STUDIO 26 - By Racquel Lacson

Racquel Lacson - Brief History

From early childhood I discovered my passion and talent in art. I remember always asking my mom to buy me coloring books from the market and I would be busy with my crayons all week. I used my eyes and my judgement to see the balance and color harmony but I really never understood why, it just made sense. In school, I easily aced my fine arts subject without having to study or make enormous efforts on my projects while I pathetically got a C- in PE.

When I graduated High School, I wanted to pursue Fine Arts at the University level but money was not abundant for lengthy school so I took a secure position with good pay. Getting my Diploma in Office Administration landed me a job managing an office and I learned and outgrew my responsibilities but it was not something I wanted for my career so I decided to go to part-time night school to further my education to get my Makeup Artistry Diploma at Blanche MacDonald.
I easily got gigs in Theatre/Film work, Glamour Photo Shoots, and helping out in Fashion Shows. When the gigs came, it was a good paycheque but it was not enough to leave my day job.

I like to keep myself busy and education is something I enjoy. I shifted my Office Administration job to Accounting. I took Management Certificate in Accounting at BCIT while I practiced this new skill in my full time job.

While working in the Accounting Department, makeup gigs came here and there and I got my first break with the help of my supervisor, Rina Sandhu, when she asked me to consult with her childhood friend who was getting married in Canada. Harj Sandhu was my very first Indian Bride in 2003 and immediately I had a following of clients.

With the client demand slowly starting to pour in, I started to form a business on a part time/hobby basis in 2003 and soon after, word of my work spread throughout the Indian community. In turn my demand grew rapidly and I was able to turn my business into a full time operation in 2006.

My clients concerns taught me how to run my business in a sense, that I needed to incorporate their needs in how I manage their bookings. I could say that I was blessed that it was like an overnight success… I was a rookie in the Indian community as a bridal artist but my clients put me in a strong position because of my talent.

In the year 2006, I had to turn away many potential clients because I was booked back to back for weeks on end. Do to the extreme demand I began taking appointments starting as early as 2:ooam. Currently, I now book a hundred brides a year. My ultimate goal is to lower my bridal bookings to keep my existing clients happy and give 150% effort and complete undivided attention to each individual I work with.

For 2008, I am already fully booked to capacity and would like to focus some of my time training talented artists joining my team and sharing the company's success. To be part of the Studio 26 team, an artist's work does not just consist of applying makeup and showing up for the booking. There is a reputation and high level of standard that needs to be maintained in this position. I am always in search of talented artists who can follow instructions well, keep an open mind, are accepting of criticism, have the willingness to work hard to build a strong portfolio and most importantly, create looks that exceed client expectations.

When adding to my team, I am not just looking for makeup artists, but individuals with a great amount of potential. I would like to build on their existing confidence and share knowledge as a team. I have designed a program with special tasks to achieve the goals set for the company. I will be handing out monthly assignments to the Team Artists in an effort to increase their knowledge of the industry. These will consist of artists completing a report and sharing it with others at regular group meetings. Workshops will be held for the team to work with each other, learn from one another, and collaborate on new techniques and artistic work. From time to time, artists will also be assigned volunteer work which will consist of visiting educational institutions to discuss beauty awareness to students and members of the general public. Every effort will be made for the team to further develop and grow as creative artists.

I envision Studio 26 surpassing set expectations and look forward to assembling a team of like-minded individuals who express a true passion towards the makeup and hair industry just as I do.