We were lucky to catch up with Leslie Simon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

My entire childhood I was characterized as “artsy”. Partially because I loved to create, partially because being a triplet meant fitting inside a neat, tidy box to differentiate one sister from the other. And though I didn’t mind, I began to wonder if I was anything else. It wasn’t until I graduated from Arizona State University as one of only ten Mouer Award recipients, awarded for academic excellence, in the school of art that I realized artists are more than the art they create. They can be poetic and witty and smart and sincere. And I was more than the label they’d stamped on the box they forced me into.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started dabbling in creative makeup while attending Mountain Ridge high school. MRHS was one of only a few Phoenix valley schools to boast a medical-centric STEM program and to ready the biomedical science students for real-world applications, the theater students would perform in a plane crash disaster simulation complete with trauma makeup. The first year I participated, I sported a few minor burns, the second year I was descalped, and by the third year I was a charred corpse that gave the volunteer firefighters nightmares. Though I began my makeup journey in trauma makeup I quickly grew to love bodypainting, character/stage makeup, makeup design, cosplay, and Avante Garde makeup application. I’ve since had the privilege to design and apply makeup for Arizona State University’s 2022 production of Head Over Heels and for a culinary client for the Sedona International Film Festival. Currently, I am working on a makeup series inspired by the Hunger Games and a separate makeup series inspired by my extensive vintage hat collection.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I’ll never forget sitting in my high school English class across from a scrawny, none-too-great band girl who- projecting her own insecurities- told me rather cruelly, “This isn’t the Renaissance, no one cares about artists like you anymore.” And she might have been right, and she might have been wrong, but I never forgot her words. They made me bitter and prideful, but most of all they made me sad. Art isn’t something that can be shut off when it no longer serves a purpose. It isn’t a hobby I can shelve with my forgotten childhood playthings. It’s a need and a passion and a lifeforce. If I could talk to that unhappy, high school band girl now, I would tell her that “What artists lack in societal opinion and monetary value they make up for in feeling.” And maybe, if that girl felt a little of what I feel now, looking at the characters I’ve brought to life with makeup, she’d feel sorry for assuming the Renaissance was dead and gone. For assuming that we don’t all have some of that Renaissance beauty inside of us. For assuming that art is something that can be buried and abandoned.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Be kind. Artists are fragile creatures. Words of encouragement are the difference between bolstering their confidence and shattering their self-esteem. Yes, rejection is part of art, but so is connection. And the most moving, lovely moments of my creative career thus far have sprung from a handful of compassionate words. We all have the ability to make someone’s day. Some day’s that someone will be you, and some day’s that someone will need you to be their support. Please be it. It means far more than you know.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sketching_perfection/?__coig_restricted=1
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-simon-497a50247
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sketchingperfection
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sketching_perfection

Image Credits
Leslie Simon