Freelance Makeup Artist and Background Actor
I have been working as a freelance makeup artist for events and private clients professionally from 2019 until early 2020 and independent contractor for background acting from August 2018 until early 2020. COVID-19 has greatly impacted my ability to work. Since makeup artistry requires close contact with clients and production shutdowns were in effect since March 2020, I have not been able to work for months. I received the minimum of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance which means I am only getting only $159 after takes per week. Due to the $600 additional assistance ending last month it has made things even more difficult. The house I live in is in foreclosure and I haven’t been able to even get a job at a retail beauty store/counter due to company layoffs/furloughs. I had to write my makeup business off as a loss for last year due to spending more on business expenses than making a profit, so the hardships that came with that just further increased this year when the pandemic caused nationwide shutdowns and social distance guidelines. Since I care about my clients’ health/safety for makeup services, and since my mother and I share a bed (we live together in a very small house with my sister and another relative), she has certain health conditions that can cause her to suffer more if she were to catch COVID, I have not worked in makeup at all since March. I have exhausted my savings and am fearful of not knowing how long we have until we have to find a new place to live. I have bills/expenses (2 phone lines-personal business and secondary business, rent needed for a new place, we had to get a mini oven because our regular oven broke down, gas/light/water bills,) piling up as each month goes by.