Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zhixuan Li. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Zhixuan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
I had a tough time with my parents in middle school. I have never been a thin girl in traditional Asian aesthetics, so some of my classmates used to make fun of me. I know when people are young, they don’t know what’s good and what’s not good, so they say whatever they want. So, I don’t think they are campus violence because I have friends who are also very friendly. I attribute this to my lack of confidence in myself and my lack of self-awareness. It’s hurting me a lot for that, maybe 3-4 years. What they said unintentionally made me feel hurt, and it also affected my grades. So, I couldn’t focus on my studies from middle school to high school, and my parents were also very anxious about it. However, first-time parents didn’t know how to guide me correctly, so they used the motivational method at that time but in a bad way. “You just didn’t work hard,” you overthought and ignored studying. “They felt that such stimuli could make me study harder, but they increased my lack of confidence and fear. Looking back on this period, whether for me or my parents, it isn’t easy.
But after I was in high school, everything seemed to have changed. I started joining the student union, having my shining points, exercising, accepting my genes, and gradually seeing everything I had now as the best gift from heaven and my parents. They will all play an important role when I need them. My parents are also growing with me. They are no longer trying to use stern words to stimulate me to grow like before, but respecting and accepting every decision I make, analyzing the pros and cons behind each choice with me. My confidence and life have gradually improved through this expected growth, which is why am what I am now. The luckiest thing about my growth is that my parents are open-minded. They will grow with me, and we can freely share our thoughts. We have also learned to get along better and communicate better. For me, they are not only parents but also friends; they are also my safe haven.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I studied art in high school, but my undergraduate university admitted me to the product design major. I always disliked product design and wanted to avoid forcing myself to study a major I wasn’t interested in. So, I applied to transfer to the film production major with the school. The road was difficult at first. My film academy classmates all passed film studies exams, but I knew nothing about this knowledge at the beginning. However, after several years of hard work, I still graduated with excellent grades and was an outstanding graduate in the province. My school and the New York Film Academy in the United States have a collaborative program for undergraduate and master’s programs, so I came to Los Angeles in 2021 for more in-depth learning. During my studies at the New York Film Academy, I have been considering my career direction after graduation. Editing has always been my main career consideration, but unexpectedly, my makeup has gained popularity among many classmates. Gradually, I began to appear on the set as a makeup artist frequently. I also decided to further my makeup skills, so I applied for a semester break and went to Cinema Makeup School to study. This has also laid the foundation for my current work. I work as a makeup artist in various film crews and commercial advertisements. My job is to make actors/models shine their greatest charm in front of the camera, matching actors and characters through makeup. Being able to use makeup to make actors feel more like they are the characters themselves is the happiest and most fulfilling thing for me in my work. My makeup pursues nature and realism, and I aim to improve the beauty and delicacy of their face by adjusting the brightness and details of their face, less is more has always been my principle.
In addition, my main job also includes special effects makeup and character makeup, such as monster/zombie/prosthetic production/prosthetic application/replica/injury makeup/elderly makeup/facial hair, etc.
I am fortunate that I chose to work as a makeup artist after studying all the film knowledge and shooting multiple short films myself. My background in film studies has given me a sufficient understanding of the workflow of the entire production team and the nature and scope of work in each position. I can also understand the differences between makeup displayed on camera and observed with the naked eye. This allows me to communicate better and adjust with various departments and directors and smooth the entire collaboration.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Always leave space for your work and don’t overestimate your abilities. The first time I helped the crew with special effect makeup that required prostheses, I spent too much time delaying the crew’s progress, which I still feel sorry for even tho it’s almost 2 years. At that time, three actors in the crew needed special effect makeup with prostheses, all on their faces and hands. However, I didn’t find an assistant to help because of my inexperience. I didn’t communicate with the director promptly, which meant I had to finish the makeup of three people by myself, and they almost needed three actors to be ready simultaneously. The expected starting time was delayed by three hours, although we finished it on time. The director also understood the shooting and adjusted the plan for the subsequent shooting, but it was still a very profound lesson for me.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I think all my childhood experiences were a way to develop my resilience. Still, after high school, it was probably my first year in Los Angeles because my program was a combination of undergraduate and graduate studies, so my final year of undergraduate studies was the same as my graduate MA program. I need one year to complete my undergraduate and graduate studies, but due to my choice to study makeup at Cinema Makeup School midway, I must attend the makeup school from 9 am to 5 pm daily. In addition, I also need to complete my undergraduate thesis defense and prepare and shoot my graduate works. Completing three academic tasks simultaneously is a great challenge for me. During that period, I felt like my brain had been divided into three sections, each responsible for different graduation tasks. In addition, due to the expiration of my rental contract, I needed to allocate some of my energy to completing the move and finding a house. This is the most challenging thing I have experienced since middle school. After I graduated, I also encountered many overlapping things intermittently, but because of this as a foundation, the later ones became less difficult
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Annie Claire