We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ash Cook. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ash below.

Hi Ash, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I ever took was creating my business and being a full time creative. Going from doing makeup on the weekends and evenings with a full time “regular” job including benefits, to running your own business was hard. Many don’t see the hustle, the hundreds of emails sent, buying/cleaning/condensing your kit, hours of continued learning and so much more. They only see the product of all of that work. So I had a lot of people tell me I would fail. That I would never make it. That it was worthless. But I also had people in my life that told me to chase my dreams and happiness because it was worth it. That I was more than capable. That I had the talent and willingness to put in the hours to be successful. That this risk was worth everything. And it absolutely was worth every risk.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My makeup artist journey started 9 years ago. I have always loved art in all of its beautiful and unique forms. Drawing, painting, sketching. You name it and I wanted to try it. I saw beauty in the strange and unusual in this world. And I wanted to embrace it all. Then, my life would take a drastic turn. A major injury to my shoulder which affected all of the nerves and movement. Holding a pencil or a brush became excruciatingly painful. After months of physical therapy, I picked up a brush again. Only instead of joy, I only felt pain. Painting on a large scale was painful and I felt like my world lost all color that day. I was lost. Until I picked up a cheap face painting kit and started painting small things on my chest or thighs. Suddenly, my world was brighter than it had ever been. So I started experimenting more with bodypainting and makeup. And I started researching and discovered that it’s a job. People do this! So I got to work. I put in long hours of product research, classes, kit building, business development. You name it and I was working on it. I started doing makeup on friends and family and anyone I could. And I had a nack for it. My art was back and my passion burned brighter then ever. I wanted to do it all! Makeup, special effects, bodypainting, magazines, film. So I worked and worked until I built my business and created my branding. In 2020 Creative Countess was born. My passion is art and the people it represents. With this passion, it’s taken me to amazing places! I have been internationally published with amazing teams. I work in film with some of the most interesting people. I meet wonderful people for their wedding day and am a part of something magical for them. I get to be a part of advocating for everyone who has been told they aren’t good enough. I wanted to be a “one stop shop” and be able to do everything because my love truly is everything. So, I would like to say, “Hi! My name is Ash. I am a professional bodypainter, sfx and makeup artist.”

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing? Joy. Pure joy. The joy of creating something and having it published. The joy of a producer being absolutely enthralled with the creature you created for their film. The joy of a photographer with how little they have to edit the makeup. The joy of a bride with how absolutely surprised and happy they are with their makeup. The pure joy of creating something with my own hands and mind and the effect it has on people.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

To me, the biggest thing that people don’t understand, is the amount of hard work and time that goes into not only being a makeup artist, but any type of creative. People don’t see the long hours working to send hundreds of emails or cleaning your kit. Or the hours of research and prep work that goes into a singular appointment. It’s not just “putting makeup on someone” or “pointing a camera and pressing a button”. It takes hard work, knowledge, skill, time and effort. This is our job and our life. We absolutely love it! But it is disheartening when someone says “why is it so expensive when you’re just putting makeup on?”. Would you ask the same to the grocery store? “Why is this so expensive? It’s just an apple.” I implore you, next time you book a service with anyone, please take a moment to think about everything that person is putting into your appointment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.creativecountess.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/creativecountess
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/creativecountess

Image Credits
Charmed Photography Company, Lady Daze Creative, Tasha Petersen Photography, Roman G. Photography, D. Jordain Photography