They say marriages are made in heaven. I think that’s true in my case too. Destiny has done it all for me and my husband. I still remember the first time I met him. I was in college then with a number of things on my mind to keep me distracted. I was pursuing a Bachelors in Mass Media and marriage wasn’t on the cards at least in the near future. I just wanted to make it big in the bad world of advertising.
Meeting my hubby happened by chance and I was pretty excited. After all, it was my first formal date ever! And even though I was meeting him for the first time I knew quite a lot about him (thanks to all the social media stalking I had indulged in).
I knew he was handsome and I knew he had his ways and his charm. I did too (wink). So I primped for up for the date and decided to just be myself. After all, it was going to be a question of a lifetime and I wouldn’t be able to pretend forever.
One fine afternoon, I met him at a coffee shop. I remember waiting for him and then being bowled over by him, so much so that I almost began to stammer. Maybe it was love at first sight, or just kismet but we were truly meant to be.
So even though things didn’t work out in the first meeting and communication issues led us our separate ways (I lived in Dubai at that time and went back to the UAE once I graduated), there was something magical that brought us together three years later.
My wedding was everything I had ever imagined – a fairy tale of sorts with my Prince Charming.
And while I got busy being a newly married bride, as soon as I settled into my new life I began to feel a void. I was smart, independent and intelligent and just because I was married I didn’t want to settle for a mundane life. I didn’t want to be just a homemaker.
After the initial boredom settle in, I decided I needed to do something to keep myself busy. I couldn’t join advertising again because if you know about the field you’ll know it is anything but easy; and having a life, family and husband along with a career in advertising would cost me way too much. That’s when my mom advised me to venture into the field of make up and fulfill my childhood dream of being an artist of sorts. Before this I had never thought of it as anything but a hobby.
Things started to fall into place and this seemed to be the right thing to do. The most important thing about taking up this profession was also the fact that I didn’t have to give up my responsibilities as a daughter-in-law to keep my career alive.
But nothing comes easy. Advertising was something I had a formal education in but make up was a passion that I had to now turn into a profession. There was a whole lot of learning involved and then the cut-throat competition…. gosh!
Making a career shift isn’t easy but I had faith in myself and decided to follow my dreams.
I began to attend classes (Emerald by Mariam Zaveri at Bandra) to learn the tricks of the trade and be at the top of my game. Managing the house, fulfilling social responsibilities and attending make up school weren’t all that easy. But I did it all happily. I began with taking up assignments for close friends and family members. In fact, my very first experience was that of dressing up a mother (my cousin’s wife) for her little girl’s first birthday party.
I was a bundle of nerves, hoping all would go well as this was the first time I was ever doing this as a profession. Now that I am pregnant, I realise how much she wanted to look good at her baby’s birthday but back then all I could think about was my work. Luckily everything went as imagined and this mommy was overjoyed with my work. That’s when I gained the confidence to call myself, make up artist Sarrah Mukadam.
But all work has challenges and my second assignment of dressing up a bride was exactly that. My client Fatema Mustafa wanted a certain look for her sangeet ceremony, which I thought wouldn’t look appropriate. She didn’t take my advice and insisted on the look. As they say, customer is king. I had to go with what she wanted. Turns out she did look exceptionally good and I was the one thanking her for sticking to what she had in mind. A new lesson learnt. Every day is a new experience and every client teaches me something new.
Many enriching experiences later, I can actually boast about the fact that I love what I do. The trials, the make up, the long hours and the learnings, all included.
In my second year of marriage and on the verge of popping out my little one (I am 8 months pregnant), I can say my first year into matrimony has proved to be anything but boring. It’s been a roller coaster ride full of adjustments, arguments, settlements, learnings and truck loads of fun… far from the mundane!
I am blessed to have an understanding husband who not only supports me but motivates me and brings out the best in me. As an after thought, I do think my mom deserves due credit for sparking that passion for make up in me after all these years!
Many women tend to give up their dreams for family, but here I am pursuing my dreams because of mine.
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