Moni Whitaker, Your Favorite Artist
How old are you? I'm 27, soon to be 28 in January!
Are you originally from Memphis?
Yes, I am from Memphis….born and raised in Orange Mound. I attended Hanley Elem, Sherwood Middle, and of course the best of the best Melrose High School class of 2006!
What do you "Do" exactly?
Hmmmm….honestly I do a little bit of everything. You could call me a makeup, hair- styling, visual artist! On a serious note, I am a Licensed Cosmetologists. No matter how many times I have tried to work outside the field, I always revert back to what's my passion; which is hair/makeup! Anything that I can do from scratch and watch how well it comes together in the end is exciting to me! Helping people whether its women or men pull out their alter ego is fun to me.Being able to see the final reaction on a persons face is the best reward you can get from a client. Seeing them light up is a joyous moment. I like to make everyone I come in contact with feel as if we have been in each others lives forever. Making a guest of mine feel comfortable along with them trusting you enough to have a say so as far as their appearance is concerned is key! I have always been taught that having "personality and being humble with the right attitude" will get you anywhere. Those simple things have gotten me very far!
What made you choose your career field?
I started doing hair in middle school. During that time it was just fun, but eventually my skills progressed and I started making money doing it by the time I got to high school. High school is where my career started. I would always say I wouldn't wear makeup when I watched my mom prepare her makeup faithfully every morning……..oh boy did that change. Doing makeup on myself was an easy task because I know my face of course, but being able to do someone else face just as well as you do your own is a skill….for real. After years of doing so much hair, I felt I needed to do more and not limit myself because the industry has so much to offer. I am a MUA as well as a Special FX Artist who enjoys absolutely everything about makeup. Honestly, I enjoy Special FX more than anything. I look at it as a challenge because each look is different! I like the fact of being able to create some of the things I see in a scary movie especially since its my favorite genre of movies! To go from looking like Moni to "Scar from Lion King" to "Raegen from The Exorcist" is a career choice I would do for the rest of my life! I guess that's what happens when you have a passion for people and what you do!.
Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years?
In the mean time and between time, I see myself taking my talents on the road to surrounding areas to get other states familiar with my brand. I would like to have a studio open to be able to give my guests the exceptional service I would like them to have on a regular basis. On top of owning a studio, I definitely am determined to get signed with a huge agency such as MGM Studios or work for Victoria Secret Fashion Shows; those are dream jobs for me! If its Gods will, I will get blessed with one of my choices, if not all.
