Meet Lindsey Ganter: Special Effects Makeup Artist

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

Hi Lindsey, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Two words: Vulnerability and Authenticity. In a culture where behaving as something we are not in order to be accepted by others (who, in parallel, are also behaving as something they are not) is widely pressured upon us, embracing both vulnerability and authenticity is often scorned. And due to the fear of what others think, authenticity is rare to see and public vulnerability might as well be a death sentence. My right leg was caught in this cultural bear trap and I needed to gnaw my way out. I realized I was trying ridiculously hard to be who I thought my following/friends/family/clients/the world expected of me. I was exhausted and found myself in a professional identity crisis. Business was decent and continuing to grow, but something was missing and I was hitting proverbial walls. The bear trap tightened its bite. “What is wrong? I’m doing everything I am supposed to be doing,” I’d cry out. It all felt incongruent. Un-centered. Gross. Then that day hit where introspection was sobering: it wasn’t about what I was DOING, because God knows I was doing all the things. It was about who I was BEING. My choice wasn’t ground-breaking or earth shattering, or anything that would cure cancer or save all humanity … but it was strong, formal, and decisive. ‘You HAVE to just be YOU, Lindsey, or no amount of perceived success was worth it.’ The gnawing began. Amidst my growing business, I shared a very vulnerable video on social media that I had tearfully created years back. Clicked “post’ and held my breath, trembling. What happened next was nothing short of outstanding. People emerged from the shadows and connected with me on a level that I had not allowed before due to fear. Fearful of losing business, friends … family. When in fact, quite the opposite happened. Support flooded in in a manner I never expected. I began to see my business in a different light … a light that had the potential to help and be of service to others. The very “others” I had been trying to unauthentically impress before. Everyone must have seen through it. When I switched gears and chose authenticity and vulnerability over everything, my business and my life flourished. Freed from the bear trap. Countless of times since then, I have received messages from social media followers that I’ve never met or talked to virtually but the messages are always the same vibe: “I came across your profile and followed you because you are unapologetically YOU.” To which I always respond, “Who else am I supposed to be? I only know how to be me.” And then I add smiley face and “rock on” emojis, thank them for reaching out and show my appreciation for sending kindness my direction. The question at hand asks about the most important factors behind the success of my brand … turns out, my brand started out as demonstration makeup artistry with emphasis on Special Effects, but ironically has turned into the very things that made it successful – Vulnerability and Authenticity. Hence why I continually receive the messages that I do in my inbox to this day. No bear trap in sight. I am my brand. It is me. A kid rearing, makeup brush wielding, chocolate eating, sports car loving, personal development consuming, music devouring, soul searching, God fearing, crystal grasping, dog petting, brain bending, skull obsessing, black donning, ring on all fingers wearing authentic mother of three and everything in between. I hope to encourage anyone and everyone who feels like they are as lost as I was to embrace the very things they thought were downfalls or shortcomings as quite the opposite: their authentic POWER. I would never have made it this far if I had kept dishonoring the person that I am and was created to be. The success of my business points to one thing: Being unapologetically me gave others the freedom, permission and safety to do just the same for themselves which in turn built trust in my brand, my business, and ultimately me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My education is that of biomedical science, so it goes without saying that my art is all self-taught and perhaps moreover innate. From a young age, I’ve always been the creative type. I yawned over history and awed over charcoal drawings. It’s where my heart was happiest. It wasn’t until the last 5-6 years that I fully tapped into the need to create. I already loved makeup theory and demonstrating the how-to’s of basic makeup application, why not expand the abilities beyond general “5 minute faces” and recreate images on my God-given canvas – my face (and sometimes my body)! I explored the world of special effects from illusionary to minor prosthetics and immediately was drawn to it. The challenge? Attempting something I had never done before! I often look back at my first attempts at special effects and knowing what I know now, those attempts were far from amazing. But every young chef’s first meal is burned. Every young surgeon’s first stitch is messy. Every young singer’s first song is off pitch. I was not immune to this as my first face paintings were so-so at best. I’m proud to admit that my stubbornness is the reason why I persisted. I wanted to perfect it. And while it’s never perfect, it improves every single time. I’ve learned that it will never be perfect but the journey of learning will always be. The biggest lesson I’ve learned along the way is giving grace for artistic mistakes allows the door for creativity to remain open,

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.
I would take them to a place neither of us have ever been in order to create new experiences together! Being a stay at home mom for 14 years, my experiences have been fairly limited due to the necessity of being home and rearing three kiddos close in age. Now that they are older, my ability to explore and get out in the metroplex is a tad easier. 😉 Therefore, my yearning to discover new places to find fun and eat in the area is high! My favorite places have great ambience and food, which leads to wonderful memories of time spent with favorite people.

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?
I believe there is not enough room in this section to shout out every single influential soul that has helped push me and encourage me to be ME. I am grateful for every one of them. However, special recognition will always and forever go to my three lovingly authentic children. Their individual personalities, their exploring minds, their hearts remind me every day to stay the course as a mother, as a business owner, and as a human being.

Website: www.LindseyGanter.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseygantermua
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.lockwoodganter
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LindseyGanterMUA

Image Credits
All images and their content were created and photographed by me.