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Roles of a Starting Artist

Jan 26, 2024, Update: Jan 26, 2024, author: Lipblush.com / Holistic PMU
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"In this article, we focus on the ten key roles crucial for beginners in the pigmentation industry. These roles are Artist, Accountant, Real-Estate Broker, Marketing Strategist, Negotiator, Visual Designer, Copywriter, Branding Expert, Developer, and Manager. We explore each role in detail, offering practical tips from seasoned artists to help you navigate and excel in these varied responsibilities."

1. Background and goal of the article


Stepping into brow artistry involves more than mastering lip blush or other pigmentation techniques. For those starting their careers, the roles extend far beyond the procedure. These roles include managing finances and developing a marketing strategy. The responsibilities are diverse and complex. This article explores critical tasks for new brow artists, offers management guidance, and discusses outsourcing options. It also provides cost estimates for each area, helping beginners navigate the field.

Research Project

The insights in this article are based on a large, ongoing research project from 2021 to 2023. The research includes data from 124 artists in powder brows, lip blush, and other pigmentation techniques. These artists are from various EU countries, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Some are affiliated with prominent academies, while others work independently. Our research shows that their roles are strikingly similar regardless of location or affiliation.

2. The 10 Key "Jobs to be Done”


Our research and consultations with artists identified ten critical roles for starting brow artists. Initially, artists suggested a wide range of responsibilities. However, closer analysis showed these ten roles cover most tasks new artists encounter.

Expectations

A significant finding relates to the artists' initial expectations. Over 71% of starting artists were surprised by the number and variety of tasks. Additionally, more than half reported their training programs did not fully prepare them for many of these tasks.

Understanding these roles is crucial for those considering or starting a career in brow artistry. This awareness can act as a guide, helping you decide what to manage yourself and what to delegate and giving an idea of the costs involved.


3. The Lip Blush Artist


Artists specializing in lip blush and other pigmentation techniques should focus on the artistry of brow creation. This role typically takes up most of their time and energy.

In 2024, roles in marketing and social media content creation have gained importance in the pigmentation industry. However, it's vital to keep the main goal in mind. While these additional roles are important, reaching the top levels in this field is nearly impossible without a primary focus on creating excellent lips, regardless of the chosen technique. Mastering brow creation should always be a pigmentation artist's main priority.

Practical Advice: Dedicate More Time

Allocate a significant portion of your work hours to performing brow procedures. Neglecting this can lead to mediocre results. Artistry suffers if too much time is spent waiting for clients or handling other business issues. The hands-on skill of creating lips is unique and can't be outsourced or delegated. Focus on refining this skill to ensure the highest quality in your work.

4. Accountant


Many brow artists experience panic during audits or when handling tax declarations and payments. Tax systems vary by country, but knowing that accounting and reporting can be outsourced is a relief. Consider your core identity. If you're not an accountant who enjoys creating lips, then managing accounting yourself is not advisable.

Practical Advice: Outsource to Avoid Fixed Costs

Outsource all your accounting responsibilities. Consider a payment structure where your monthly accounting expenses are linked to the number of procedures you perform. This is important because it helps factor these expenses into the net cost of each treatment. For starting artists, minimizing fixed costs is crucial. Many experienced artists find paying a higher per-invoice charge but maintaining lower fixed monthly expenses for accounting services more sensible.


5. Real-Estate Broker


Selecting the ideal work location for a new artist can be challenging. Interviews with seasoned artists reveal diverse experiences in choosing their initial procedure spaces. The key lesson is to avoid long-term commitments. As Steve Jobs said, "The future is long," and many variables can arise. Initially, opt for shorter-term arrangements, with a consensus on minimizing fixed costs. Over 78% of experienced artists recommend a "pay-as-you-go" rental structure based on the number of procedures performed. This approach prevents committing to a long-term lease before your bookings can support it.

