LARGER THAN LIFE
I’m an accidental creative director. Before entering the professional world of the arts, I knew nothing about graphic design, color theory, apperture, makeup, styling or video editing. What I knew from my tertiary education was biology, chemistry, physics, calculus and discrete math. Back then, I thought it was a prerequisite to know how to sketch before you could be called an artist. So, I didn’t call myself an artist. Right after pre-med, I joined Portfolio Photography, a company that was famed for shooting some of the best advertising campaigns in the country. During the interview, I was promised exposure not just to photography, but also to makeup, styling, account management, and video directorial. I didn’t care about the money, the long hours, and the stress of dealing with divas and inflated egos. The thought of having access to all of those experts felt like getting a second or even a masters degree. In hindsight, I
really should have paid the company instead because this was esentially tuition fee for my next life stage. I was a paid assistant with no formal background in the arts. What I brought to the company and the industry then was a crystal clear point-of-view of what creatives in the 2000s to 2020s should be.
Yesterday, I was reminded of the very reason I turned my back on medicine. Thanks to Mr. Jed Root and my agency, Artists and Company Manila, I got to see Larger Than Life, the documentary on the life of the late great makeup artist, Kevyn Aucoin. I was a fan of his work growing up because he did most of the covers of Vogue in the 90s, and his clients included Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista, Whitney Houston, Cher, and Janet Jackson. I knew of his impressive body of work, but I didn’t know his background. Larger Than Life explained everything from the point-of-view of his family, friends, clients, and exes. An extremely tall kid from Louisiana where he was bullied for his sexual orientation, Aucoin would at an early age, sketch faces of famous people like Diana Ross and would later discover his burning passion for making women look beautiful. Aucoin also didn’t have any formal education in the arts. He asked for the phone number of a talented makeup artist he saw at a Louisiana Mall and called him the next day to ask for help. Aucoin would also show up at the lobby of Vogue with no appointment so that he could present his work to the editors. In the documentary, Aucoin was described as someone kind, endearing, and likeable. He is credited for setting trends like the extremely thin eyebrows of the 90s, and today’s makeup contouring for a slimlooking face. What I liked about the documentary was that it highlighted bravery as a theme. If you truly want something, you will speak even if your voice shakes, and you will do everything humanly possible to get what you want.
Today, after creating over 800 magazine covers, I still don’t know how to draw. What has changed is now I call myself a creative. I know so because I am able to create an image other minds don’t see. I am able to send a message without saying a single word. I am able to explain thoughts and feelings without apologizing for them.
To all creators, I’d like to borrow Kevyn Aucoin’s words in the hope that you can use it as a compass whenever you are lost. He says, “I don’t want to be what they want me to be. I didn’t see the big picture, but I knew I was doing the right thing…being myself regardless of the consequences.”