Think the makeup and special effects industry is for you? Here's some key advice from Jonah Levy, makeup effects veteran and CEO of Blue Whale Studios, on getting started.

First and foremost, I feel it is really important to get your hands dirty. What do I mean by that? In today’s digital age, we have more information at our fingertips than we ever have before in history and can find a way to learn practically anything. However, watching online and actually doing it are two different things.  

To get good at something, and find out if you have the grit and tenacity to stick to it, you have to physically do it over and over and over to build that muscle. Doing something once is not enough, and watching someone else do it online is definitely not enough. Now, the beauty of the online forum is that you have hundreds of years of experience teaching you what could have taken you years to learn on your own. However, once you have watched the lesson, my suggestion is to get out there and do it.  

My advice is to start small with a project that is manageable (and affordable, because this craft can be quite expensive). Practice, practice, and practice some more. See if you have a real passion for it. If it is not a burning desire to actually do it, burn out will hit rather quickly. This is, by no means, an easy business, but it is incredibly rewarding on all levels. But, to truly experience all that this, or any other career path that you are passionate about, has to offer, you have to put your all in to it and work at it.

A few amazing resources:

At stanwinstonschool.com, you can learn practically anything here taught by industry pros with extensive experience in all aspects of the Makeup Effects business. And of course, YouTube. There are some pretty great beginner tutorials on YouTube that will help you get started and find out if you have a real passion for this career.

Good luck and have fun creating!

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