Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dez Begay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Dez thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I was in college when I first realized I wanted to pursue a creative career. Even though up until this point in my life I had been financially supported by my facepainting. I thought my facepainting was a hobby. It turned out to be a vital talent that helped future theatrical makeup designs. Not only have I used facepainting in my theatre career but I still facepaint for events and for fun on tik tok.

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’ve recently been working on teaching myself to juggle. I’m not great at it but I’m hoping to use my newfound skill someday. At the very least it will keep me busy as I continue to heal. A few weeks ago I broke my ankle, roller skating. I was trying to do a “fun” exercise to get fit for my upcoming wedding. Now after surgery and several long weeks of healing. I’m still required to stay off my ankle. Which means basically either in bed or in a chair. To pass the time I’ve downloaded duolingo to work on my French, Spanish, and Navajo. I’ve been using YouTube to try and learn American Sign Language. I’ve been working on various creative projects like drawing the six queens from Six the musical as Capybara. (You can see the final results on my tik tok.)Finishing my Us(Jordan Peele Movie) cross-stitch. Finishing 6 books and starting my 7th this morning. I’ve almost reached my goal of finishing the entire series of ER.
I’m feeling very accomplished and not at all accomplished. Which is how I feel about my career. I’m a theatrical makeup artist, dresser, and facepainter. When I write down my accomplishments I’m like wow I did that! As I live the experience itself though, it doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything noteworthy. It’s not until I sit down and like my list above begin to lay out my life that I begin to realize wow I have a really dope life. Sadly it hasn’t been the easiest road,like my broken ankle sometimes the journey has hurt a lot. Especially when they reset my bone. That hurt. Just like my bank account in college.
I got by financially in college thanks to facepainting. I had taken a year off after high school to have my son. In that year off I learned to facepaint and became part of the Holland street performer series during the summer. That fall I got into college. I was undecided and had prerequisites to complete. I had really enjoyed this one Theatre show I saw one summer when I was 11 and decided to take Theatre 101. Which lead me to having to do volunteer hours for the theatre. I completed those hours at the costume shop. Where, when I walked in I found a home.
I learned how to do a quick change, learned I could use my facepainting skills with makeup design, I learned a single mom can follow her dreams. Now I’m living it, except for the broken ankle part, that hurt.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My parents didn’t want to teach me Navajo. They were worried about the treatment I’d receive if I spoke in our native tongue. They couldn’t have predicted that in the future a green bird would try teaching it to me on an app. Occasionally I suspect even duo doesn’t know Navajo very well. In those moments I take note so I can ask my dad later. His first language is Navajo and his mom taught mine. Which now both are gone, two less people to teach me, to love me. It’s a common story in native families. The amount of grief we carry not only missing our language but missing our loved ones. Especially when duo says “Shimà hólǫ́” because although I have a mom she died from Covid.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Books Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the by Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bugger Life by Brian Gazer

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World and Become a Good Ancestor- Layla F. Saad

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dez_e_be_facesbyme?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dezsfacepainting?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Tik Tok: @dez_e_be

Image Credits
People picture company Grand Rapids, Mi -a cast member of once on this Island took the photo of Gabe and I with my phone