We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Levy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

After a multitude of projects ranging from High Glamour Beat Downs (Claws) to Light Beauty with a touch of Triage (Secret Headquarters), I recently found myself on a roll doing straight Horror (Insidious: The Red Door, Five Night’s at Freddy’s, The Exorcist). It was here I truly understood Makeup as a source of Storytelling. I’d always considered myself a Storyteller when it came to the Arts, but these projects really opened my eyes to the expansive world of creativity in a way I’d never been exposed before. I had to offer up options for different Worlds, different Entities, and different ways to have imaginary creatures inflict harm, based on the Character Design of an Animatronic. I also had to fully utilize and embrace partnerships with Costumes, Props, and Special FX in order to make sure everything sold as authentically as possible.

All of these projects combined collectively ended my view of being “pigeonholed” into a genre- instead it made me further appreciate the intricacies of what Art truly brings to every show. I feel like I’m now seeing every potential project as a “Non Genre Prospective for Artistic Storytelling” instead of what realm they fall under.

It’s just a fortunate added bonus that I happen to absolutely LOVE making things pretty but also completely desecrating them as well :)

Ashley, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am currently a Makeup Artist for Film and Television, with my responsibilities ranging from Department Head to Day Player. Essentially, I facilitate the visual telling of a story.

I started out as a Fine Artist (my mediums were Watercolor and Sculpture), but soon found a more fulfilling way of telling a story through makeup, especially given my not-so-secret love of Horror. When I am hired on a project, I begin the task of taking the words from the script as well as the overall vision of the Director in order to sculpt an aesthetic that forwards narrative through the Director’s Eyes.

Throughout my career, I’ve been able to slowly build my skill set by working with other Incredible artists, as well as fully round out what I can bring to the table as a Makeup Artist. I found that not only do I need to be extremely well versed in actual Makeup, but also Makeup FX and most importantly, Skincare. As the industry has technologically shifted to sharper, clearer cameras, we can no longer depend on just “Makeup”- especially if the character is required by the Director/Showrunner to literally have zero makeup on (like I encountered with Jaime King in Netflix’s “Black Summer”). By having an intimate knowledge of skin and skincare, I was able to utilize new skin technology devices as well as skincare in order to not only deliver beautiful skin on talent, but also give them the confidence needed to appear makeup free, should it be warranted, I became so obsessed with the intricacies/results, I ended up partnering with a Cosmetic Chemist and recently developed my *own* Skin Cream (www.lyvskn.com), as I was tired of mixing numerous high end creams to get the result I desired. None of this would have come about had I not allowed myself to resist stagnancy in an otherwise formulaic Job Description, knowing that we must all evolve and adapt with the changes technological evolution brings.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Ultimately, at the end of the day spreading Art and Storytelling is my main prerogative. Having come of age before the Internet, submersing myself in Art, Books and Films really left me feeling fulfilled on my own terms. It still clings close to my heart. Every time I either create Art or facilitate a Storyteller, I feel as though I’m doing my part to encourage others to appreciate and pursue their own art, in their own way. Even if the medium is Film, there’s always at least *one* person who will take something away from the show that will inspire them artistically. I *live* for this.

In a world where we are slowly succumbing to visuals that require less and less attention span, it feels necessary to provide that balance of Art and Inspiration to the next and current generation of Storytellers.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Piggybacking on the previous statement about growing up in a time before the internet, I can’t help but wonder how much bigger and quicker, exponentially, I could have artistically grown had I been able to utilize all of the information available online. From Online Schools, Articles, Demos on Social Media, to access to Mentors, it’s incredible how much is at our fingertips that was once considered “on the job training’. Additionally, I feel that the vastness of information has led to more artists being accessible. If you see an Artist’s work that inspires you, they are literally an Instagram Message away. And you’d be surprised generous most are with their time and knowledge!

As far as utilizing currently technology, I’ve personally found that embracing new advances only enhances my craft. Take for instance ChatGPT: while many see it as an enemy, I’ve found it takes a lot of work off my plate. I recently typed in the prompt “explain how serums enhance Face Creams in a simplified fashion” as a way to quickly explain the skincare routine I was administering to Talent. Now, instead of researching and editing ways to communicate efficiently and quickly, technology is really helping truncate that time so that I may focus more on the Art and Design aspects of my craft.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.levymakeup.com
• Instagram: @smashleylevy
• Other: www.lyvskn.com