We recently had the chance to connect with Valerie Keienr and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Valerie, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Who are you learning from right now?
I believe I am currently learning from the community and my clients. I love feedback from my clients after trials and wedding days. I am always open to feedback on my services and I always keep an eye on the community and how we all as a team work together to help each other when in need. I am blessed to be surrounded by such a talented makeup artist community.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi there! I’m Valerie, also know as Glam By Val. I am a MN based wedding makeup artist. I am finishing up my 7th year doing what I love most and I can’t wait to see what future years bring! I specialize in soft glam and letting my brides still feel like themselves. Weddings can be very stressful and anxiety filled for alot of people which is why giving my brides a safe, calm space while getting ready is one of my favorite things.
I was never planning on getting into doing makeup as much as I do , but now that I’ve been giving this opportunity I wouldn’t change it for the world. Every year the industry changes and so do the trends. Keeping up to base on everything that’s up and coming keeps the pace moving quick.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child I always believed I was “shy”. I felt like I couldn’t be myself around new people , it would take me a couple times of meeting them to start opening up. I had my safe people, my family. I still sometimes feel this way, but not nearly as much. Running this business has opened up my perspective on people and has opened up my personality. I love hearing people’s life stores, hearing about their families, their jobs, all of it. As well as share about my life. I may not talk much while doing makeup but that’s because I’m focused, not shy 😉
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Honestly, there has been a couple times I have almost given up within the past 7 years. I started this business young and am and will always be learning how to better it.
Running any kind of business or being on any kind of social media is hard. It’s hard on the mind. Trying to keep up with everything while trying to find a balance in my day to day life. This past year was a hard one on me mentally for my business, I felt very burnt out. I didn’t feel burnt out of my clients, I just felt like I couldn’t catch up. Within this past year I have moved an hour away, my dog has had a lot of health problems being at the age of 13 , working a full time job Monday-Friday an hour from my new home, and keeping up with GlamByValMn is a lot. But I’ve still realized, it’s still so worth it. Every smile I see, every happy tear that roles down that fresh face of makeup , every mother of the bride that says “I haven’t felt this beautiful in years” , that’s what makes it worth it.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I believe my closet friends would say that making sure all of my loved ones are taken care of and safe is what really matters to me. I’m naturally always looking for people to help and take care of, I love being with others , listening to them vent, helping them through hard times and just having good laughs.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I believe I am doing what I was born to do. Makeup is a talent that I didn’t train to do. It came naturally to me with practice. I have loved it from the beginning and have found a way for it to provide for me. I love running my own business and being in control of what happens with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Glambyvalmn.com
- Instagram: Glambyvalmn
- Facebook: GlamByVal
Image Credits
@midwestmomentsllc
