Meet Blair Mielke | Wedding Hair and Makeup Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Blair Mielke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Blair, how does your business help the community?
Having an impact on people really is just the heart of my business. I am in the world of beauty. People tend to think of it as unimportant and superficial, but I really feel that that is so far from the truth. Whether we want to admit it or not, the way that we look totally impacts the way that we feel and ultimately how we show up in our daily lives – for ourselves, for our loved ones, and the world around us in general.

It is also one of the only industries that dissipate your “personal bubble” so to speak. As a hair and makeup artist, I am touching you, standing very close to you, transferring energy with you…the whole concept of having personal space in this instance is out the window. There are not a lot of other spaces where you allow this kind of intimacy, perhaps outside of a medical setting. I take this very seriously. People start opening up to me, sharing things with me, allowing themselves to be vulnerable.

I really wanted to hone in on this aspect as I was thinking about and creating my business.

I noticed that in the world of hair and makeup, especially in the wedding industry, there was really one depiction of beauty. It was a blonde caucasian female with makeup and hair done in a very specific way. If this is how you feel your best, that’s amazing! But what about all of the people who don’t see themselves in those depictions of beauty? I hadn’t really found a space where people of all skin tones, hair textures, gender identities, etc. were represented or included. I really wanted to make it a mission of mine to be inclusive to anyone who wanted to sit in my chair.

Another big piece of the beauty industry that no one was really talking about was our impact on the planet. There is a statistic I found that shares that over 800 pounds of waste are created in the beauty industry PER MINUTE in the U.S.. I honestly thought it was a typo it sounded so absurd to me. After looking into it more, it’s absolutely true. In my business I use a lot of single use items (out of necessity for sanitary reasons) and use a lot of products that could be seen as harmful to the environment.

It was super important to me to combat this in any way that I could. So I partnered with Green Circle Salons and now collect all of the waste that I would otherwise be contributing to the landfill, and sending it to Green Circle Salons to be recycled! Everything from empty hairspray cans to disposable beauty sponges is collected and sent to be given a new purpose rather than collecting in a landfill. I also make sure to use products that are cleaner and more friendly to the environment, like those from Davines.

I hope to have an impact on people and the environment in many ways, but these are a few that I highlight in my business!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think that the way we are raised, how we grow up, and just general life experience form a path for us to either take or force us to forge our own. I really wanted to be and show up differently than what I had been exposed to. It’s why I left my small town in California, it’s why I have left relationships in the past and why I do what i do now. I wanted to create a space that was more than providing hair and makeup. I wanted to create a space where anyone who came to me would feel seen, heard, and celebrated for exactly who they are. Not for how the world wanted to see them or how anyone else thought they should be showing up. Authenticity is such a cornerstone for me and my business, and I want people to feel that at every step in my process. It’s not easy to show up with vulnerability, but I think it’s so important!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am the kind of person that will never plan out a whole trip! I want to have some loose plans, and make room for spontaneity or giving space for whatever mood you find yourself in that day. Some absolute favorites in Denver that I recommend to anyone who visits (depending on the time of the year) are : coffe at Corvus, drinks at Death & Co., dinner at Super Mega Bien, Alma Fonda Fida, or Watercourse, seeing a show at Fiddler’s Green or Mission Ballroom, catch an AV’s game, take a day drive out to Lyons or Frisco, or head up to Boulder to eat at Cozobi, walk on Pearl Street, and stay at the St. Julien or Boulderado!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been lifted up by many people in the wedding and beauty industry! I would not be where I am at today without a community of people supporting me, but what really kicked off my journey in the beauty industry in general was a program called Thrivers Society founded by Brit Seva. It gave me the courage and knowledge that I needed to strike out on my own and really create something worth while. I started her program back in 2020 and truly don’t know that I will ever leave it, it’s had that much of an impact on my life and business. I have continued to take on more education and find mentorship in very intentional ways and have been fortunate enough to find Sam Jacobson of Ideaction Consulting through the Denver chapter of WIPA. I heard him speak on stage at one of the WIPA events and was instantly hooked. I have since joined his yearly mastermind and to say that it has made a positive impact on my mindset and business would be a grave understatement. I am one hundred percent confident that it will catapult me to the next level of business.

Website: https://www.aeternumartistry.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aeternumartistry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aeternumartistry

Image Credits
Mckenzie Bigliazzi Photography, Twelve Eleven Photo and Film, Nari Ro Photography, West Wedding Co