Inspiring Creativity By Charlotte Ravet

INSPIRINGCreativity B y C h a r l o t t e R a v e t What is the hardest part of working as a creative? Creating! Creating means bringing something new to the table, something we haven’t done or seen before, coming up with new concepts. And when creating is our source of income it means we constantly need to produce!

With permanent exposure through social media for artists, it has become harder to create something unique. I personally feel that as soon as I see something new, I see it simultaneously on multiple accounts and pages. Information and trends are evolving so fast it is frightening for creatives to follow. So how can we keep inspired, how can we relieve the pressure and also enjoy what we bring to the world?

and Instagram looking at all the new trends and work from other artists. What other artists produce inspires me and it is also how new trends are set! But diversifying my sources of inspiration definitely helps me come up with new concepts. For example, I find my concepts often come from colour combinations or textures. I have recently created looks inspired from the colours and prints I’ve seen on Indian Saris. Sometimes, it is something we see which can come up hours or days later like a pop up idea! I feel like it’s making its own space in my brain until the whole idea has flourished and comes unannounced! This is why I am always writing notes, keywords or a quick draft when it comes to me. To open my eyes as much as I can, I now go to virtual exhibitions or live ones, follow sculptors, illustrators, and conceptual artists. It’s not all beauty related, but I embrace all sources of inspirations.

Be open to new technologies and continuous education: As soon as I enrol or follow a masterclass, I want to pick up my brushes and put into practise what I have learnt. I have received the same feedback from attendees to my own

masterclasses. Learning new tips or new skills really keeps me inspired and I often love mixing it with my own application techniques. I also like learning new things. This year, I am trying to learn more about photography. Understanding lighting and composition has really given me a new perspective to look at when I create moodboards or concepts for my shoots.

Set up some rules: I feel this is the most important! When we teach creative makeup techniques, we can share makeup rules but not teach taste. I found that setting up rules which I apply to all my looks from the most creative to the corrective ones, has worked like a charm for me. For example, I have set up my rule of three: hair, makeup, clothes, I choose two, I leave one. If the hair and clothes are quite creative, I will keep to a simple makeup, but if the styling is simplistic, I know I can push the makeup. I also apply this rule to myself and for my private clients, it always gives me the perfect balance in my looks. I also like to think first about the structure before working with colours. It’s like sketching before painting. Any creative look requires a frame to keep control of what is happening. The most avant-garde looks always have a structure behind them, this is what makes them successful.

Be open to others: This might sound a bit odd, but I personally believe that the best way to help our sadness is to help others and look beyond our own perspective. I feel it also applies when it comes to creating something. I love helping my friends on their personal projects (if I am asked too), I always feel it inspires me and leaves me energised! You probably have felt this way when someone asks you for advice and you feel you are giving really good advice but struggle to apply it to yourself? Well I feel it works the same way if someone asks me for an idea, I am always inspired by other businesses and struggle sometimes for myself. Helping others without expecting anything in return has actually helped me more than being focused on my own world, it has opened doors I wouldn’t have thought about.

Pause: A creative mind cannot constantly create. Creation comes from our own emotions, memories, and current state of mind. It is impossible to constantly produce as sometimes our brain needs to pause. And it is a relief to accept the fact that some weeks, some months are going to be less productive. These periods of time are often the ones where we are actually bringing inspiration back into our lives without even noticing it. We see without observing until the ideas form themselves together.

Every time I have a new concept coming up, I now create mood boards using Canva.com. When I have the name and concept finished, I can reach out to the creative team. Operating this way has been really productive for me this year. Instead of just reaching out to photographers and stylists I would like to work with, I contact them with one of my concepts which can match their own style. I have been in charge of the artistic direction on some beautiful shoots recently. I used to work with amazing talents and was too shy to bring my own ideas to the table, or I was waiting for others to come up with their concepts. The truth is, everyone is the same! My advice for younger talents would be, to not be afraid to share and communicate ideas. Photographers are often contacted by makeup artists who want to shoot with them, but if you come to them with a concept, a creative team and model (if they are willing too), it makes a big difference! I have attached a recent series created with Tiphaine Molinario photographer and Paula Hiibbard for the hair and model Bella Bella Brogestam. The all concept was playing with water, the effect on the skin of the water reflection and the skin texture. You can see that in the series, the model is getting into the water. I used colours inspired by the corals and the underwater world, and nail art kit items to create the shells.

I also accept that in my career, part of my creative work is often unpaid, but it is vital to me. I came to this realization last year, during covid lockdown. I was in lockdown for months in my l Parisian apartment, and even though I was working, doing online training at an international level, my biggest fear was that I would not be able to apply makeup on actual people anymore. I started doing moodboards, research and following new classes during this time. It is such a relief to work on shoots and create again!

Keeping an opened mind, being curious about everything and being kind to our creative brains is what I believe encourages us to produce. The biggest ideas never come when we are looking for them!

Charlotte Ravet is a Senior Makeup Artist and Educator, as well as AMIA winner for Best Educator of the Year 2018. Learn more about Charlotte and her work at www.charlotteravet.com