Better Lives Blog Post Two: Themes Reflection.
Social Responsibility, Diversity and Sustainability; these are the three themes of the better lives unit that we are aimed to focus on through the duration of our chosen projects and apply to our professional practice in the future. During the beginning weeks of the unit, we were able to look at the three main themes more up close and in detail and gave us the opportunity to have a better understanding of how these themes are important during the era of the fashion industry. I’ve found that I have already made different changes to the way I work both within my professional career as well as my normal day to day life, which has turned out to be quite a huge benefit considering the world we are currently living in. Such things include saving money on food, transport and what some consider as luxury items such as clothing and personal care products.
Through the themes of social responsibility, diversity and sustainability, we can use our influence as creatives in the industry to support these themes and encourage others to take on the same mind set to help improve the environment before it’s too late for us to turn back. Reflecting on the main themes, I have recently been thinking about how certain themes like diversity and sustainability can impact my work ethic as a fashion hair and makeup artist in the future. Taking a closer look at the theme of diversity, I believe that diversity in general has always been an important factor for me, having been raised to be accepting of everyone and everything. After starting the better lives unit, I have found that there are even more aspect of diversity that I have never considered before within my practice. The theme of Diversity has driven me to take my own initiative in my part of the industry to further make an impact of what products can become even more available to people who still aren’t being catered for in regards to hair and makeup, including creating cosmetics that are suitable for individuals like myself who have to take the leap of faith with their beauty products.
Looking at sustainability, there are more and more brands adopting the concept of sustainable fashion and what not to make the fashion industry become eco-friendlier. Through some of my years as a makeup artist both in professional practice and training, I have considered in different aspects of my practice to be more sustainable such as using biodegradable wipes or purchasing products that can be reused rather than just throwing them away. Better lives has given me a creative platform in which I cannot just use to improve my own sense of sustainability, but to also promote to others how sustainable practice within the industry can improve the way we create fashion in the future and do it without destroying the environment. If we want to improve our work and the impact it has on others, applying factors such as sustainability is good start.