Katie Galliher
After graduating with honors and a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of South Carolina, Katie Galliher moved to New York City. There, with a strong art background and interest in beauty, she obtained her esthetics license and began her career in makeup - starting out on film and commercial sets. Since then, and with over a decade of experience, she has worked with such talent as Nicole Kidman, Jessica Biel, and Troye Sivan and fashion brands Prada and Miu Miu. Katie now calls Nashville, Tennessee her home.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
If you told 18-year-old me where I would be in my career today, I never in my wildest dreams would believe you. Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a makeup artist. I even remember, growing up, asking Santa for the iconic Kevin Aucoin book Making Faces. I was that young. And yes, Santa delivered. Once I graduated from college, I went for it — moved to NYC and got into makeup for film/TV. Then fast forward to now (over a decade later) as a celebrity makeup artist in Nashville
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
Honestly, being a makeup artist has always been my dream, though I think there was a moment everything clicked for me. I knew there was no other job option I’d truly be happy with — this was it. That was when I got my first internship on a film in NYC. The hours were long, erratic, and I wasn’t being paid… but I was obsessed. I was just so happy to be there and to be learning. Twelve-hour workdays and all. That’s when I knew I found my dream job.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
There has always been a spark inside me to pursue makeup. I never really gave up on it. I didn’t quite know where it would lead me, but I trusted God would open doors (or close doors that weren’t meant for me) and lead me in the direction I was supposed to go. I prayed, had faith, and things were easy. I figured out not to force things — the path that is meant for you will be easy. So have faith and trust that God has a plan for you. Every win and every failure was for a reason: to learn, to grow, and to make you the person you need to be so you can handle where you eventually want to be in life. So I practice gratitude every day for everything I’ve gone through (I would not change a thing) and all my blessings. I have faith and a peace, knowing God will lead me where I’m meant to go.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
I would say continued education in your desired career. I’m constantly reading about new makeup trends, products to try, and reviews. I think curiosity is an important part of success in life — not only in your career, but life in general, actually. There’s always more out there you can learn.
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
Please don’t let fear of failing hold you back from going for it. Failing is inevitable, and you will learn from it. It’s not the end of the world. When you fail once and survive, you’ll realize it’s actually not that bad — lesson learned. Then, keep going. Failures toughen you up and make the wins even that much better. Nobody expects you to be perfect all the time, so give yourself some grace.