I'm getting the Dinair.

I had to title the post that way. I've made a decision and I'm getting it, damnnit!

The main reason I have chosen to get the Dinair has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with a photography company I regularly work with. They are, more importantly, good friends of mine. They are brilliant people and are constantly coming up with these amazing ideas for photoshoots, and their brilliance has forced my hand here. I need the Dinair. I have no idea how else to do some of the things they ask at even a fraction of a satisfactory level. Sure, I could stick with brushes and sponges and etc for some of the things they were asking, but I'd be limiting myself and their work by not making the investment. Frankly I'd be a tad embarassed if another mua asked me, "Oh.. why didn't you use airbrush for these full body jobs" and I only had the excuse of not owning one. An opportunity has presented itself to not only grow as an artist, but to help others grow as artists, and I'll be damned if I'm going to hinder both of our abilities. *fist slam!*

All seriousness aside, I had a shoot with the aforementioned couple last night, and am very eagerly awaiting the results. Our large friend from the Grammastola family got to come play, so I'm waiting to see how many people ask if she's real or not in the photos. Yes! Swisgaar is real. That's my public statement. You saw it here before the questions started, haha.

I have a tentive shoot scheduled with another photographer on the 28th. I have never worked with this gentleman before, which is always a little scary. Not that I fear strangers, but working with someone new from a professional standpoint is always a little scary. I love making professional contacts and mainly hate when it just doesn't work out, due to a difference in vision, skill, personalities, etc. So yes, I'm nervous to work with someone new... and cautiously excited. =]

Debating "Business Expenses" for 2012 [To Airbrush or Not?]

I am in a huge debate with myself. I have spent the last 24 hours agonizing over what I want to do as far as professional supplies for the year. Should I just get brushes and stop at that? I've already decided on the Mr. Bunny set from Sigma. Even though I like the Mrs. Bunny Kit's colors, I have to go with the obvious and more professional option. I am really excited to be able to add a 100% vegan brush set to my colletion and be able to also offer that to clients.

For those of you on the market for vegan brushes, they also offer a travel size kit for only $59, so that may be a better option for those of you who are looking to spend less than $100. You can check out the full Bunny Collection and all of it's vegan offering's here. I know it can be difficult to find vegan brushes that aren't compromising on quality; which is silly. Why should vegans have to compromise on quality just because we don't want to hurt animals?



So the next item I've been debating with myself about is the Dinair. I feel like my work and what I can offer clients will be limited until I have all of the tools necessary to the trade, and a good airbrush set is essential to a fully functional kit. The price tag isn't pretty, but if I'm using it on paid events, I'd be able to make the money back very quickly. But that comes to the next issue.. over saturation of the field. There are so many people in Cincinnati calling themselves makeup artists. I think that's another huge reason I need the Dinair. Being able to offer airbrush not only gives me an edge over competition, it also shows that I am professional and serious about what I'm doing. I've invested my time and money if I have airbrush to offer.

I would love to hear feedback from fellow makeup artists who have struggled with the choice of whether or not to invest in and offer airbrush to their clients. I'm mostly hoping it's not going to be a wasted purchase in the area I'm in. However, I won't be in Cincinnati forever, and I'm sure bigger cities offer bigger opportunities (but with bigger competition, I'm sure).