How to overcome depressive state of mind

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1. Background

This article is based on interviews with 78 successful Permanent Makeup (PMU) artists who ascended to top-earner status in their respective regions within 18 to 24 months after their training. These artists represent a rare subset, comprising just about 3.5% of all students who enter the field and begin learning Powder Brows or microblading techniques. Additionally, we interviewed over 140 artists who either reduced the number of procedures they were performing or exited the industry altogether. As we'll explore, the challenges faced by both groups were strikingly similar. Focus and Goal of the Article

This article will concentrate on actionable advice that top-performing artists have used to climb "out of the hole." The early stages of a brow business career are often fraught with setbacks and challenges, especially during the first year. This could be considered an inherent aspect of entering the brow industry. It's worth noting that over 81% of students who began learning Powder Brows or microblading abandoned their career ambitions within the first 16 months post-training.

The challenges faced were not unique to those who quit; even successful artists had to navigate similar obstacles. What set them apart was their approach to these challenges. In this article, we will share practical recommendations derived from interviews with these successful artists, the so-called "winners" in the industry.

2. Anticipate hardships

Accept that business in hard and do your homework

At first glance, advising someone to anticipate hardships might appear pessimistic. However, in reality, it's quite the opposite. One common issue among artists who quit wasn't their lack of optimism; instead, they had overly optimistic expectations. These expectations often stemmed from intuition or hearsay rather than solid market research.

Optimism vs. Unrealistic Expectations

This issue frequently manifested itself in artists' assumptions about potential earnings. Many expected to make substantial profits in the first few months based on their acquired skills. While optimism and positive expectations can be beneficial, they can also lead to immense stress and even depression if they are based on flawed premises. For example, many who eventually quit had not thoroughly researched their region's market prices or job availability. Instead, their expectations were influenced by social media posts and hearsay. Often, they overestimated the rates that top artists were charging for procedures. In some instances, they assumed they would make an exorbitant amount of money, as one artist who quit said, "mad money." Do not set yourself up for the inevitable loss of motivation.

Neuroscience of this situation

When you set high, optimistic expectations for yourself, your brain's predictive reward system tends to release more dopamine. This neurotransmitter boosts your mood and amplifies feelings of excitement and motivation. However, when these lofty expectations aren't met, there may be a resultant dopamine "deficiency" in your neural pathways. Essentially, the anticipated dopamine release doesn't happen, creating an imbalance in this neurotransmitter's system. This deficiency can lead to feelings of disappointment, sadness, and, in more severe instances, even depression.

But it's not just about dopamine. Other biochemical players, such as cortisol - the stress hormone - are also at work. When you realize your expectations are unmet, cortisol levels can surge. This results in increased stress and anxiety and possibly triggering fight-or-flight responses. Prolonged elevation of cortisol levels can result in various adverse outcomes, such as sleep disturbances, heightened blood pressure, and a detrimental effect on mood.

3. The Issue of Limited Control

While humans are capable of remarkable achievements, it's essential to acknowledge that in a capitalistic market environment, a single artist doesn't have the leverage to alter the average market price in their area significantly. This factor is simply beyond their control. An artist can't compel customers to choose their services if similar quality is available at a more competitive price.

This lack of control intensifies emotional and biochemical reactions. When we have a sense of control, it allows us to take actionable steps. This in itself can trigger a dopamine release, serving as a form of reward. On the other hand, without control, feelings of helplessness can magnify stress responses, contributing to an extended period of emotional and biochemical imbalance.

Therefore, having unrealistic positive expectations can initiate a complex chain of biochemical and neural reactions. While these reactions are generally adaptive, they can be detrimental under certain conditions. If these events occur repeatedly, they may lead to long-lasting changes in mood, stress responses, and even personality traits.

The Remedy: Research

If you are in such a predicament, understanding that you should have been better prepared before starting your training might not be particularly helpful; it could further elevate your stress levels. Instead, you can eradicate any unrealistic future expectations founded on false information and recalibrate your outlook entirely.

It's never too late to acquire up-to-date and precise market information. Discover top artists' availability and pricing strategies, including the discounts they might offer customers. Based on this new data, you can formulate fresh and realistic plans for your business.

Having high expectations is always a good thing, but those should not reside in a conceptual universe that does not overlap with reality. Then, you set yourself up to failure and frustration just because you did not take the time to discover what is possible. Research and evaluation of competitors should be done all the time. Do not be afraid to do that because it may make you feel inferior. Many successful artists who said that they avoided checking out competitors' progress as that “increased their depressive states” became eager to do that when they changed their attitude. Namely. as one artist put it: “I started enjoying checking out what my competitors were up to systematically and regularly when I changed my attitude from being afraid what great things they have come up with to asking myself: ‘What ideas can I steal from them?’” We must agree that is a much better attitude, which works.

