Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Candage.
Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m one of the lucky people who always knew exactly what I wanted to do for work, and no matter what it took, I was going to be a makeup artist. I come from humble beginnings, born to two drug addicted parents, at 14 years old, left with one parent I lost my dad to an overdose on Christmas of 1999. I learned work ethic at a young age and knew I could achieve anything I put my mind to if I put my back into it. I worked six jobs to get to where I am today and was told by many people in my sphere I would never be successful or be able to make a living as a makeup artist. Luckily I’ve always been drivin by the nay sayers in my world. My personal mantra is if you believe you can achieve and you never need to become a product of circumstance. No matter what I’ve been through in life I truly feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Alright, 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 of life has many potholes but I think that helped shape me into who I am, warts and all. Luckily I know how cover them up 🙂 Having people who I love and trust tell me I would never succeed and to turn back always had me in my head second guessing if this would be too hard, and it was hard. I grew up in Maine, not exactly the beauty capital of America and long before social media existed where you can display your portfolio. I literally had a binder filled with printed photos of my work. I learned quickly that if I teamed up with photographers as a model, they would hire me do their clients after seeing my work on myself. I also worked in bars and restaurants to make ends meet and to connect with lots of beautiful girls who liked my makeup and would reach out for their own makeup. Like I said, I had six jobs so I can’t forgot to include I was also a singer in a few bands. I sang at weddings and would give my card to people for makeup, and ended up getting into the bridal business which was very lucrative for me, i found out quickly maine was a very popular wedding destination for people all over the world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve worn many hats so far in my 39 years of life, wedding singer, singer in a rock band, American idol contestant, makeup artist for models, weddings and now celebrities here in Nashville. I’m most proud of myself for never giving up. I’ve doubted myself over and over but I never stopped. Covid was a huge test of my spirit. I fully lost my job almost immediately, 2.5 years of bookings gone. I also learned quickly from that loss I had identified as my job. I’ve been a makeup artist for over 20 years so how can you not start to merge into your craft. Pivoting and moving to Nashville, I fully thought my days of being a makeup artist were over, but really they had just begun in a whole new way. I got to reinvent myself and I know Covid was so horrible for so many, the loss of life was unmeasurable and it feels selfish to say losing my job was the best thing to happen to me, but it truly was.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am so grateful to anyone wants to hire me for makeup. It’s not lost on me that I get to create art that washes off at the end of the day and what a privileged life I live. Please reach out to me on my instagram, Jessicacmua an say hi!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicacmua
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jessicacmua
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jessicacmua
