Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Mac.
Ash, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Over the years, I’ve built a name for myself in many ways.
In the local beauty industry as a makeup artist. In the local spiritual/metaphysical communities as an intuitive empath, card reader, and spiritual healer, and just as a personal brand of body positivity and self-love, and inspiring to others to grow and heal spiritually while living a “phat” life.
Growing up, I never imagined that I would be doing the kind of work that I’m doing. When I was young, I wanted to be a lawyer or doctor, but life had a different direction and by the time I was in my mid-20s, I was working tech support for a national cell phone carrier.
Starting with my makeup career, makeup was something I did for just myself or my friends on Saturday nights. The artistry of it never really occur to me as a career option until it fell into my lap in 2012 when a friend needed assistance for a volunteer film festival.
At the time, I was several months into a severe bout of grief and depression after my grandmother, my closest relative and best friend, suddenly passed away. I was just trying to hold my world together while being a working single mom. When my friend asked for my help with their film, my mind wanted me to say no, but something deep down told me to say yes. So I agreed to do makeup for him and I packed all my makeup into ziplock baggies and threw them in a duffle bag and the next morning I showed up “on set”. Which was in the back of a local grocery store parking lot. I did the makeup out of the back of my car. I didn’t even get to stay to watch the movie magic in action because I still had to be at work that day.
As I focused on building my makeup career, being a single mom, and working a full-time job, I decided to do a social media marketing class in 2018 as a way to rebrand myself and grow on social media. I learned the power of being authentic and vulnerable, and I wanted to share not only my makeup work but also several passions and interests that I had usually kept to myself. Such as metaphysical topics like astrology, crystals, and tarot cards. I’ve always had a natural pull and talent for these topics. Often times said things that later came to fruition or just know things and did not know how I knew them. I wanted to find like-minded people that love these topics too.
I rebranded my private Facebook group to The Phat Life with Ash Mac, and I explained that my mission was to uplift and inspire others through authenticity, self-love, body positivity, spirituality, and more, and to live a life that is pretty hot and tempting. I encouraged others to come to join me and do the same. Shortly after doing so, I had one of the most unexplainable paranormal experiences in my life that sparked my intuition in a whole new way and, surprisingly, was the catalyst to a whole new journey in my life that has helped me grow within myself, allowed me to help others grow too, and has given The Phat Life a reason to be the amazing community that it is now, locally and internationally.
Currently, I am working towards hosting my first retreat with a close friend of mine to bring The Phat Life community closer together, and to allow guests a 2-night all-inclusive weekend getaway in the Great Smoky Mountains as a way to build confidence, trust your intuition and learn ways to manifest new opportunities into your life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Without obstacles, challenges, and failures there isn’t growth, nor is there a sense of gratitude for how far you’ve come when things are always easy. I can only speak on what I’ve been through, and there’s been a lot.
There have been many times where I’ve doubted myself, hit roadblocks, or wanted to quit. Where the weight of the world is sitting on my shoulders as I’ve persevered. I’ve had to be strong and resilient for those around me and set boundaries where needed. I’ve had to learn how to not take rejection so personally, to not compare my work to others, and to trust that I am knowledgeable and valuable in my community.
That can be so hard sometimes. Imposter syndrome can sink in, especially if I’m comparing my journey to others. I’ve also had to learn to heal my traumas so that I can help give guidance to others as they heal theirs. Which is incredibly hard. I’m thankful for my challenges because I’ve been able to learn lessons from them.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a makeup artist, I’ve networked and worked my way through other film projects, photoshoots, fashion weeks, haunted houses, and more. I’m self-taught and specialize in a little bit of everything from glam to gore.
Working mostly with boudior clients and horror/special effects. My work has been featured in publications such as Freque Magazine, Retro Lovely, and I’ve had multiple guest spots on our local channels such as WATE Channel 6’s Living East Tennessee and Fox 43’s morning show, and I have also been nominated as one of the best makeup artists in the area for the better part of the last decade.
As for the rest of my work, by me being authentic to myself, I’ve inspired others to do the same. By helping myself, I’ve been able to help others, and to help change their perspective and manifest thing in their life that they didn’t think were possible. As an intuitive empath, I’ve done hundreds of readings that have helped validate and inspire others to grow and heal from their past in a way that allows them to work towards being a better version of themselves.
I continue to be recognized as someone that can help you see your beauty on the outside through my makeup artistry but can also help you learn to see your inner beauty as well through my spiritual work. Beyond those accomplishments, I’m proud to be the first, and currently only, Miss Alternative Knoxville (2019), which was a beauty pageant created specifically to show your inner beauty beyond societal standards and physical attributes.
I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and I’m so grateful to those that have been by my side along the way.
What does success mean to you?
I define success by how much I’ve helped others.
Money is a necessary need to thrive in today’s society, and don’t get me wrong, I like money, but being able to see others grow and them sharing with me how far they’ve come because my work inspired them is what makes me feel the most successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heyashmac.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/heyashmac
- Facebook: facebook.com/heyashmac
- Other: tiktok.com/heyashmac
Image Credits
Mallory Bertrand Photography and Megan Clute Photography
