NYWIFT Blog

How I spent my Covid ‘way-cation’

By Jennifer Snowdon

It’s Fall and back-to-school. Students’ pencils are sharpened and crayons are at the ready to reflect and write about: “How I spent my summer vacation!”

In many ways, I feel that I’m just coming back after a long ‘way-cation.’ 

By ‘way-cation,’ I mean everything I’ve been away from during Covid! Away from everybody and everything during lockdown; missing any possibility of work as a makeup artist; tossing out so many ideas for the future that are impossible to recoup; stranded from all the wonderful family and friends gathering in person, and away from hugs!

I was inspired by this excerpt of Welcomehumans by Lindsey Uluwehimailani Morriss:

“With your first breath in the morning light,
what is it that you want to commit to
again and again? Can you say it out loud?
What matters to you
now more than ever?
Where does your energy
yearn to go now that the
world has stopped?
What is worthy of your time and heart, 
your prayers and thoughts
your blood and guts?
What will you choose to place your value on? 
With a once in a lifetime chance,
a moment out of time,
the movie’s been paused,
and you have the power
to decide what plays next.
Welcome to the re-evaluation of the century.” 

In the newness of this Fall season, I do not want to forget when everything stopped and the re-evaluation of all aspects in my life began.

I spent days in contemplation and meditation, praying for the quieting of my mind and the rush hour life of before. Then came the evaluation of what was still relevant, followed by days of purging files of creative plans and projects that no longer would have a place; serious plans of re-location that were not just put on the back burner, but in the shredder. I faced the regret of all that hadn’t been accomplished already and the important work that was often brushed aside for the busyness of the day-to-day. 

I was left holding one file, one idea that first came to me in 2007. It’s been rescued from the “regrets” pile and launched into action, something relevant and worthy and inclusive of all that I love. My comprehensive skills as a makeup artist combined with the intuitive understanding of what I have come to know as the essence of everyone, allows the uniqueness of each individual to be brought forth in appearance. My intention in carefully teaching custom makeup techniques is to let the inner light shine forth, both in person and on camera.

It is my pleasure to introduce:

MAKEITUPTRUE
Virtual Makeup Coaching Sessions 
for individuals and corporate groups.

I have many people to thank who helped and advised me through this entire process. I’ll be acknowledging them on my Social Media platforms for some time! 

Check out the website and amazing results on The Gallery:

www.makeituptrue.com 

If you have any questions about the Services offered, feel free to contact me directly. All contact info is on the website.

PUBLISHED BY

Jennifer Snowdon

Jennifer Snowdon Jennifer Snowdon, Makeup Artist for film and television, has 25 plus years experience in the industry. She worked on the first High Definition camera tests with David Niles, who was building the camera for Sony. That insight into the cameras to come created a different lens for her makeup work and it wasn’t fully realized until the cameras became the standard ten years later. Keeping pace with the wave of visual online marketing, communication, and now performance venues, she has just launched a new facet of her career. She loves teaching makeup applications for individuals and groups, whether for the marketplace or for landing that special role with a video audition. Virtual Makeup Coaching sessions at …MAKEITUPTRUE.com Currently, she is Makeup Department Head for WONDERAMA and working closely with David Osmond, Emmy Nominated Host. Premiere of Season 7- September 17. TV and @WONDERAMATV. In her love of the Indie Film world, several of her favorites are available on Amazon Prime now. One of the favorable outcomes brought about by the Pandemic was when virtual content became high demand, opening up viewers to so many incredible Indie filmmakers. Favorites to work on and watch: “Threebound” with Kate Forsatz, writer, director, producer, actor, and an NYWIFT member. A smart Rom-com watch. “No Pay, Nudity”, starring Gabriel Byrne, Nathan Lane, Francis Conroy, and many more Broadway stars; Directed by Lee Wilkof. A New York story for all creatives in the industry. Comedy and poignancy both. Makeup Dept. Head for the NY Unit of “EDEN”, a Foreign Film with Greta Gerwig and directed by Mia Hansen-Love.  In the Documentary World, Key Makeup Artist for PBS “American Masters - August Wilson - The Ground on Which I Stand” with greats such as James Earl Jones, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Frankie Faison, Kenny Leon. She felt honored to work with these legends and to hear the tales of the inspired life of August Wilson.  In Theater she loved creating real-life characters such as Dr. Martin Luther King in “The Man in Room 306”, Craig Alan Edwards, 59 E59 Theater, and Katherine Erbe as Pat Nixon in Checkers, Vineyard Theater. A member of NYWIFT for so many years of invaluable connections, networking, mentoring exchanges both for Jennifer and by her for others, with education from panels of women willing to share their expertise, that she loves offering her makeup skills to the yearly events, The Muse Awards and Designing Women. 

View all posts by Jennifer Snowdon

Comments are closed

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Madeleine Rotzler

Welcome to NYWIFT, Madeleine Rotzler! Madeleine Rotzler is an Emmy® Award-winning director and producer of documentaries and narrative feature films. Fiction films include the upcoming O Horizon and O.G., currently on HBO. Non-fiction films include HBO’s Emmy-nominated It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It, Emmy-winning Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus, and Oscar-shortlisted The Lottery. Her most recent film, O Horizon, was described as “bound to be one of the season's sweetest charmers.” The film premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2025 where it won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema. O.G., Madeleine’s narrative feature debut, and It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It were both filmed inside a maximum-security prison in Indiana in collaboration with men incarcerated there. Most of the cast of O.G. were incarcerated. It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It marked the first time incarcerated directors were nominated for an Emmy. In our interview, Madeleine discussed her award-winning films and her perspective on the impact of filmmaking.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Samantha Herrera

Welcome to NYWIFT, Samantha Herrera! Samantha Herrera is a queer Filipina artist born and raised in Queens, NY. Her roots began in theatre with training at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and LAMDA. Saint Vegas is the first narrative film she has directed, written, and produced. It will internationally premiere in the Philippines hosted by Cine Balikbayan. This November, she played one of the lead roles in Diwata, directed by Shea Formanes. Aside from filmmaking, Samantha works at her alma mater - The Neighborhood Playhouse - and runs a Filipino food pop-up business with her partner. In our interview, Samantha discussed the mentors who shaped her artistry, her inspirations, and her upcoming work.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Joyce Hills

Welcome to NYWIFT, Joyce Hills! Joyce Hills is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch, where she co-wrote and directed the culturally-rich epic Viking short film The Feather, featuring out-of-this-world SFX hair and makeup, practical stunts, and generative workflows on a virtual production volume. She was the First Assistant Director and VFX Supervisor on the Seed & Spark-awarded short film Night of Melancholia, interned in Virtual Production at Gum Studios in Brooklyn, and performed as Sugarsop, The Widow, and assorted household servants in Will Kempe’s Players’ The Taming of the Shrew. Joyce is developing her first feature film, a dark fantasy inspired by mystical quests, heroes’ journeys, and time and destiny in popular culture. She is also developing a science fiction feminist short, and is pursuing additional education in XR mediamaking and STEM. In our interview, she discussed her childhood inspirations, emerging technologies, and the future of storytelling.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Therese Cayaba-Jones

Welcome, Therese Cayaba-Jones, to NYWIFT.  Therese is a filmmaker with over 15 years of experience with films, documentaries, and series across the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S.  She just finished the feature screenplay for UnMarry, which was recently announced as one of the entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025.  Currently, Therese is producing the film Tales My Father Told, and raising money through NYWIFT fiscal sponsorship.  Read on to see Therese’s story of moving to New York, her role in the 48 Hour Film Project, and her take on the state of independent filmmaking in the Big Apple. 

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php