We recently had the chance to connect with Tomeka Kuhn and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tomeka, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity. By definition, integrity is having strong moral principles, uprightness, and bring whole and undivided. Therefore I believe integrity encompasses intelligence and energy which are the fruit of integrity.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Greetings! I am Tomeka Chanel, founder, creative director, CEO, and servant of Tomeka Chanel LLC. My business serves the community through makeup artistry and ministry. I affectionately call it “makeup ministry”.
I provide makeup application services and education to women who want to learn how to do their own makeup and makeup artists seeking to improve their skills. In ministry, I have a podcast and TikTok teaching series titled Makeup with The Word where I share principles of faith while doing makeup.
Recently, I became a published author and my book is titled Makeup with The Word: Turning the Wounds of Rejection into Restoration Through God’s Truth. The book teaches readers how to overcome the rejection and the lies that have become truth by applying the actual truth of who and what God says we are.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Rejection and mother wounds taught me that I wasn’t good enough. I believe no one wanted me, cared for me, loved me, or saw me. For years I felt invisible and this led to a myriad of bad decisions in an effort to be seen.
The journey of healing, undoing, and becoming was long and hard but worth the work. Who I was before I was convinced of what I actually was not, has been restored because of Christ.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
What makes my story and brand unique is the fact that I used to use makeup to hide shame, guilt, regret, and pain. Makeup was a shield that I used to shield myself from rejection but also to hide the parts of me I believed were not “good”.
I was ashamed of myself and even after beginning the healing process and healing, I became ashamed of my story. It wasn’t until I began writing Makeup with The Word that my eyes were opened and I saw the beauty of grace. That’s when I realized I must share my story. Pain is not the end, it is often a catalyst of a new beginning.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
We live in a time where the goal for creators is virality. I used to believe that I had to conform to what others in the beauty space are doing in order to be accepted, liked, and go viral.
The truth is being my true authentic self makes me a magnet to people and opportunities ordained for me. Pleasing others is draining and shows that I don’t value my mental health. Going viral is sensational and sensation is temporary.
My goal is to do the things that please and glorify my Father who is in heaven, be real and transparent with my audience, and have fun. If I go viral in the process of doing that, great. If not, God is still pleased and those I’m called to help are receiving the help they need.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I like this question because one of the gifts of rejection is resilience. Rejected people often give and do their best without ever receiving recognition or rarely receiving recognition. The difference between doing your best rejected and not is the motivation. People dealing with rejection are motivated to please and be accepted thus giving and doing their best out of a need to be accepted. Then there are those who give their best because they are integral and believe it’s the right thing to do.
Because I’ve healed my motivations have healed also. And because I’m used to not being recognized, I can give my best because I choose to, because I believe it’s the right thing to do and I know that if another human being never praises me my Father is pleased. I’m addition to that, I can walk away knowing I did my best and that feeling is so satisfying.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tomekachanel.com
- Instagram: Tomeka Chanel Makeup Artistry
- Facebook: Tomeka Chanel
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@makeupwiththewordpodcast?si=3GWxSDx2y3q70zXc
Image Credits
The love project
