see our clients as just another number or event we have to do. We love talking to our clients and getting to know them and we often become friends afterward! We listen, we respond, and we always want to make sure our clients are happy with our work because we understand that it’s not just a job that we do, it is a reflection on us. A wedding day isn’t just another day so trusting us to do hair and makeup for this occasion isn’t something we take lightly. We build close relationships with other vendors in the industry because it is so important to work together and support each other. I think what really sets us apart is our attention to our clients because we do not overbook and always make sure that each client feels special when we are working on them.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Vivian and I are both immigrants and we grew up knowing that we needed to work for our success. We understood where we came from and we saw what others had that we didn’t. This instilled a strong work ethic in both of us, seeing from the outside that nothing is just handed over. We saw our parents work hard to give us what we needed to succeed and provide for our education. We started from literally nothing and worked our way up to something and because of our upbringing, we dedicated 110% to everything that we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.akp-artistry.com
- Email: anh@akp-artistry.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/akpartistry
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/akpartistry
Image Credit:
Hubert Huy Photography, Jonny Ngo Photography, HV Designs
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.