The Uninspired series: New beauty media pioneer and host of the BeautyMe Podcast Charisse Kenion discusses the acceptance of imperfection and the reality of forging your own career
"Lean into who you are. Don’t watch what someone else is doing. Be prepared to work and don’t waste valuable time telling people what you’re up to."
When brainstorming the concept of ‘Unfaced’, an underpinning theme that really resonated with me was a shared need for authentic wisdom whilst in search of creative inspiration. Narratives that (whilst being authentic) also acknowledge that some of us struggle to just get up in the morning or stick to one path.
Countless like-minded internet users sift through seemingly endless reels of content in hopes to locate the enigma that is ‘inspiration’. Instead, they find one-size-fits-all advice that neglects mental well-being.
So many of us feel lost. In our careers, our relationships, in our pursuit of ‘success’ and satisfaction. Enter the 'Uninspired Series,' a space where I converse with down-to-earth yet inspiring individuals from a variety of creative industries. Together, we unpack their creative journey and how they carved out their own unique careers that leave room for imperfection without sacrificing both wellness and growth.
A successful creative career isn’t linear and the multi-talented and simply awe-inspiring interviewees that I had the pleasure to chat with, prove that there is always room for YOUR individuality.
Charisse Kenion is a beauty writer, photographer,THE BeautyMe Podcast host and quite frankly a creative I have been beyond excited to look through the lens of. With 15 years of experience in the fashion and beauty industries (from interviewing Diane Von Furstenberg and snapping some of the most stunning portraits) and dissecting all things beauty and culture on BeautyMe (stalk her Instagram here) - Charisse epitomises forging an adaptable and flexible creative career.
Wait! BEFORE you start reading, do yourself a favour and listen to an episode or two (or ten) of the BeautyMe Podcast - you will NOT be disappointed.
Hi Charisse! As a listener and lover of your work and content this feels so right! Thank you so much for chatting with Unfaced.
For those who might not know. Introduce yourself. What made you choose beauty? What is it about the industry that drives you?
Writer, photographer and host of the BeautyMe Podcast.
At the beginning of my career I was a fashion writer, then head of a fashion desk on a daily newspaper.
I loved being backstage getting all the insights and info from the teams and became more besotted with the smaller details, accessories, hair and makeup. If I’m honest, I think hair and beauty felt more accessible to me, as someone who is not a size 2.
I’m sure Unfaced readers would love to hear your ‘how I got here’ story….
Ha ha, it’s a long story but when I look back I can see the steps and pivots. Got a ‘regular’ job after graduating in Fine Art and Photography but felt like I really wanted to write about fashion so began pursuing that side of things. Interned at Wallpaper* and Metro newspaper, freelanced at Metro after. Then one day I saw an ad for a new English speaking newspaper starting in Dubai. I had no prior inclination to move abroad plus I had a longterm boyfriend at the time. Despite that I applied for the job.
The interviewing process went great but when I didn’t hear back I contacted the newspaper asking for feedback. They told me they had been really busy and were deciding between me and another journalist. I wrote back, ‘do yourself a favour, give me the job and then you’ll have more time for other stuff.’ They called me immediately, called me a ‘cheeky cow’ and gave me the job.
I lived in Dubai for 2 years and went from being a staff writer to desk head which then saw me travelling for the international fashion weeks. When I came back I took a job as editor of a hair industry title and that further cemented my role in hair and beauty.
A couple of years later I revisited my love of photography and began taking portrait jobs. Between this and my writing work I began hearing lots of suggestions that I should have a podcast, to continue the conversations I would have on paper, for a listening audience. BeautyMe had a soft launch in 2019 and since then it’s grown and grown.
So many people, whether it be friends, family or even colleagues misconstrue what a creative career is. It isn’t all creating and making. Tell me about the challenges you’ve faced when considering your mindset. How do you stay ‘inspired’?
Hmm I would say the challenging part comes when you need to learn how best you work, and that how you work is OKAY. I can beat myself up for being lazy and then get burnt out. I’m trying to learn to be nice to myself but also be realistic – it’s tough!
How do you ‘motivate’ yourself?
I either watch something mindless like Real Housewives, or watch something inspiring, like a documentary on Bill Cunningham (an OG street style photographer) or Andre Leon Talley. The prior reminds me that everything doesn’t have to be perfect, the latter reminds me that art is beauty and how much I love beauty.
How do you set work-related boundaries?
Have forms for client bookings so you know exact details and ideally client expectations. Use an online accounting app to send out invoices. Don’t answer emails after 2pm. Think before you say yes to another meeting.
What is your favourite thing about working for yourself? Are there any drawbacks?
I get to decide my own schedule. That’s my answer to both parts of that question.
I would LOVE to know a piece of advice that you would share with an individual looking to forge their own career in the creative industries…
Lean into who you are. Don’t watch what someone else is doing to ‘get an idea’ of how you could do that same thing. Be prepared to work and don’t waste valuable time telling people what you’re up to on your social media profiles just to appear busy. Get busy!
Have there been any resources or experiences you WISH you had used or experienced sooner in your journey that would benefit a new creative?
Just being more organised. As someone who has to be VAT registered etc I can often feel overwhelm when it comes to facts, stats, paperwork and it can make me quite frustrated.
Tell us about the BeautyMe podcast - where did the idea come from? How do you ideate fresh topics to discuss in the episodes?
As above. Ideation comes solely from my brain. I’m quite selfish – after all these years of writing for others, the podcast is completely my baby. I will happily say no to a ‘popular’ potential guest if I don’t feel inspired to have them on the show but gladly spend hours researching an unsung model from the 90s for a solo episode.
Okay. Your work is fascinating. Do you have any new projects coming up? We NEED to know…
I’m so excited as I’m currently building an at-home studio; this way I can podcast any time of the day and also start adding to my YouTube channel via shorts and keep creating tiktoks on my favourite moments in fashion and beauty.
Also, I hosted my first IRL event last year called HAIR TALKS alongside my friend Winnie Awa. We’re both really excited to share more events for the textured hair community in 2024!
Thanks for having me 🙌🏽