How the Better Lives themes might change how I work in the future
We are now a few weeks into our Better Lives unit and have been working in our selected groups learning new skills outside of our chosen creative pathways. I am working in, ‘Make Up Breakdown’. This means that I am learning the skills of a make-up artist in the few weeks that we have been given.
So far it has been thought provoking and I am finding new ways of being creative using the structure of the, ‘Fashion Mistake’ and also, ‘Imperfection’ with the Better Lives themes of Social Responsibility, Diversity and Sustainability always influencing my ideas.
I’m accustomed to being in a work room filled with sewing machines, so to be amongst countless mirrors and bright lights in the first week was a little daunting. Everyone soon relaxed once we started discussing the MAC professional make-up and cleansers laid out on the benches. From the start we have been taught to be inclusive of all skin types which makes me think of the diversity theme. I will not just focus on my own type of skin but make sure I learn and remember what products to use for various types of skin. This involves how to determine if someone has a warm, cool or neutral skin tone. Although I am only learning make-up skills briefly they will still benefit me in my future career. My chosen pathway is designing costume for performance but I feel that learning make-up skills ties in with that. If ever I get asked to do make-up backstage then I will feel well equipped. I also feel that the Better Lives lectures have given me knowledge and social responsibility to develop my creative thinking and be inclusive. We live in a multi-cultural society now and it is essential that the skills we learn cover all aspects. It’s important that no-one feels excluded when learning a practice. It is a small step learning something as basic as the different type of foundation shades available for various skin types but I know it’s a major step. The reason I know this? My best friend was only able to buy a foundation to match her skin shade just a couple of years ago. She moved from London to Norfolk and every time she wanted a new foundation I had to send it to her from London. They sold nothing local to her as they didn’t have the customer base. It was outrageous to me that in this age, something as simple as this has been overlooked by major cosmetic companies that supply supposedly to all.
With this in mind, I will endeavour to be inclusive in my practice. I will continue to learn all the skills required to give me the knowledge for a successful practitioner. We are going to continue to work on our own ideas of the ‘Fashion Mistake’ and ‘Imperfections’. I intend to keep the Better Lives themes in mind not just for this assignment but for a productive career.