Occupation Thesaurus: Makeup Artist

Jobs are as important for our characters as they are for real people. A character’s career might be their dream job or one they’ve chosen due to necessity. In your story, they might be trying to get that job or are already working in the field. Whatever the situation, as with any defining aspect for your character, you’ll need to do the proper research to be able to write that career knowledgeably.

Enter the Occupation Thesaurus. Here, you’ll find important background information on a variety of career options for your character. In addition to the basics, we’ll also be covering related info that relates to character arc and story planning, such as sources of conflict (internal and external) and how the job might impact basic human needs, thereby affecting the character’s goals. 

We hope the sample list of ideas below will show you how to choose and use your character’s occupation to do more than simply reference a day job. For the full entry for this career and over 120 other ideas, check into our bestselling resource, The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers.

Makeup Artist

Overview: A makeup artist uses cosmetics to enhance or change a person’s physical appearance. This type of artist may work as a clerk at a store, in a salon, as a personal makeup artist for a celebrity, at special events (such as a photo shoot, runway show, or wedding), or on staff for a TV production company…

Necessary Training: Many makeup artists start their training by volunteering in the aforementioned roles and learning from professionals as they go. Certifications aren’t required in all places, but sometimes…

Useful Skills, Talents, or Abilities: Good listening skills, multitasking, promotion, repurposing

Helpful Character Traits:

• POSITIVE: Adventurous, calm, cooperative, courteous, creative, enthusiastic, gentle, industrious, responsible, studious, talented, whimsical
• NEGATIVE: Extravagant, perfectionist, vain, verbose

Sources of Friction: A customer requesting something that’s beyond one’s ability to accomplish, perfectionistic customers who are impossible to please, a customer having an allergic reaction to one’s products, financial limitations that force one to work with inferior cosmetics and tools, insecurities about…

People They Might Interact With: Other makeup artists, customers, managers (in a retail/commercial setting), hair stylists…

How This Occupation Might Impact One’s Basic Needs:

• Self-Actualization: An artist who wishes to do high-end makeup for a professional or very creative work on a movie set but is unable to break into that field may be forced to work in a commercial environment as a fall-back…
• Esteem and Recognition: Comparing ourselves to others will usually lead to disappointment. An artist who feels inferior in their abilities may suffer in the esteem department.
• Love and Belonging: If someone in the character’s life doesn’t appreciate what they do or desires something more lucrative or esteemed for them, the relationship may suffer…

Common Work-Related Settings: Cruise ship, funeral home, green room, hair salon, mansion, performing arts theater, shopping mall, spa, trade show, Vegas stage show

Twisting the Stereotype: People with an interest in makeup and fashion are often viewed as vapid and superficial. Avoid that misperception by fleshing out your character to include a variety of meaningful traits and interests.

Visit the other Occupations in our collection HERE.

How will your character’s occupation help reveal their innermost layers?

Much of your character’s life will revolve around their work, and whether they love it or hate it, their job is a great way to show, not tell, their personality traits, skills, work ethic, worldview and beliefs, and more, so we should choose it with care.

To learn more, we recommend The Occupation Thesaurus book. Explore 120+ jobs to choose a profession for your character that showcases who they are, what they want, and what they believe in. Then learn how that career choice can characterize, drive the plot, infuse scenes with conflict, and get readers on the character’s side through the relatable pressures, responsibilities, and stakes inherent with work.

You can find this bestselling thesaurus writing guide in print, ebook, and PDF formats. To see what other authors think of the book, read its reviews at Goodreads.