If you enter the market

Many top earners have been in similar situations. Instead of succumbing to despair or blaming themselves or their trainers, they adapted their mindset. One such winner framed it this way: "I realized that I'm the underdog entering the arena to compete for the same customers targeted by established artists. If I succeed, it's almost miraculous and definitely against the odds!" This perspective kept her motivated and proved to be far more effective than falling into a spiral of depression over unrealized financial expectations.

That attitude is healthy, and it does work. It does not mean by any chance that one should not have self-confidence - to the opposite! One can gain self-confidence by experiencing success by going after the same customers seasoned artists in her region do. This makes winning even more uplifting. One should not celebrate each customer acquisition as a life-changing event but acknowledge the double victory it consists of: not only did you win the customer, but also your seasoned competitor lost the chance to do the brows to the same client.

4. Focusing on Manageable Activities

We often advise that when revenue isn't flowing into your account, the focus should shift from income to the specific activities contributing to long-term success. While this advice holds merit, it can sometimes be too vague and require further clarification.

In fact, the level of emotional distress you're experiencing should directly inform the size and complexity of the task you tackle. It's a counterintuitive but crucial point. When you're feeling particularly low, attempting an overly ambitious activity can set you up for imminent failure. And in a cruel twist, failure in these circumstances can plunge you even deeper into despair.

So, the key is to start small, significantly when low morale. Opt for manageable activities that you can accomplish despite feeling down. Completing these tasks can provide a sense of achievement and the neural reward of dopamine release, which may elevate your mood and encourage you to tackle slightly more significant challenges next.

In simple terms, do not concentrate on the large goals that you have not achieved yet. If you wake every morning with the feeling that you are a failure because you have not made enough money with brow business to buy yourself a house, car, or your own salon, then you might end up doing nothing constructive because it is impossible that this level of success would fall from the sky on you in an instant. The strategy that many seasoned artists suggested was simple: do something! The

Choosing the correct tasks

For instance, if you're already behind on your content calendar and feel overwhelmed by the thought of creating an excellent, informative post, don't set yourself up for failure by trying to execute something you're not prepared for. In these circumstances, divert from your original content plan momentarily. Instead, consider spending just a few minutes asking for a set of humorous and ironic brow artist jokes from the Chat GPT, then post one to your social media channels. The point here is not the significance of the activity itself but the act of completing it. Sometimes, accomplishing even a small, relatively inconsequential task can pave the way for taking on more meaningful and challenging activities later on.

End the “Low week” rationalization - do something!

Get yourself out of the doom-scrolling and rationalization that “these are the low times for everyone” and “it is a low week.” Such thinking gets you to a situation where a “low week” becomes a “low month,” a “low year,” etc. Start doing something! Anything that you can at the moment. Clean your phone from apps that waste your time by deleting those. Get up and target the level of complexity that is the highest you can get done at the moment, accomplish it, and then do not relax but immediately jump to the next one. We have seen that the best antidote to feeling low for many artists is seeing some money in their bank accounts. Often, even a small booking fee from tens of reminder messages sent to clients who were on the fence or answering their questions can be an excellent way to gain momentum again.

Scientific Basis for the Power of "Micro-Activities"

The science behind this approach is rooted in your brain's biochemistry. Completing any task regardless of its size—even something as simple as posting a quote—triggers dopamine release. This neurotransmitter is associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. Essentially, your brain "flags" the experience as positive, incentivizing you to repeat it or tackle a slightly more complex task next.

This neurochemical reward system is why the setting and achieving of small goals can be so gratifying. Your brain is hardwired to appreciate task completion and will chemically "reward" you when you accomplish something, no matter how minor.

Disruption of the harmful cycle Importantly, this process helps disrupt the cycle of harmful brain chemistry often triggered by depressive thoughts or setting yourself up for failure. These conditions typically create a vicious loop of negative thinking and inaction. By completing small tasks and receiving that dopamine "boost," you're likelier to break free from this unproductive cycle, enabling you to engage in activities that significantly contribute to your overall well-being.

Therefore, there's absolutely no shame in making incremental progress. As you accumulate these minor victories, they can lead to achieving more significant, more challenging goals. This can be incredibly empowering, particularly for those who are battling feelings of depression.

Example from life - Getting up

One artist, who is a top earner now and had to continually pull herself "out of the hole" using these "baby steps," shared her experience: "Whenever I hit rock bottom, which happened more often than I'd like to admit, I'd pick the easiest possible task. It was often so trivial that I couldn't help but laugh at the complexities of becoming an artist. Yet, after completing even that simple task, like responding with a single sentence to an unhappy client, I felt a small surge of energy."

The takeaway is clear: fighting your biochemistry is a losing battle. It's far more effective to understand and harness it. When you align your actions with how your brain is wired to respond, you're more likely to experience the small wins that ultimately lead to significant victories. Never forget that human beings have incredible power to rationalize everything. You could probably find tens of reasonable-sounding excuses why wait and do nothing or why doing some small things would not be effective. Do not fall for that, and acknowledge your ability to manipulate and calm down your mind. Create the urgency needed to do something right now and try as many different small things as needed to get the dopamine of success.

