Rising Stars: Meet Jelena Novakovic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jelena Novakovic.

Hi Jelena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Before I got into Permanent makeup I was working as a Dental assistant. I thought I would love working in the dental field and soon I realized that this career path was not what I have expected. I ended up not enjoying my job. My first son was born in October 2015. As it got closer to the end of my Maternity leave I thought to myself there’s no way I can leave my baby to get back to working full time. I had to figure out what else is out there for me where I can work from home or work in a field with schedule flexibility so that I can mostly spend more time taking care of my son. In 2016, microblading started trending in Nashville, I was fascinated with the art of creating eyebrows and I felt like this is something I can definitely do.

I decided to go to beauty school to obtain my aesthetic license so that I can work in a medical spa. Once I completed my program and received my aesthetic license, I found a job at a Medspa in Franklin. I was offering facials, waxing, lash lifting, lash and brows tinting and of course Microblading! I only worked three days a week and was spending most of my off days with my boys. It was a dream come true for me. In 2019, I was offered to work in Nashville at a permanent makeup studio where they offered me a tattoo apprenticeship. Again, a dream come true! Because now I can own my own business. I apprenticed for one year. In October 2020, I officially became a licensed tattoo artist in the state of Tennessee.

I now have my own permanent makeup studio in Franklin, Jelena Aesthetics. I’m working towards helping other artists, sharing all that I have learned in the past 5 years and I hope to build a team of successful artists one day, really soon. My journey to where I am today was not an easy one, but throughout my journey, I have learned to trust the process and trust myself unconditionally. Even when there are dark days, trust that there’s always light ahead. I now absolutely love what I do. I have some of the most amazing clients who keep me booked and busy and I’m very thankful for each and every one of them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road at all. My second son was born in January 2017. He was 4 months old when I started the aesthetic program. This was a difficult time for me because I was going to school full time and working. I was away seven days a week for about 7 months. I felt like I was not spending much time with my kids, and I even thought about quitting, but that was not an option for me. I did not allow myself to quit. I knew eventually all of this was going to pay off. Thankfully, my family was extremely helpful in taking care of my boys while I was at school or working.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in eyebrow microblading and microshading. I’m known for creating the most natural eyebrows. When my clients book their appointment, they tell me they chose me because my work is very natural, I’m very proud of that. Also, I’m proud that I did not give up on working towards building my dream career. Now I get to do something I really love and I feel lucky.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’m very thankful for my family for being supportive and always so helpful when I needed them. Also, I’m thankful to the owner of Splendid Skin Medspa, Jennifer Golin for giving me an opportunity to work for her and helping me grow my clientele. I’d like to give a huge thanks to Jesse. She’s the owner of Inked Beauty in Nashville. She offered me a spot at her PMU studio and helped me become a TN licensed tattoo artist. She also was a mentor. I was a huge fan of her beautiful work and was beyond grateful for her consideration to work along her side and learn from her. Thank you, Jesse! And lastly, my clients who continually support my business. I’m truly grateful to each and every single one of them for putting their trust in me. They’re the reason Jelena Aesthetics is growing fast.

Pricing:

• Microblading $500
• Ombré (microshading) $500
• Combo (Microblading and Microshading) $550
• 6-8 week touch up $100

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jelena.aesthetics?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/jelena.aesthetics/