The Make-Up Business

Full-time vs Freelance Make-up Artist: Who Fares Better?

Mirror, mirror on the wall; the make-up artist’s judgement call. The gig economy is growing in leaps and bounds. Once associated with a few professions mainly in the creative sector, it has now expanded to almost all industries of our working lives. Thanks to a range of factors – technological advancements, the global village concept, COVID-19, increasing popularity of remote working, the urgent need for work-life balance and other related issues. Nowadays, there are almost as many freelancers as their full-time contemporaries, scooping up outsourced positions and changing the way we work. And not to forget a third emerging group of both full-time and freelance individuals who are carving out a professional space of their own.

In the make-up industry, you will find these two, or rather three, categories of individuals contouring their way to careering fulfilment – the freelance make-up artist, the salaried make-up artist, as well as those juggling both types of work, undecided or unwilling to give up one for the other.

Read also: 4 Tips for Your Make-up Artistry Business

Freelance make-up artists are beholden to no one and usually hop from location to location, going wherever the client/job takes them. They tend to form the majority of make-up artist professionals globally. While full-time make-up artists often have customers coming to them at an office with a fixed address. As for the third category, it might feature in another article later.

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As in all working situations, there are merits and demerits. Which is the case here. Freelancer or salaried, both types of make-up artists find their fit with different people. But before opting for one status over the other, you owe it to yourself to consider the ups and downs connected to it.

Have a Boss vs Be Your Boss

As a full-time make-up artist, you report to, take instruction from and do the bidding of a superior, someone who might be more versed in make-up artistry than you are. This position could also translate into an invaluable, informal mentorship for you. But as a freelance make-up artist, you march to the beat of your drum, setting the pace, making the rules.

Regular Paycheck vs Per Project Payment

If you work in an organization as a salaried make-up artist, a steady wage is almost always guaranteed at regular intervals; be it weekly, bimonthly or monthly, For the freelancer, frequent jobs mean frequent payments and vice versa. Unfortunately, the frequency can be few and far in between.

Employee Benefits vs None

Insurance, health benefits, paid vacation days and other perks usually accompany an employee’s job package in a company. Some more than others. But the bottom line remains that full-time employees receive other incentives to work better and smarter. Not the case for you when you are a gig worker. You are the beginning and the end of your business, and as such you have to consider other factors before ascribing some or all of the above benefits to yourself.

Read also: 7 Things You Should Know About Being a Make-up Artist

8 am – 5 pm vs Set Your Hours

For an office make-up artist, working time is structured and seemingly organized. There is usually a set start time and corresponding end time. Though there could be extra hours thrown in occasionally. While as a freelance make-up artist, you get to set your hours. . . to a considerable extent. Sometimes you might discover that those hours can stretch for much longer than you bargained.

Take all Jobs vs Choose Your Jobs

The salaried make-up artist is not at liberty to refuse jobs because of one reason or the other. Every client appearing at his/her workstation is to be dealt with courteously and thoroughly, regardless of what the make-up request is. But for the freelancer, this is truly a reward. You can decide who, what and where when it comes to performing your duties as a make-up artist.

Clients Come to You vs Always on the Move

In this aspect, opposites exist for the full-time make-up artist and the gig make-up artist. Where one is mostly stationed at an office catering to clients who approach his/her workstation, you the freelancer are almost always on the move to various exciting locations for work.

No Marketing Hassles vs Marketing Yourself

Marketing the company’s products and/or services is hardly part of the job description of a full-time make-up artist. Though using them on clients is a subtle way of doing so. Marketing for the freelancer, on the other hand, is a full-time job on its own. Not only can it be exhausting but also a necessity to showcase skills and land more work.

Read also: 4 Traits Successful Make-up Artists Have in Common

In the end, both working conditions have their share of ups and downs, and it all comes down to individual preference and/or choice. We are all wired differently. Some of us are suited to the entrepreneurial life and ruling our empires; while others choose the security of steady, predictable jobs.

Both freelancer and full-time make-up artists thrive in their different spheres. Some more than others. Whatever category you decide on, ensure that it is compatible with your goals, drive and temperament.

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