I recently started thinking about makeup and its ability to transform people. It can make us feel more beautiful, more confident and more powerful. On the flip side, makeup can also make us feel more alien, monstrous or ethereal.

Theatrical and performance makeup artists stretch the limits of their imagination to create the perfect looks for actors and actresses – whether they’re playing a fairy princess, the leading man or werewolf lurking in the shadows.

Really, makeup artists have played an incredible important part in the movie, theater and television industries. It’s obvious when we think about iconic figures like the Joker and how makeup was used to help communicate something about his character.

Did you play makeup when you were little? Did getting into your mom’s blush go hand-in-hand with your frequent games of make believe? Consider becoming a makeup artist. I looked it up in the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Occupational Outlook Handbook and the occupation is expected to grow by 40% during the next decade.

That means more jobs for makeup artists who want to work for the theater, movie and broadcasting industries. Pretty exciting news for those creative types who enjoy bringing amazing looks to life with face paint, isn’t it?