Meet Mijah Dugas | Special Effects Makeup Artist/ Makeup Artist

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

Hi Mijah, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
The answer is quite clear. You KEEP GOING. We’ve all heard before that giving up is never an option and that statement is 100% accurate, YOU NEVER GIVE UP.

Everyone has a their own story of dealing with hardships in life and trust me we all know for a fact life isn’t easy, but it’s what makes us grow. It’s what makes us human. It’s so many times I’ve set myself up with so many high expectations and majority of the time, I was hardly even close to satisfactory it. I took negative reviews/criticism to heart and it forced me into thinking I’m not good enough or I will never get noticed. This is when I became the most unhappiness with myself ever. I grew underwhelmed. Days were passing by doing 9 to 5s’ and honestly I couldn’t tell you anything that made me smile or exciting. It was legit the same thing different day! I genuinely grew tired until I finally realized that makeup is my passion and this is what makes me fulfilled! Once that became the focus, that’s when all the doubt and soft skin left the building.No one in this world will make you the happiest but yourself and maybe payday. With that being said you have the power to see yourself in a light good enough to help you believe that you’re more than capable. Just think about a life where you think of “what if” all the time, right, I can’t either! We only get to live this live once so let’s not let doubt bloom in your world. Love Mijahlou (Makeup Artist)

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a makeup artist. I specialize in special effects, but I can always switch that hat off into beauty looks as well. What sets me a part is being myself. I love details and I put that in my work. I can do looks that keep you guessing and wondering what and how did I do that. I amazed myself sometimes with the looks I produce in my head or become inspired by, its like unlocking a potential.

I am most proud of being in several filming opportunities as well as doing a celebrity’s makeup all in under the 1st year I’ve lived in Texas.. I’ve always wanted to be apart of the filming industry I just didn’t know how to start. Once, I met a few makeup artist in Texas and started networking, I’ve found myself on several plays and movies set. When I say my heart is so full every gig I get, it’s dragging on the floor every time.

I’m still modest about my achievements so using “professionally” still amazes me to say, but to be where I am now professionally, I just didn’t give up. Even when I wanted to give up, I kept going, I kept posting, I kept applying myself to my passion and so many positive things came out of it that I wouldn’t have thought would’ve came true.

The journey is still going but the process is NOT EASY and still isn’t. Doubt is the devil and I’ve allowed it to fill my mind in the past. I let so many people get in my head commenting about what doesn’t look right, why I do the looks that I do, not making enough money in this industry and etc.Overtime, I just grew thicker skin and stopped caring so much about what haters have to say because they definitely aren’t the main characters in my story, I am.

One of the lessons I’ve learned along the way is that you can’t please everyone. My special effects artwork would leave me misunderstood to others. I would have people ask me why I spend so much time painting my face for hours, recording and taking pictures of it, just to take it off in matter of seconds. They would be like “that’s pointless”, “you’re weird” or “don’t you have better things to do with your time”. I would make myself believe that, “wow, I really am spending my time doing crazy things”, then I realized “I don’t care, lol”. I’ve never been more happy to do something I love and make money off it as well.

I want to show the world how talented I am and what I am capable of. I want the world to know my name and how to say it correctly lol. I am so fortunate to start in Texas as my journey is just beginning.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The most fun, interesting place I would suggest is live concert of my favorite artist. I love music and its apart of my everyday life. I love r&b music most of all genres I listen to. Me and my family would bond over singing songs in the car to the top of our lungs like we were in our own concert. I love doing something new and adventurous since I am from a small town, so like zip-lining, adventure parks or seeing a cool museum/ art show are things the would be included in our itinerary.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shoutout to my family, friends and supporters. An even bigger shoutout to my grandparents, my brother and most of all my MOM! OMG, she is the most influential person in my life. She motivates me and keeps my encourage even when I don’t feel my best. She always saw something in me that I couldn’t. I want to thank her for resilience and her strong belief of “throwing glitter and rocking out” as she would say. I LOVE YOU MOMMY!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijahtheartist/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mijahlou

Image Credits
Photo Credit goes to @Christawh Check out her instagram