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

Ava, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

When I moved out to LA, I signed up to do some modeling for fun for the experience. I really enjoyed it but when people from my hometown saw it they started treating me differently and trying to be my friend. Growing up I wasn’t super popular and didn’t have a lot of friends and got picked on a fair amount so I thought the switch up on their parts was crazy because people started to assume I was a whole different person just because I did some cool things. At first I didn’t realize it had to do with me modeling but when I started messaging with these people it became apparent that they were only messaging me because they thought I could get them into modeling or just because they thought I was “cool” now to be friends with.

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 am a makeup artist, model, and content creator. I’ve always been drawn to more creative fields and been fairly good at it. I got into the makeup industry by applying to schools and that’s where I found most of my success through. Michael Vincent Academy in North Hollywood, California taught me a lot and provided me with a lot of different experiences and opportunities. I currently can do any kind of makeup but I really enjoy doing makeup for fashion shows or weddings. I have an instagram account for my makeup and that’s @avacatharinemua to book through or see my work. I’m really proud of the risks I took to go and get these experiences. I moved to LA at 17 all on my own to go to school and there was a lot of hard things and positives so above all I’m proud of my determination.

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

While living in LA I worked as close to full time as possible to be able to afford to stay. I was living paycheck to paycheck and most of the time couldn’t afford to even get groceries just had enough to cover my rent and gas. I was determined to finish school and be able to go to the events they invited me and classmates to go to so I started doing Shipt on the side so I could make extra money on the days I didn’t work. The struggle made me appreciate a lot of things I never even thought to growing up like going to dinner at a restaurant.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

With doing makeup the most reward part is seeing how happy people were in the end and seeing them feel beautiful. With making content the most rewarding part is feeling fulfilled whether it does good or bad.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/avacatharinemua/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avayassu/profilecard/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@avacatharine?si=LPxNCkBmaPnTnq0F
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@avacatharine?_t=8rQIjY8YoOc&_r=1