Stay Flexible and Avoid Long-Term Commitments

Most artists advise continuous vigilance in workspace selection. Flexibility and constant exploration of new opportunities are recommended. Avoid being tied to one location that could limit future options. Act as your real estate broker regularly, every two weeks. Scout for new locations or renegotiate existing commitments. The primary goal is to "avoid fixed costs like the plague.”

When bookings increase and owning a salon seems appealing, exercise caution. Successful artists often restrain their real estate decisions, avoiding long-term contracts. Many initially used spaces in their homes. Consider this carefully before entering into long-term agreements that might seem attractive but could become burdensome.


6. Marketing Strategist

For new brow artists, becoming proficient as a marketing strategist is vital. Emphasis should be on the term "strategist." The era of capturing attention through sheer volume of content is over. As organic reach diminishes, a strategic approach has become increasingly important.

Practically, it's essential to understand that leads won't be generated without reaching people. In developing a marketing strategy, divide your efforts into two main categories: offline and online strategies. Upcoming sections will illustrate the importance of strategic thinking over mere content production.

7. Sales Negotiator


The roles of Marketing Strategist and Sales Negotiator are interconnected. Let's examine them in the context of offline and online marketing strategies.

Offline Strategy - The Hunt for Unicorns (Negotiator)

Experienced artists highlight the importance of an offline strategy, often focusing on "capturing unicorn models." This involves identifying influencers with subpar lips but a significant, credible following (around 30,000 or more). Additionally, connecting with beauticians and salon owners offering different services but sharing your target demographic is crucial.

Another tactic involves leveraging your network of friends and family. Use idle time in your schedule to offer them free treatments and collect valuable before-and-after images. This forms the basis of your offline strategy.

Seasoned artists often spent an hour daily in their early stages on this "unicorn hunt," researching and contacting potential collaborators like nail and lash artists or salon owners, assessing their lips, and making compelling offers, such as "free lip blush for life." This proactive and strategic approach defines your role as a Negotiator.

Online Strategy - Maintaining Reach (Marketing Strategist)

For online strategy, the aim is to "maintain reach" to ensure a steady flow of leads. Depending on your local market size, aim for a social media reach between 50,000 and 300,000, usually requiring a monthly marketing budget of $500 to $3,000. This is a necessary cost for consistent lead generation.

Practical Advice: Rise Above Blind Content Production

Your marketing expenses can vary based on the value of your digital assets, such as Instagram followers, Facebook business page, and TikTok audience. However, maintaining this reach is crucial. A substantial organic following (25,000 followers or more) can significantly reduce marketing costs.

Marketing Strategist and Negotiator roles often merge, especially in your career's initial stages. Expect to spend at least an hour daily on these activities, possibly more.


8. Copywriter


The Copywriter's role is intricately linked with that of the Visual Designer. Maintaining reach involves choosing the right channels for boosting posts. However, knowing where to boost is futile without content that adds value. Our research, particularly from the second quarter of 2022 into 2023, indicates that quality now surpasses quantity in importance on Meta platforms.

Practical Advice: Create Value

Not Digital Trash The era of posting just for the sake of it has ended. Such posts have minimal organic reach and offer limited value, serving only to show that your business is active. It's crucial to focus on creating high-quality content, both in terms of copy and visuals. This approach engages your audience and enhances your brand.

Content is Everything

Content has evolved beyond being just "the King." The digital landscape includes the King, the Queen, and the royal court. The critical question is not whether to post but where to find compelling content to share.

9. Visual Designer


The role of the Visual Designer focuses on creating flawless designs. The days of simple before-and-after pictures are gone. Research suggests a strong post should have a well-designed mix of images and impeccable before-and-after shots. Seasoned designers often use tools like Adobe Photoshop, as quick-fix apps may compromise image quality for other platforms.

Copywriter: Crafting 300-400 Words Per Post

The accompanying text to a post should be around 300-400 words, following a straightforward plot and presenting a central idea. It shouldn't be a spontaneous "flow of consciousness." Effective messages provide valuable information to clients, offer insights about the artist, and highlight specific products or services. The challenge is to encapsulate well-thought-out ideas within this "word budget." While AI-generated text is an option, human-written content is more effective.

