From meltdowns to makeup
Avery Workman unlocked her potential through cosmetic artistry
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(Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series celebrating the efforts of young women in Kokomo and Howard County who are building their own futures and overcoming adversity. Read additional installments at www.kokomolantern.com)
Just going to school each morning was an ordeal for Avery Workman. The recent Western High School graduate experienced panic attacks many mornings. The stress she experienced caused mental meltdowns. Finishing school seemed unlikely at best.
And then something inside of her changed.
“During my freshman and sophomore years, I really struggled with my mental health, and I didn't have the best grades,” said Workman. “I wasn't very well liked around school, either, just for being strange.
“I was just sick of it. I've always wanted to make stuff; it's like an itch. When I don't make stuff, I'm not happy. So, my junior and senior year, I was just done with it. I have such heavy potential, and I'm wasting it. During junior year, I got all As, and throughout my senior year, I did really good.”
Determined to turn things around, Workman began expressing herself through photography, painting, and crafting. That quickly moved into dyeing her friends’ hair and doing their makeup. Unlocking her creativity improved everything. The panic and stress faded away. The meltdowns stopped. But it didn’t happen overnight.
“I wouldn't say it was easy at all, but I feel that's kind of like just growing up,” said Workman. “I had to explore a lot of different things about myself to figure out what I wanted to do. I put a lot of work into my style, my fashion, because I want to be a makeup artist.
“I did a lot of work this year to become that, and even if I don't make it, at least I'm playing the part. That's where it starts.”
The change Workman was noticed, and her teachers at Western nominated her for the Turnaround Award at the annual Mayor’s Turnaround Breakfast that took place in May. The honor was validation that she was making a difference in her own life.
And if effort and commitment have anything to do with it, Workman will make it. For the past year, she has worked on her craft. She did makeup for herself and her friends for a Kokomo Pride Festival last year. That turned into modeling the makeup designs.
“I realized, wait, I actually am really good at this,” said Workman. “We kept doing more and more. I realized my potential, and I started doing a lot better.”
Workman’s art spills out everywhere she goes. When she isn’t dyeing hair or doing makeup, she’s painting designs on phone cases and hand mirrors, and recently she began making her own clothes and jewelry.
Unfortunately, the path she sees for herself doesn’t run through Kokomo. There are plenty of cosmetology schools in the area, but no schools for makeup artistry; the type of work that gets the attention of movie studios and fashion houses. So, for now, Workman is making do with online courses she can find.
“There's cosmetology, but that's for people that really want to do wedding makeup and stuff like that,” said Workman. “I don't think that that's where I'm supposed to be. I'm going to work my way up to being able to go to in-person makeup school, but those only exist in big cities.
“I want to get my skills tuned in now, keep working on what I already have so that I can excel at in-person classes. The cool thing about these schools is the resources they provide. I'd be building a portfolio. I would be working with good models, getting good head shots.”
Workman has her goal in sight, and she’s putting in the effort. The opportunity will come, she is certain. For now, she is working on her craft, which can be seen on her Instagram page, @b3ar_b3anzzzz