Leading in Central MA: Artist + Executive Helen Sheldon Beaumont
Monday, August 12, 2013
Professional makeup artist, trainer for bareMinerals, singer, and creative force behind the Worcester Postard Project, Helen Sheldon Beaumont is a very busy woman. Photo: Mark Blackmer.
A conversation with Helen Sheldon Beaumont
SW: What led you to your current career path?
HSB: I grew up on a rural Ohio farm, which inspired all that I do. I learned about creating an image while showing dairy cows in 4-H. Fell in love with the Sears Roebuck catalog and the clothes that my mother could whip up on the sewing machine. Started singing in church, which has been a lifelong passion.
My love of makeup began early, also. I saved all of my money from a part-time job to go to a store and buy lipstick. There was a woman in town who sold cosmetics and drove a pink Cadillac. She had her eyebrows made up to look upside down and I was fascinated by her.
At 16, I put all of those interests and talents together and entered pageants including Miss Ohio to get college scholarships. I eventually starting studying theater and fell in love with the transformative power of makeup. I went to college for voice and never looked back.
SW: You are one of the busiest women I have met. What are you currently doing?
HBS: I have been a professional makeup artist for 20 years. I work for bareMinerals as a district trainer for the Northeast. It is my responsibility to train all of our employees in artistry and development. I also do fashion shows. I love it because we have a worldwide reach. I also have my own business on the side doing makeup for models, fashion shows, and rock stars. You name it. My talent is bringing things out in people and helping them to transform.
I also love my music. Every time I step on a stage, I sing as if it is the last time I will ever perform. Every second that you sing, you touch someone.
SW: What are some highlights from your career?
HSB: In my early 20s I won a trip to NYC for selling more foundation than anyone in North America. There I was exposed for the first time to makeup artistry beyond my wildest expectations and my work was featured in Allure Magazine.
Doing makeup at Fashion Week was life altering. Working in such an inspirational location and being known and respected for my work. That set the tone for years to come.
Lately, it has been doing makeup for a shoot that's featured in 200 window fronts. I hope I can inspire other women who think that achieving their dream isn’t possible.
SW: Can you describe a typical day in your life?
HSB: I am the mother of an 8 year-old daughter and an 18 year-old stepson, so I spend as much time being a mom as I can. I spend the day handling conference calls, booking flights and trainings, making reservations, setting up interviews, visiting a store, teaching a master class, and performing in the evening. Flying nationwide to attend seminars, teaching 15 hours straight, coming home, being a mom, making dinner, and putting my daughter to bed. Late night is when I practice my music, clean house, organize my office, research fashion trends, and figure out how to translate them to real women.
SW: How do you balance career and work?
HSB: Being an executive and not having a traditional work schedule is tough. My work follows me everywhere. On Mondays, I shut off my phone and just spend time with my family. My company is extremely supportive of a work/home balance. We always do dinner as it pulls the family together. It is never easy, though.
SW: Lets talk about the Worcester Postcard Project. What exactly are you doing?
HSB: Preserving a way of life that the digital age will bring to an end. Since moving to Webster I have missed being a part of the Worcester Arts Council. Bylaws prevented me from continuing as chair. I decided to find a project to give back to the city. I received partial funding and the Worcester Postcard Project was born.
I just love the pictures, messages and stories on the back of postcards. They are poetry themselves. The last postcard I received from my dad, when he was on the road, before his death, read, “You will always be a flower in my heart.”
We will do an exhibition in October and another in the spring. Tattoo artists are submitting three designs and area folks will decide on two to be in the exhibition and the third will be sent as a postcard to other artists. I love the randomness of that and can’t wait to see where they end up.
SW: You have been very active in the community. What accomplishments are you most proud of?
HSB: It is definitely my work with the Worcester Arts Council. I am proud of helping to establish and brand an identity for them with a new name and logo. Art in the Park is definitely one of the most amazing projects in the city. I first saw public art in Cleveland in junior high and it has been another passion ever since.
SW: What are your suggestions for helping Worcester achieve its full potential as a city?
HSB: The city should celebrate what it is and not always be looking for new things. It has amazing potential. Residents get frustrated as it takes forever to make something happen but there are good people working hard to do the right thing. I think the final results, like the train station, speak for themselves. It is the business people who are risking so much to keep opening new businesses and maintaining long-term ones that are my heroes. They will propel us forward and all of the arts groups will help provide creative expression.
SW: What is the something that few people know about you?
I am an immense worrier. I have a debilitating worry side. I love to help people and always worry that I didn’t please or reach enough people.
SW: Any special plans for the future?
Before it snows, it is my goal to have a recording with my band.
“There is nothing so powerful as a new idea in the hands of a first class entrepreneur.” With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Susan Wagner has been known for driving events, initiatives, launches, and openings through her company SusanWagner PR. In this challenging economy, she has begun a new division to offer affordable start-up packages to new and emerging small businesses and non-profit organizations that include professional writing services, websites, collateral, marketing, social media grassroots outreach and regional PR campaigns.
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