Today we’d like to introduce you to Gaia.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gaia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started experimenting in the world of alternative modeling when I was fifteen years old on onemodelplace.com. At a young age, I had an obsession with creating a visual representation of the storm of emotions trapped inside of me. Modeling at that point in my life was also a channel of building my self-esteem, something I struggled with a lot growing up. Anything that helped complete the visual side of artistic expression became an interest of mine, ranging from hair styling to makeup. Throughout high school, I used to not only change the color and style of my hair monthly, but I also started making money by coloring other peoples hair. I used to have people ride the bus home with me and pay me to color their hair all different unnatural colors. This was before major salons were carrying a full diverse color spectrum for unnatural hair colors.
I graduated early and started my master cosmetology program, followed by my esthetician program. I wholeheartedly tried to live a more “9 to 5” life using just those licenses by working in salons, spas, and laser centers. I was successful in my jobs, but I was so unsatisfied without having my true artistic abilities harnessed and put to work. At the peak of the most income I’ve ever made in my life, I was still crying on the drive home every night because all I wanted to do was make art at some capacity. I was still modeling, doing makeup on other artists, and various other small artistic projects, but nothing that felt like “enough”.
In 2012, I made the decision to move to Los Angeles and throw myself 100% into every outlet of art that I could. Upon moving there, I quickly began learning how to do angle grinding performances, makeup application on groups of performers and artists for shows and music videos, and kept modeling. I learned everything from personal costume creation to how to create a custom aesthetic for groups of themed characters using only what I already owned. I became hirable for photos shoots as a model, makeup artist, stylist, and performer.
In 2015, I moved back to Atlanta and continued those same types of projects here. When living in LA, I was apart of a performers group, but when I moved back I wanted to organize and manage one for a show. That was a goal of mine, and I made it happen the first spring I was back. We did a Mad Max themed performance with fetish elements, and angle grinding.
Over the next couple of years, my life consisted of constantly traveling and working with a band called Motionless In White on multiple tours as a performer and makeup artist. There was a considerable amount of time put into helping handcraft the props, costumes, and choreographed routines for the three tours I did with them. I also worked on the set of 5 of their music videos either as a makeup artist, actress, or performer.
The last year for me has been hard focusing on photo shoots to produce art prints that people can add to the aesthetic of their homes. I decided that I wanted to start creating art deliberately that has a story behind it, and that other people may benefit from seeing. I’ve worked with several designers and photographers whose intention and message matched mine, and because of that, the result has been powerful and successful. I’m currently still taking makeup jobs, photoshoots, and available for both branding/styling other artists, and being a performing artist for available projects.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been anything but smooth. But now looking back, I realize that that has been what shaped me the most. I’ve dealt with being underpaid, had my ideas or creations intentionally stolen, or not being credited properly. I’ve lost opportunities to people less experienced than me, and those instances were the ones that stung quite a bit. With each negative experience I’ve had though, it has helped me conduct myself better going forward in the future, and to be more selective about the types of situations I enter. All in all, it helped me craft better boundaries within a work environment and taught me when to speak up.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
This used to be such a difficult answer for me, even two years ago because I felt such a heavy pressure to subscribe to only doing one job as my focus. What I do is pretty much anything someone could need for crafting an artistic visual. This ranges from being the hired talent in the form of an actress, model, makeup artist, stylist, creative assistant, and what I like to call “image branding”.
Do you want to create a signature and dynamic look for yourself or your group but not know where to begin? Do you have an idea for a video but either need actors/actresses but don’t have the network to hire through? Do you have a clothing, jewelry, or wearable art brand that is looking to create a visual campaign and need someone to be the face of it? Are you looking to work with someone to craft an onstage performance that is visually striking? Basically, if you are looking to create a dramatic visual whether it be in photos, in videos, or on stage, you can hire me to help you achieve your goal.
What were you like growing up?
I was a very shy child that never felt like I fit in with the people around me. I have always been very sensitive to other peoples energy, and very empathetically tied to the Earth. I had a difficult time making friends in my younger years because I didn’t feel understood by most people. I became a bit more calloused as I became an adult, and especially through my late 20’s. Throughout all of my life at any age, I have always felt such a gravitational pull towards self-expression, fighting for a bigger cause, and trying to help the people I care about.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gaiapatra.com
- Email: contact@gaiapatra.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/gaiapatra
- Other: www.gaiapatra.bigcartel.com
Image Credit:
Triplesix Photography, Bryce Hall, Ellie Mitchell, Elizabeth Blair Stephenson, Wil Foster/Rock Candy Photo, David Hobbs
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