Red Quentin Gardner

For the project of ‘Better Lives’, I chose the ‘Make-Up Breakdown’ class. While I have no interest in going into make-up in the future, I thought it would be interesting to step out of my comfort zone and learn more about the work that my future colleagues in the industry will be doing. From contouring to colour theory, I did learn a lot in these lessons that I didn’t know previously; and, upon exploring the ‘Better Lives’ themes with the make-up designs we created, I now realise just how powerful and expressive make-up can be. 

The lectures and the actual class I had regarding the ‘Better Lives’ unit had different themes. ‘Diversity’, ‘Power’ and ‘Empathy’ were the lecture themes, whereas the make-up breakdown themes were ‘Imperfections’ and ‘Fashion Mistake’. Instead of going strictly for one or the other, I mixed ‘Imperfections’, ‘Fashion Mistake’ and ‘Power’ together, deciding to portray the imperfect world that we live in through my make-up design. Despite ‘fashion’ being about beauty, it shows that fashion can be very ugly and that the industry causes a lot of pollution.

For this unit I wanted to try and push my boundaries by not only going out of my comfort zone, but to try and think outside of the box. Despite the unit being interrupted by the global pandemic, it has still managed to plant a seed in my brain that will help me with future designs and projects. That ‘seed’ gave me some food for thought, and in the future, I will certainly make a conscious effort to keep what we have learned in mind. No matter what I design now, I know that I will be thinking about the effects it could have on others. 

Not only do I know a lot more about the themes we discussed, but I also now know of the impacts that they have. Through the work I have discovered that we all have voices that we can use to make a change, and I’ve found that this is something that means a lot to me, as I always want to try and make a positive change through helping others. I’ve used my voice during this unit to express the themes closest to me through my work and will continue to do so for future projects. 

This shows me that, despite not immediately seeing it, I have made personal progress during the ‘Better Lives’ unit. Although I am not one hundred percent proud of what I have accomplished due to the ramifications of the pandemic and the toll it’s taken on my health, I know that I have done my absolute best, and at this moment in time, that is all I can do and continue to do. 

Featured Image: My final ‘Make-Up Breakdown’ design on ‘Imperfections’ and ‘Fashion Mistake’, inspired heavily by the pollution that the fashion industry causes.

In both the ‘Better Lives’ lectures and the classes I have taken for this unit, there were many different themes that we discussed. In regard to the lectures, the topics that stuck out to me were ‘Power’ and ‘Diversity’ – As for the classes I attended (make-up breakdown), I was fascinated with exploring ‘imperfections’ through my work. I strongly feel that these topics can all connect and will change not only my future work, but the future work for companies and independent designers going forward. 

‘Imperfections’, at least in my opinion, are very subjective. Society has created a standard of ‘beauty’, an image that is deemed desirable to many. This not only means that whoever doesn’t fit this ‘ideal image’ is seen as ‘flawed’, but that people in themselves grow self-conscious and judgemental toward those they see as ‘different’. This, of course, affects diversity. 

These themes could change future work; and, to an extent, they already are. Many people are realising that the social constructs of ‘beauty’ are just that – social constructs – and are working outside of the box to produce ‘unique’ items and images that break the normalised ideology of what is ‘beautiful’. Of course, there is a long way to go to reach a completely diverse industry, however, we are already seeing more people of various shapes, sizes and ethnicities in modern media. 

Having explored these themes in my work on this unit, I understand the importance of incorporating them into my designs and products. While I am not aiming to be a make-up artist or fashion designer in the future, I can ensure that I keep these themes in mind no matter what I wind up doing – Not just as a future employee in the industry – but also as a consumer, to help support all creators and groups of people as opposed to a small bracket. 

With a new wave of designers comes new fashion trends, art and a shift in societal norms. With these themes, future work will greatly be impacted in a positive manner, and hopefully, due to this, we will see bigger changes to accepting and lifting those marginalised groups. 

Photo attached: The make-up look I produced in regard to the ‘Imperfections’ work during our ‘Better Lives: Make-Up Breakdown’ class. It highlights imperfections using a medium that is supposed to enhance ‘beauty’; however, how do we measure what is ‘beautiful’ and what isn’t?

During the beginning of the ‘Better Lives’ project, I attended multiple lectures that spoke of a variety of different topics and how they challenge the fashion industry. Out of all of the lectures, it was the very first one that adhered to me more than all of the others – The lecture (run by Julia Crew) regarding ‘Power’. Both during and upon reflection on what we were taught, I think the information shared with us was – and is – extremely important to take on and consider; not just as future designers, but also as consumers. 

The aspect of this lecture that spoke to me was the section regarding ‘Power and You’. As one person, tackling the issues that you care deeply about can be extremely overbearing and discouraging – “Issues can make us feel overwhelmed and powerless”. During the very same lecture that this quote was from, we were also told that “You do have a voice, you have a say – you can do something”. Not only was this encouraging to hear, it was also a source of inspiration. 

This spoke to me for a number of reasons; The main reason being that, like the superheroes I very much adore, I’d like to change the world for the better in whatever way I can. Knowing now that power is ‘individual and collective’, and that ‘we all have to start somewhere’ is very encouraging and inspiring to future causes. Gucci’s ‘balaclava’ scandal, or Ivanka Trump’s company being boycotted due to unfair employee treatment are prime examples that there is power via consumers and our individual and/or collective voices. 

As future designers, I think it is extremely important for us to consider how our work will affect not only those around us, but the environment too. The lecture explained how individuals and companies in the industry are already taking steps to stand up and speak out against global issues; for example, in 2011 Greenpeace started a detox campaign calling out brands for using toxic chemicals that effect water pollution. This, in turn, secured brands committing to their cause. 

This solidifies the very fact that we can, if we speak out and use our voices, change the world for the better, and it is something that I will be increasingly mindful of as both a future designer and consumer. This blog not only made me reflect on the lecture but also the ways that I can, personally, make a difference; and in the future I will be increasingly mindful to try and do just that. 

Quotes used in this blog were spoken by Julia Crew during the lecture.

Information was sourced via the lecture powerpoint.

Blog posted by Red Gardner, 3D Effects for Performance and Fashion.