Expressing her Creative Side is Makeup and Bodypaint Artist Amy

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What brings you to Koh Phangan?
I have never been before but spent some time travelling round Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. I spent a lot of time in Chiang Mai and in June/August had a spark that made me want to create a big change.

I went back to South Africa, moved out, finished a relationship, sold all my things and decided to move my life to Thailand. There was something about Koh Phangan that attracted me even though I had never been. There’s a lot of diversity, you can find anything you need, engage in the party scene, spirituality and health.

I’m also at the moment finishing an English teaching course which I want to do as a stable job and it was a way for me to make my way over to Thailand. So now I see myself being here for a while as it is so beautiful.

How did you get into being a makeup artist?
I never intended to be a makeup artist when I was younger but I always wanted to be an artist as a kid. My life went through a bunch of changes and I experimented with what I wanted to do in life. I wanted to be a tennis player so trained a lot, stopped school and did home schooling so I could play tennis more. I lived in America for a year on a tennis scholarship then came back to South Africa and enrolled in a fashion course. At that time I still didn’t wear make up and was a bit of a tomboy, I left after one year.

My sister had done a makeup course and she said I should try it as I love art and am creative so it was a way to express my creativity. It’s good for this even though people think that makeup is superficial. I did the course and loved it from first day, ever since then I have been working as a makeup artist, it's been seven years.

What kind of events or work have you done?
I started out in the film industry, local films in South Africa and from there I decided to work for MAC cosmetics who I stayed with for ten months.It was a good learning experience.

I got to hone in on my skills and build up a kit and get lots of experience. Then I went to the commercial industry to do advertising. I also do music videos, weddings and private functions, I’ve got involved in all the scenes. I didn’t want to focus on one thing as I tend to get bored.

There have been parts where it was for money like the commercial side but for example the fashion editorials gave me a chance to express my creative side so I got a good balance.

Where has the body painting come from, is it a natural extension?
I would say that, it’s also just a way for me to express myself.
A lot of the body painting work I've done hasn't been paid work but it's something I like to do for fun and to practice creative freedom.
I also paint and create art but it is fun to work on a person, on a live canvas, it's different from painting on a 2D surface and I enjoy experimenting with it.

Do you think your makeup skills help with bodypainting?
I think you first need to be an artist to excel in either. I've found that the best makeup artists all start out with a natural creative ability. It is something you can train in but if you want to take it to the next level, I think it helps to have that natural creativity to propel you forward and essentially my body painting skills have actually enhanced my makeup skills, rather than the other way around

What do you use for inspiration?
In terms of makeup I obviously need to know what fashion trends are around. I like to take inspiration from movies I’ve seen or if I’ve seen a piece of artwork. I can put these ideas into my work.

I use ideas that inspire me at the time. I will become obsessed with mermaids for example and decide to use certain colours and incorporate these then move on to the next idea.

It’s quite organic and happens with my surroundings, whatever I’m inspired by at the time.

What are you hoping to get involved with on Koh Phangan?
I would love to get involved with parties as there are a lot of opportunities to paint and meet people, everyone’s got ideas for what they want and I can bring diverse looks for them.
I want to get involved with anything, any creative projects happening really.

What are you enjoying about the island in your free time?
Coming from South Africa it’s nice to have the freedom to cycle around. I come from a big city, Johannesburg where it’s quite rough so I have enjoyed cycling and being around nature, having the opportunity to connect with travellers and like minded people. There’s a lot of creativity here, everyone wants to create something new and share new ideas. It's a great space to be in where people are all inspiring each other.

I'm a bit of a loner and enjoy time on my own so I've been spending a lot of time in my bungalow. Every now and then I venture out to the saunas but I also plan to get involved in more events in Sri Thanu. I enjoy yoga and the health related events happening on that side of the island.

What is your life philosophy?
Live simply so that others may simply live and do no harm.
Those are two things I like to live by, I think whatever you do, it should make you happy but have a positive impact on people around so that everyone else can live their best and happiest lives.