Meet Gaia of Gaiapatra

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gaia.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gaia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I first moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2012 not truly having a solid idea what I wanted to do. It was a move that I had saved for over a year and when I arrived, I quickly tried to find outlets for all of my creative passions. Within a few months of living in LA, I started gogo dancing, experimenting with makeup, and performing grinder shows at various venues locally and in Las Vegas. The group I was working with at the time was called: Swoon Entertainment and it was within that group that I learned to tie many of my creative talents together. I quickly went from being shy to meet new people, to performing on stages and doing photo shoots regularly.

From 2013 on to 2015, I started focusing more seriously on makeup and started getting booked to do makeup looks and styling for various projects ranging from photo shoots to music videos. I was still gogo dancing and modeling as well but really started challenging myself to become a better makeup artist. Early into 2015, I moved out of California and relocated to my hometown in Georgia. Even though I had technically moved out of California, I couldn’t seem to stay away and found myself visiting and still booking work there.

In 2016, I traveled so much between Atlanta and Los Angeles for various projects for makeup that I no longer felt like I solidly lived anywhere in particular. It started to quickly feel like I lived in LA again because of how often I visited. That was the year that I started to look at my work and the projects I was apart of confidently. It had taken me a while to look at my work, whether it was the makeup jobs or my own photo shoots, and feel like I was finally at a level worthy of appreciation. I’ve always held myself to such a high standard that it’s been difficult for me to not pick apart everything I do, thinking it could have been better. Finally being proud of myself was a massive step for me.

Going into 2017, my whole life was traveling for creative work. By this point, I was almost exclusively working with a band called Motionless In White doing makeup and styling. I was still doing my own photo shoots, and taking makeup clients when I had openings in my schedule, but almost the entire year consisted of working with them on tours, photo shoots, and music videos. By the fall time, I was full time on tour with them doing makeup and back to performing on stage again. It was amazing to be living such a unique lifestyle that granted me the ability to combine all of my creative skills together again.

I continued touring with them through the beginning part of 2018 which brings me to where I’m at now. I’m still traveling back and forth between LA and Atlanta for both business and personal projects. I’m currently accepting any kind of creative work that falls into the categories of makeup/styling, modeling, and performing with the end goal to be staying in LA for longer periods of time. I can never seem to stay away from Los Angeles and the creative energy it gives me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I have definitely endured my share of obstacles while trying to stay on a creative path. I think any artist questions themselves, doubt their abilities at times and faces a decent amount of scrutiny from the outside world. The art community is such an interesting place because it’s made up of people who are either happy to support you or people who will stop at nothing to tarnish your reputation. I believe this is the case because, in my opinion, something about you has to be a little “off” to become an artist in the first place. Artists are rarely ever “normal” people and a lot of times struggle with mental or emotional problems that they then fuel into their work. With a community of people like this, there’s always going to be competition and unfortunately questionable sincerity. I have dealt with my personal share of backlash and negativity from the creative world, and at times it made me question why I was doing anything I was pursuing. I think that is very much a normal part of existing in a world that is not on a 9 to 5 schedule though.

Traveling seemingly non-stop for the last couple of years has also made it difficult for me to feel grounded, or enjoy simple things. It’s definitely a trade-off for getting to do exciting things and see the world, but a big part of me craves being able to relax in a form of consistency. Or more specifically, to catch up on so much missed sleep, haha!

Gaiapatra – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I used to have “makeup artist/model” on my business cards as a title for what I do, but I recently changed it to just say “creative services” because I feel that that embodies everything I can do more accurately. I’m available to book as a makeup artist, model, performer, and photo retoucher. I am more passionate and skilled in creating dramatic or dark aesthetics for projects over more natural looks but can do both on a professional level. I think what would set me apart from other people for hire is that I’ve learned all of my skills in a very non-traditional way. So, the way that I approach projects and execute them is through a lot of communication, often a test look is provided to make sure everyone is satisfied and I offer to follow up services if needed.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success is when your work/passion is in demand enough to where you can live comfortably from what it brings you. It’s when a project you’ve invested yourself it becomes a lifestyle that can carry you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gaiapatra.com
• Email: contact@gaiapatra.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/gaiapatra
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/gaiapatra
• Other: https://gaiapatra.fwscart.com/

Image Credit:
Triplesix, Michelle Star, Anabel DFlux, Dragon Studios, Bryce Hall

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