We recently connected with Angel Davila and have shared our conversation below.

Angel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I think all creatives will understand what I mean when I say that choosing to pursue my passion as a career choice had to be one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. Living in America and attending public school, you’re filled with the idea that the “right way” to enter adulthood is to go to college after you graduate high school. Now I won’t lie and say I never wanted to take that route and considered possible career choices that would require me to go to college. I actually thought I wanted to be a scientist at some point, which is comical because science is not my strongest subject. Throughout all my years of schooling, I bounced around different career choices in my head, but none really sounded appealing enough for me to commit to them. I actually always dreamed of being in the Hollywood scene since I was a child, I admired a lot of celebrities and thought their lifestyles were so cool. I just didn’t know exactly where I would fit in at the time. Would I be a singer? Or an actress? What about a drummer? I could go to the olympics as a gymnast if I give it my all, but still none of these stuck. I actually involved myself in the visual arts a lot as a child. I was the kid who filled their school notebooks with random doodles more than notes. When I got to high school, that’s when I really started to think about how I wanted to identify and what path I wanted to take once I became an adult. Since I grew up in the generation that was introduced to social media, I was exposed to a lot of new creative paths and careers I may have not considered without it. I started to notice a pull towards makeup content creators on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. So I picked it up as a hobby. I always played with makeup as most girls going through puberty do, but I never thought of using it as a form of creative expression rather than something to “make me more beautiful”. I especially fell in love with watching SFX makeup. GlamandGore was a famous SFX makeup artist on YouTube in the 2010s that I truly believe inspired me to take on makeup as a hobby. So once I got older, I poured my all into it. I would do cool, creative makeup looks at home for fun. I decided to make a separate instagram page just for my makeup to share with my family and friends when I was 15. I also started asking my family for makeup on Christmas and my birthday so I had more makeup to play with. The more I shared my work, the more people started to realize how talented and passionate I was for makeup. I eventually started to have people ask me to perform makeup services on them within the same year, which I was actually hesitant to at first but I’m glad I did anyway. Fast forward to my senior year of high school in 2020, the deadline for the decision I needed to make for my career path was getting closer and closer. Still unsure of what I wanted to do, I decided to just look for the highest paying jobs in mathematics since it was my favorite subject. I applied to many colleges to major in actuarial science and even got accepted to many since I took school seriously and had both a phenomenal record and grades. As good and stable as this sounded, I still wasn’t 100% satisfied and happy with my decision. I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I had so much more fun doing makeup on myself and others. Not to mention, it actually was a pretty decent source of income. I also started to see more and more people creating careers that paid excellently doing makeup for fun on social media, as it was growing at such a rapid pace (especially during the pandemic). While I still had time to make a final decision, I decided to look into potential careers in the beauty industry. Cosmetology, esthetics, and plastic surgery were the few I came across, but esthetics stood out to me the most. It seemed to fit in best with my already existing makeup career, so I started to research esthetician programs in my area. It actually was way more affordable than college (which was one of my biggest concerns for school), and they offered a lot of cool skills in the curriculum that sparked my interest. Depending on which career path you took, a high paying income was also likely. That’s when I knew this is what I wanted to do. Not because it was going to guarantee me a high paying job right after school (which most times actually doesn’t happen after college), or because that’s what everyone else was doing, but because it genuinely made me happy. At first my parents were a little concerned about me doing this, because it’s not as typical and they were also taught to believe the security that going to college is supposed to bring. I still decided to take this path anyway because I felt it right in my heart. Fast-forward to now, it’s the best decision I could’ve made and I don’t regret it. Even in hard times, I will still always pick makeup artistry over any other job or career. When you go against the grain, it can be a little scary. Nonetheless, it’s always better to do it scared. Anyone who didn’t get it then, gets it now.

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?

To the new beautiful people being introduced to me: Hi! My name is Angel and I’m a creative makeup artist. I enjoy doing quite literally anything that involves makeup. I perform glam, and even sometimes creative/special effects makeup on clients. When I’m not doing them on others, I’m in my room experimenting with different products trying out the latest trends on myself. Most of my clients that see me have the expectation of me changing them to look different, but I actually teach them how to enhance their own features so they can embrace their own beauty and not try to abide to societal standards. I also try to reflect this on my social media platforms by showing my authentic self and avoiding face altering filters. I want to normalize acne, discoloration, texture, pores, and more. Because it IS normal. Filters and photoshop aren’t. My platform and services are a safe space for my clients and supporters. There is no room for hate and discrimination over here.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think the best way society can support artists and creatives is by respecting us. The act of respect goes a long way in this community. Respect the time, effort, and hard work creatives put into their craft. Whether it’s a product, a form of entertainment, or a service. Instead of trying to negotiate our prices, respect us enough to either pay us in full or find a different creative that fits your bracket. Instead of tearing down new-comers to the community, why don’t we instead uplift them and support them along their journey. We ALL started somewhere, and no one is perfect. Instead of having a negative comment on someone’s work if it isn’t harmful, why don’t we just instead move past it if it’s not our vibe? By uplifting and supporting each other, the creative ecosystem could thrive and grow so much more.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think representation is a big drive for me. Growing up as a child, I didn’t see as many people who looked like me in the creative community that were recognized. I think it’s important for everyone, not even just the younger generations, to see someone who represents and inspires them in these spaces. To me, the more the merrier. Are there a lot of makeup artists in the industry? Absolutely. I also think there’s space for every single one, myself included. I also think we all serve a different important purpose, big or small. I not only want to be a form of representation for others, but also for my younger self.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @angexbeauty
• Youtube: @angexbeauty
• Other: TikTok : @angexbeauty

Image Credits

Bridigital