5. Power of Routine: Steady Progress

One common thread among artists who've risen to the top of their game is their steadfast focus on maintaining a routine. While this aligns with previous points, it also brings a unique dimension to the discussion.

The Long View vs. Short-Term Fluctuations

Top artists share a common mindset: a long-term perspective centered on making minor, consistent improvements day by day. In contrast, those who tend to give up often opt for aggressive, short-term strategies, taking significant risks in a brief period. While bold moves have their time and place, they should not replace a steady, incremental growth methodology.

For instance, many artists who eventually left the field would engage in intense social media campaigns, quickly posting a flurry of content. Following this, they'd often withdraw from marketing activities altogether, failing to maintain the consistency needed for long-term success. This inconsistent approach is also observed in other essential aspects of building a Powder Brows business. Systematic Incremental

Growth and Time Management

What distinguishes successful artists is their ability to allocate time to tasks sustainably over an extended period realistically. Take, for example, the "unicorn hunting" task—seeking out artists in non-competing fields to form mutually beneficial partnerships. Successful artists didn't set themselves up for failure by aiming to "capture a unicorn" overnight through activities unlikely to yield immediate results. Instead, they broke the task into manageable portions, dedicating just 20 minutes daily to identify or message potential partners. This strategy helped them maintain their focus on long-term progress and instill a disciplined routine.

This incremental approach wasn't just limited to partnership outreach; it extended to other facets of their business as well, including brand development, financial analysis, continuous learning, and skills practice. One thriving artist summed it up succinctly: "I only undertook tasks related to building my brow business that were so small, I was absolutely certain I could complete them every day. All those minor tasks performed daily over the span of a year have shaped me into the artist I am today."

In simplest terms, the lesson to be learned here is straightforward. You will not change to a supreme millionaire artist overnight. Often, the growth boosts that you may undertake, where you try something very hard for a short time, do not produce results. It is the same as physical training - you need routine and discipline. Instead of an irregular, occasional extreme workout that leaves you half-dead, focus on the minimal activity level you can do daily no matter what. After that has been achieved, gain strength for increasing it but only to the degree where you can handle the new activity level with the same regularity.

Scientific Backing for Steady Progress

Thus, stability is the key to long-term success, not sporadic bursts of extreme effort. Engaging in small, attainable tasks day in and day out fosters a sense of routine and consistency, serving as a potent safeguard against potential burnout and emotional lows. Constant positive feedback from these daily achievements further reinforces the benefits.

There's strong scientific support for the power of incremental progress in habit formation. Repetitive actions fortify neural pathways in the brain, making it easier to continue those actions in the future. The basal ganglia, a part of the brain crucial for habit formation, plays a significant role in this mechanism.

Fixed daily tasks and gradual improvement

A shift from harmful distress to beneficial "eustress" is a moderate, manageable form of stress that enhances performance and motivation. Setting small, incremental challenges invites eustress into your life, promoting better focus and engagement. Conversely, taking on large, overwhelming tasks often results in distress, which can negatively impact performance and lead to burnout.

Although it may sound simplistic, set yourself up for daily tasks you accomplish no matter what, and then keep adding to that list. However, as many seasoned artists have stressed, never settle and never make compromises when it comes to core -activities you have to accomplish with the regularity you have decided, ideally daily. It does not take long to see the results - it is inevitable!

6. Conclusions

When navigating the complexities of the Powder Brows and microblading business, successful artists adopt distinct strategies compared to those who quit. Here are three key differentiators:

First, successful artists are pragmatically optimistic, not naively so. They ground their expectations in well-researched facts. If they find that their assumptions are based on inaccuracies, they recalibrate their plans. This approach helps them avoid the detrimental cortisol trap and the subsequent emotional burnout that often comes from self-blame. In this case, knowledge truly is power, shielding you from the pitfalls of unwarranted optimism.

The second distinguishing factor is their focus on actionable activities—especially ones they can realistically complete, given their current state of mind. Focusing on overly challenging tasks only sets the stage for failure, which can be demoralizing. However, completing even a simple task triggers dopamine release, paving the way for tackling more complex tasks thereafter.

Third, these artists incorporate routine into their daily activities. They break down their tasks into manageable portions and focus on achieving them consistently. This approach favors steady, incremental progress over erratic surges of intense effort followed by periods of exhaustion.

By incorporating these three principles—pragmatic optimism, focusing on achievable activities, and building a routine of manageable tasks - you better navigate the often challenging landscape of the Powder Brows and microblading business.

How to overcome depressive state of mind

"Experiencing setbacks or "falling into a hole" is a common challenge for budding brow artists - and there's no shame in it. What can be done: do the research to have realistic, healthy expectations; do not wait and rationalize - tackle the tasks you can manage and build a strict routine."

1. Background

2. Anticipate hardships