Time Investment for Crafting Posts

Quality posts requires significant effort. It's observed that when one artist adopts a well-crafted posting strategy, competitors often lose customers. Creating and publishing a high-quality post can take 2 to 3 hours.

Optimal Posting-Frequency: Strategy Matters

Posting frequency strategies vary: "defensive strategy" (3 posts per week), "slow growth strategy" (5 posts per week), and "aggressive strategy" (up to 7 posts per week). The aggressive strategy alone might require at least 3 hours per day for marketing.

Outsourcing is not simple. While services like powderbrows.com offer this, creating five unique, non-AI posts with high-quality visuals is costly. Hiring a digital marketing and PR agency could cost between USD 5,000 and 10,000 monthly.


10. Branding Professional


As a Branding Expert and full-stack web Developer with SEO skills, you face a substantial workload. Long-term brand development and website management are crucial for a successful lip blush business.

This must align with your brand and distinct name, as extensively discussed on Powderbrows.com and Lipblush.com. Delivering this brand image to your target demographics requires strong digital development.

These tasks aren't daily but are essential. For instance, repurposing social media posts into longer website articles enhances content and sets the stage for search engine optimization and strategy development. While not requiring daily attention, this task can still take up 3-5 hours per week.


11. Developer


The role of a developer, knowledgeable in search engine optimization (SEO), is crucial. While outsourcing this expertise is an option, it depends on financial viability. Agencies are offering these services, but the essential point is that this role must be filled effectively. Trends in 2023 and 2024 show a shift towards leveraging organic search results, which is unattainable without robust full-stack website development.

Facing all these responsibilities can be overwhelming. There's no magic solution; local competition is intense, and every lead is a hard-earned victory. Success in this field requires hard work, focus, and perseverance. There are no shortcuts or simple solutions. Success is achieved through diligence, not magic formulas. Your toolkit will be filled with practical tools, not miraculous solutions, requiring consistent and dedicated effort.

12. Manager


The capstone role of a Manager is tying together all these multifaceted responsibilities. In this context, effective time management is critical. The most successful brow artists excel in this skill.

A key question arises: Can all these responsibilities be managed alone? Technically, yes, it's feasible. But even the most skilled individual faces challenges. Top artists in the industry typically have a team supporting them, covering these diverse roles.

In conclusion, while individual skills are crucial, teamwork is often a game-changer. Even the most versatile artist will struggle to manage all these roles alone. Starting solo is common, but as your business grows, consider building a team. Remember, no artist is an island.


13. Conclusions



A career as a brow artist requires managing various roles, which is essential for establishing oneself in the industry. While some tasks can be outsourced or delegated, others are critical to maintain personally due to their integral nature to your artistic identity or the high cost of outsourcing.


To summarize, the key roles include the following.

  • Artist: The creative force behind brow designs.

  • Accountant: Manages financial records and invoicing.

  • Real Estate Broker: Finds suitable rental spaces.

  • Marketing Strategist: Handles digital marketing effectively.

  • Negotiator: Secures offline deals and identifies valuable influencers.

  • Visual Designer: Creates appealing posts, aiming for 3-7 per week.

  • Copywriter: Writes engaging 300-400 word captions and texts.

  • Branding Expert: Develops the artist's brand long-term.

  • Full-Stack Developer: Oversees website development and SEO.

  • Manager: Coordinates all roles for smooth operation. 



Managing these roles alone is formidable, especially in competition with well-resourced teams. The complexity and intensity of these responsibilities highlight the competitive nature of the brow industry, presenting a realistic yet challenging scenario for aspirants.

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Comments
 
Nelly
Friday, Feb 02, 2024

Fun and nice piece – easy to read and although I have not thought about that this way, I agree to that.


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