Meet Talisa Soto | Permanent Makeup Artist & AAM Platinum Instructor

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

Hi Talisa, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Learning that failure is in fact a choice, has been one of the most important lessons my business/career has taught me. Jim Carrey’s quote, ‘You can fail at doing what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love,’ became the driving force behind my decision to start my own business. Before I found my passion in Permanent Cosmetics just like many of you reading this right now I maintained a 9-5 job doing something that didn’t feed my soul and I was undervalued. My life felt like it had no purpose and I began feeling very unsettled in the life I was living. With being left with what felt like no other choice, I decided to give it a go & invest in a new career path as a Permanent Makeup Artist. My will to acquire the necessary skills led me to scrounge up the money by any means necessary to pursue my passion. Since then, that same energy has repeatedly demonstrated that hard work, coupled with the wealth of available resources, will continue to pay off.

Allow me to elaborate. Every day, failure felt like such a huge possibility for someone like me. Someone with no business knowledge, no capital, and no guidance.
Yes, even if I failed I could, at least say, ‘I tried’ but I soon realized, failure means I work a job that continues to make me miserable. I wanted to be paid for all my hard work and have control over changing that number as frequently as I wanted. I realized that with the abundance of resources available to us these days it makes failure nearly impossible. The saying ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way’ truly holds weight for me, as my determination to find a way has been the force behind my success.

I immersed myself in research on ‘How to start your own business,’ using my common sense and my experience in being “the consumer” my entire life to guide me. Each day, I aimed to accomplish at least one task related to furthering my business, considering it a successful day regardless of how small the task was, as it brought me closer to my goals. Nowadays, everything we need really is just a few clicks away: whether it’s finding more clients, learning about branding, content ideas, social media tips, new techniques, etc. If it’s not within my immediate reach, I will always find a way to get there. Maybe it’s saving $10 a day to one day have enough money to take the course that will lead to bettering my business, maybe it’s asking for that help or mentorship from other professionals until someone says “yes”, or maybe it looks like a day full of “learning how to build a stronger social media presence” using platforms available to me.

So yes failure is, indeed, a choice. All of us have the potential to become a successful entrepreneur if we dedicate the time and energy to it. I am living proof of this. I entered the entrepreneurial world with nothing but common sense, passion, and sheer determination. From day one, all I possessed was a love for art and a keen interest in cosmetic tattooing as well as a burning desire to CHANGE MY LIFE.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As cliche as it’s going to sound, what sets me apart from others is simply, being ME. We are all like fingerprints, unique and one of a kind. It took me years of comparing my work and myself to others to realize, I can’t be like them and they cant be like me so why continue being so hard on myself. I realized that fitting the mold would actually hold me back because I wasn’t being the unique individual I was born to be. So I decided to brand myself and show the world who I was & what I brought to the table. I know for a fact my love for this industry, helping others, and my dedication to continued education has and always will set me apart. My talent, my work, my client satisfaction, and my hard work has attracted so many new faces as well as new students. As a Permanent Makeup Artist and now Instructor I can’t tell you how many times Ive been contact by clients who received horrible work and how many times other artists have shared their stories of receive poor training and lacking the, Ready to work confidence, as I like to call it. I want it to stop! No-one deserves to seek a service that is intended to deliver a feeling of confidence to instead be faced with feeling misled or self conscious. As well, I know how hard it was to save money to take my first course. Feeling like you wasted the last of what you had is devastating!

I’ve always found happiness in helping others which is why performing the services has always brought me so much satisfaction but I now have found even more satisfaction in contributing to keeping the integrity of this industry together and training new artists, state to state, THE RIGHT WAY. I am so excited now be a Board Certified Trainer who can legally license aspiring Permanent Makeup Artists through my customized training course. There are soooooo many others that share similar stories like myself and I want to help them be able to do it too!

Nothing about my journey was easy but if I can do it, others can absolutely do it too! Hard work will always be required with growth. Let me tell you though, those moments of feeling accomplished, seeing your hard work pay off, watching your business grow, and knowing you are changing lives….is EVERYTHING! Mentorship is such a valuable tool! I myself seek/pay for mentorship constantly from others who have been where I am and are where I want to be. With every new door I reach, I start with 100 keys, trying every one until one fits. Receiving mentoring is like taking those 100 keys and being told which 10 to try. We don’t always have to figure it all out on our own.

I want the world to know, if you wake up feeling unsettled in your career, if you go to work everyday feeling undervalued, underpaid, unhappy, wanting your time back, wanting to make your own schedule, wanting to be at your kids midday Halloween parade, wanting to control the money you make, wanting a more fulfilling career, wanting to dictate where you live and what your life looks like, then you’re like me. Permanent Cosmetics has changed my life and it truly can change yours too. I want to share my knowledge with the world and I want the happiness I wake up to daily to be something everyone experiences because we all deserve it. Stop putting your energy into everyone else’s dream and put the energy into your own. You have one life to live. Take your best shot at living It fully!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
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. In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?

Hmmm! Well, as a new comer to Los Angeles I can’t say I know all of the best places or have even been able to explore much but overall I am all about good weather, disconnecting, exploring new places, some shopping therapy and enjoying good food while in good company! I have to say one of the few places I have been while in Los Angeles that stood out was Hollywood Hills. The relaxation I felt while swimming in the pool on a sunny day overlooking that beautiful view was priceless. Moments of serenity and connecting with the elements around me are ones I cherish the most as they are not often had while being in my day to day hustle and bustle. I’m excited to continue exploring California and all its beauty!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alright, so let’s jump right in! 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 a person, group, organization, book, etc that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?

– I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to the people who gave me the “yes” when I asked for an opportunity that would help grow and broaden my horizon’s as an entrepreneur. To start, Realbrows LA is the reason why you all are reading my words right now. Realbrows LA gave a determined artist with dream a new foundation to grow. I reached out asking what then were strangers to help me further my career and they didn’t hesitate to hop on a call and give me the opportunity to hear me out. I’m super thankful for them allowing me to show them what I can really do as a Permanent Makeup Artist and business woman. Because of their belief in me it has helped me develop a home base in and introduce Los Angeles to my work as a Permanent Makeup Artist and Instructor. We all know as striving entrepreneurs, we are not entitled to any advice, help, or encouragement but when you do get it….cherish it!

Website: www.realbrows.com

Instagram: eyedolizedbrows