Growing up I already knew that the artistic blood flows inside me. I would join poster making contests back in grade school and took part in school plays during high school. That's why when I got accepted to an art school in college, I knew for sure that that's where my journey should and will begin.
During my freshman year, One of my tasks was to design foundation classes, which included painting and figure drawing. I've never tried painting in my whole life before and I had no idea how to draw at all. But over time, I started to love traditional art—especially painting. I'm really proud of the simple artworks that I made and thought to myself that this is the field that I will excel in. However, as I got better so did my batch mates. They would post photos of their artworks online and I would look at mine. I know it's not healthy to compare myself to others, but I couldn't stop myself—their works were so good that I started to doubt myself and my capabilities as an artist.
I told myself that I will never become as good as them, so I might as well just stop painting and pack my art materials back in a box.
When summer of 2016 came, I came across a makeup video on YouTube, where a beauty vlogger was talking about blending and highlighting techniques. I realized that makeup is pretty much like painting with your face as the canvas instead. That's when I decided to switch from paint brushes to makeup brushes and started doing makeup. My love for makeup helped me learmed more about myself and showcased my creativity at the same time. It gave me so much confidence, that I learned to be confident even when I'm not wearing any makeup. I eventually posted makeup tutorials of my own as well on YouTube and gained so much support from my friends.
Another year came and while I was scrolling through my timeline, I saw that most of my batch mates were already excelling in their passion and chasing their dreams. I found myself in my room with a dozen of questions running through my head.Â
"What about me?"Â
"What's my passion?"Â
"Is there anything that I'm actually even good at?"Â
I looked over to the right side of my room and there I saw my makeup box. It was already late at night, but the time didn't stop me from grabbing my makeup brushes, trying to create something different from what I usually do. I was thinking of a concept when I remembered how my friends from church were talking about the much-awaited beginning of the UAAP season and how excited they were to play for their respective schools. I realized that school spirit is a big deal in our country and that the UAAP season is proof of that. I looked up each university's school colors and mascots and started my "UAAP Makeup Looks" series.
After two long months, I finally finished my first makeup art concept. I was anxious at first because makeup hasn't really been viewed as a form of art in our country. But I realized that it's not about what other people think. We all have different opinions and just like how other artists express their art through painting, sculpting, dancing, photography, etcetera, I chose to express my art through makeup.
And just because my medium is different from theirs, doesn't mean that I'm wrong, but more importantly, it doesn't make me a lesser artist. One thing that I learned from art school is that art doesn't have boundaries. Art doesn't necessarily mean painting and drawing, art is basically anything and everything the artist wants it to be. So Candy Girls, when you find yourself thinking that you're not good enough or wondering if you're in the right path, don't be afraid to think outside the box and express yourself. And once you find what you're good at, continue to practice your craft even when you're in doubt.
Art led me to discover my love for makeup and I know that someday, art will also lead you to your undiscovered passions.
What are you passionate about? Share them in the comments below!
From The Candy Bulletin Community
