Meet DeeDee Kelly: Makeup Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with DeeDee Kelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi DeeDee, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking is what living is all about. If we don’t take risk… are we really enjoying all that life has to offer? I understand that most times, when we take risk it may not work out 100%, but if we never try we will never see what could be!! For instance, I took a big risk moving to California from Baltimore and I knew very few people there also it was the first time I would be thousands of miles away from my family, but it was a risk i was willing to take for my career. I took other risk for my career like working for no pay just to have my work seen and put myself in positions for something greater…later! Actually we take a risk everyday when we leave out of our houses or getting on trains, planes and automobiles. But if you pray and have faith that everything will work out… it normally does in some kind of form or fashion. It may now be what we hoped for but it could be for our protection.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My makeup journey came from the love of art. My motto is ” Your Face Is My Canvas” and that’s what I truly believe. Doing makeup to me is just like me painting on one of my canvases. As a child, I would paint or draw on all my books in school. Then I took my art a little bit further and painted on my jeans and tshirts. I found inspiration in the smallest things such as a little flower growing along the sidewalk to over looking mountains and oceans. I viewed the world in full exciting shades of different colors. My journey wasn’t easy because I had no clue growing up where art could take me. I didn’t have mentors in school to tell me where all this creativity could take me until later in life after high school. I would love for the world to know that makeup is truly my ministry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was in town, I would take her to do the usual hollywood touristy things like hollywood blvd and sunset blvd. I would make sure she got all her pictures in front of her favorite stars. Then I would plan a day to drive up the coast to see the views of all the amazing beaches then find one of the iconic restaurants to have lunch or dinner. We would have a day of shopping on the infamous Rodeo Drive so she could see what all the hype is about. Hopefully we could fit in a day at one of the hiking trails to get some exercise as well as see the view from the top.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are several people that I owe my success to, some I know and some I have never had the pleasure of meeting. Me being a african american woman, I owe my ability to be able to be independent and successful to our ancestors and those who have paved the way for us many years ago. Those historians who took a chance and changed the way we would be viewed for years to come. But on a personal level I would like to give a shoutout to my mentor in the makeup game when I first started my journey in the beauty industry. Her name is Kym Lee, She guided me and showed me what to expect from the industry . She took me on photoshoots and professional sets as her assistant to give me a chance to learn and grow. It was her kindness that made me want to be kinder to people and push myself past boundaries that I set to low for myself. I also looked up to people like Kevin Acquion and Sam Fine who where pioneers in the industry.

Website: www.deedeekelly.com

Instagram: @deedee_kelly

Twitter: @DeeDeeKelly

Facebook: @DeeDeeKelly

Youtube: DeeDee Kelly

Other: Pinterest – @iamdeedeekelly

Image Credits
Patrick McKenzie