Meet Kennedy Whitten | Professional Makeup Artist

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

Hi Kennedy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always known from a very young age that I wanted to own my own business. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset when it comes to creating a career and a living for myself. I started doing makeup on close friends and family when I was about 15-16 years old. I had always practiced on myself which led to others noticing and eventually reaching out and booking me for their events. I was shocked initially, as I was still so young and did not plan for this to even become a thing! I went to college in 2018 at Tarleton State University and started off as a nursing major. I knew I always wanted to help people, so this felt like the right thing to do. I did not know how I could make myself profitable off of my passion, because typically society puts the thought in your head that that is often unattainable. I reached my second semester of college and hated the path I was on academically. I soon changed my major to marketing after explaining to my advisor what I truly wanted my future to look like. I fell in love and knew this was the perfect path for me. Flash forward, I recently graduated from Tarleton in December of 2021 with my Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with a minor in Communication Studies. I currently attend Esthetician school so I can be a licensed professional and start offering all sorts of skincare services. My main goal is to become a one stop shop for you, and be your personal hype girl while sending you off feeling your best. What once started as a hobby, has now turned into my main source of income, and I know it is only going to grow from here.

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.
One thing that continues to be my main priority with every individual I work on is enhancing their natural beauty and to show them that they are always beautiful. I often find that my clients put themselves down when they sit in my chair with remarks like “I’m so sorry I look so horrible right now” or “I’m so stressed and my face just needs a complete transformation”. My passion is to reverse that with my skills, abilities, and unique techniques. I use techniques that show a significant difference, but they also enhance the natural features of the client, so they can see their true features and truly feel as beautiful as I know they are. My favorite part of a service is giving my clients the mirror and seeing them light up with excitement. It is always such a validating and heartwarming experience. Seriously, I know that moment will never get old and it continues to remind me that I am in the best industry for me. As I am a new business owner and Skin By Ken was just established in December of 2021, the amount of growth I have already experienced is insane. My social media following continues to experience rapid growth and the bookings continue to grow daily. It is such an amazing feeling seeing all of my hard work and sleepless nights pay off. I knew the process of starting a business was not going to be easy, but what I was not prepared for was the maintenance of an established business. Every spare second of time is dedicated to my work. I work 7 days a week on socials and virtual components, while going to school 5 days a week. I know I will only face more challenges along the way, but I’m ready!
I want current clients and prospects to know that I value not only their business, but I value them as a person. I am so thankful for everyone who has gotten me to this point, and I hope they know this includes every single one of them. I will always do whatever it takes to provide a seamless and lasting service no matter the occasion, and I will only work to get better for them.

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 Dallas there are many places to visit and eat. It’s a busy city that is hard to navigate at times, as I have not lived here in about 4 years since I was away at college, but I have found it fun to re-learn this city and all of the new sites and attractions that have been established during my absence. Happiest Hour is a great place to grab drinks and have a fun time with friends. The water gardens and botanical gardens are beautiful and make for heat photo ops. Soon, I plan to visit Vidorra with a group of friends. I have heard amazing things so I have no doubt it will live up to the hype! There are endless bars and clubs. I can’t really put together a true itinerary as I previously mentioned I have not lived here in a while, and when I did I was under the age of 21, but I am enjoying visiting all of the recommended spots and places!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are four people who hold a very special place within me that have always supported my most wild dreams and ideas and they are my Mom (Holly), my Stepdad (Brad), and My Grandparents (Marcie and Doug) but I call them Dede and Pa. My Mom always pushed me to be better and do everything I wanted to do, she was a single mom for many years so I owe a lot of my success to her as she never let our circumstances hold me back from anything I ever wanted to do. My Stepdad, Brad, really ran with the dad role and stepped in and took care of my brother and I like we are his own. He’s reasonable with me and reminds me how to think with reason and not emotion, but also supports my every move and let’s me go on for hours about all of my crazy ideas. My Dede and Pa have always rooted me on and showed the most love throughout my years in college and up to now, with the start of Skin By Ken. Their advice is unmatched and their love is undeniable. I adore them. These four individuals have dedicated hours of listening to me pitch all of my plans and ideas, and the many career changes, but it always came back to this. Skin By Ken. Deep down they all knew this is what I was made for, but it took me years to finally figure it out and learn how to make this business exactly what I want it to be. The amount of growth and success I have already experienced is mind blowing, as I pictured it would only be able to survive as a small side hustle. I cannot wait to show my family everything that is to come and continue to make them proud.

Instagram: @skinby.ken

Facebook: Skin By Ken