Because art is in a constant state of change, no one really can say what truly makes art. To me, as human beings, we are all in a constant state of change and therefore we are art. It also applies when looking at art as form and content. We are humans and we are what we make of ourselves, what’s on the inside, our content. But for the most part, art is subjective and meaning changes from one person to the next. To me, art is everywhere and that includes fashion, beauty and all that is involved. With that said, one thing I cannot deny about myself is that I am a make up and product whore. I will spend my last pennies on a nail polish if I want it badly enough. I do lack, though in one area, knowledge. Of course I assume I have to have the fancy stuff with the brand names, etc but then when I read magazines like Allure, where they give me options on how to go the cheaper route and get the same look, I really appreciate that.
Eliza Siep, writer of Pretty Cheap beauty blog
Then this woman’s blog came along. Eliza Siep has made a name for herself not only by writing a great blog for ChicagoNow.com, which is a part of the Chicago Tribune, but also just as a creative, artistic person in general.
A few weeks ago (yes, weeks, I have taken forever to write this, sorry) I had a great chat with her over the phone. She was one of the few people I’ve ever been nervous about talking to simply because she epitomizes how I feel about getting out there and doing what you want and making it all happen. (Nevermind that I think she is one of the prettiest women out there doing what she does!) So I really had this kind of knot in my stomach before we talked thinking that I would totally annoy her and she would just be like, “Can we get this over with?” but it didn’t happen at all like that! She’s a joy to talk to and so well spoken and easy to get along with. I loved my conversation with her. So I guess you want to know who she is and what we talked about?
Well, I think we all know that some people just think beauty school isn’t cool. I can say I always thought that even though I have beauticians in my family, I guess I just went along with the idea that those people in highschool that were aiming for beauty school had no real aspirations in life. As I got older I started to realize how wrong I was about it all. I feel bad because now we have such go-get’em women in the industry, like Eliza. She went to Cosmetology School in 2005 and explained, ”I’ve always loved the beauty industry. I ended up in LA when I was 19, completely broke and this girl was cutting my hair and she was doing such a terrible job of it that I just stopped her and went home and finished it on my own.” That was it. It was at that point that she knew what she had to do. They always say if you want something done right, do it yourself and that is exactly what she did. And she is definitely doing those of us interested in beauty and fashion right with her knowledge. And she has definitely changed a lot of how I see the beauty industry. Not only is it make up and hair and pedicures and manicures and all of that, but it is people like Eliza who make it not only interesting but fun too.
The beauty industry isn't all glamour and fancy expensive clothes, it can be a lot of fun for everyone!
Even though she is finished with school, “I consider myself to always be a student of the beauty industry because I’m always learning and trying to keep up with things, so I’m always learning, I love learning about it.” When we are inspired to do anything creative, of course we have people or things that have inspired us. Sure the woman with the bad hair cut was the last straw but what inspires Eliza to do what she does on a daily basis? “Music. I’ve always been inspired by music. I can hear something and then want to go out and create something in beauty. Music inspires a lot of people in how they write and that sort of thing, and it definitely inspires how I create and do what I do.”
Eliza hanging with Mat Devine and Thomas R. Hane II (I mean, who's the rockstar here? They all look fun! And that outfit on Eliza, Adam Lambert eat your heart out!))
Another big influence for her is Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour. You may know her as the recent subject of R.J. Cutler’s documentary September Issue. ”Yeah, Anna Wintour, she IS the beauty industry. She has worked from the ground up and people might not like her personality but you have to like what she does and what she has done.” When Eliza speaks it is kind of hard not to want to type exclamation points after everything she says. I loved it! So much passion from her for what she does. I wasn’t surprised when she mentioned Anna Wintour, I almost hoped she would. People sometimes find it easy to dislike a tough business woman, but it was definitely great to hear Eliza’s appreciation for her and how she has turned Vogue around in this country.
One of the things that Eliza periodically brings up in her blog is that she does hair and make up for bands. I had to ask her about it because that has to be a plus to someone who is such a fan of music. ”How that happened, well I was in beauty school and I would go to shows in Davenport and Iowa City in Iowa, where I’m from and I would just do hair outside the shows while people were waiting to go in, you know? I was a big talker and I’d offer to do this and eventually the bands started asking me to cut their hair and I was very fortunate to kind of become known for doing this because I got sponsored six months before graduation to go on the Vans Warped Tour. That was definitely something I would have never thought would happen, but of course it was a great thing to get to do.” THIS is what I’m talking about when I say that people who really put themselves out there and make a name for themselves are the people I admire most. No looking for the easy way out, if you want it, you just do it and it happens and just like that you’re on the Warped Tour doing hair. Love this story!
Is that Matt Skiba underneath that skull?
BUT! Not only does she do hair for bands, “I’m happy to do it every so often. It’s always my first love (music and hair) and I love that experience I had.”, but she has a band of her own! (see her MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/elizacutsonlyrealmyspace I love how important of a role music plays in her life. I can relate really heavily to this so I could’ve gone on all day talking to her, I wanted to. But I asked her about her band and where she sees that going. She laughed a bit, “It kind of centers me in a way to be able to do that. We practice whenever I’m able to show up for practice. It’s just a lot of fun.”
All music talk aside, and back to beauty, but to me Eliza has really created this great beauty bubble around herself. How far does she plan to go with that bubble? “I’d love to focus on writing but I definitely need the connection to people. I love interviewing people and sometimes I am totally fanning out when I do it, but I love to do it, having that chance.” She really has a lot to say about just putting yourself out there and how it affects you. For me, if you are going to take the risk (which I always feel is totally worth it) you’re gonna take the good and the bad. In a similar vein, Eliza explains, “It’s the idea that you are public when you’re on the internet. I set myself up to aid famous people, prep them for shows or whatever and ended up becoming known. I never set out to be famous and sometimes I am my only option to really get past the ridicule and the things people think.” For me she tied art and beauty together well in that statement. Beauty is an art and when you create an art of any form and put it out there you are always going to set yourself up for ridicule and the negativity of others. “I was just a normal girl with a MySpace and ended up with a handful of others who people really took some good shots at. There’s no shame or disgust by me for any of it, I never set out with that goal in mind.”
But really? I mean, she looks so amazing herself! I have a hard time thinking someone like me can stand out very much when I really put myself out there, but Eliza not only creates beauty, she is a work of art herself. I mean look at the great way she puts herself out there:
She makes me want to colour my hair constantly!
She has definitely made an impact on the internet with those of us who are craving beauty information, tips and ideas. An artist to me is someone who is constantly reinventing themselves or adding to what they’ve already made and she is nothing short of her own work of art. Being an internet presence is weird nowadays because some people just get shot up to this status of being important or have a large following. People really pay attention to Eliza. “I never think that I’ll be in the public eye. ” She refers to her recent audition for American Idol, “That was a joke with me and my friends that I was going to do that. That was the only one time I intended to do it but I normally do not want to think about the pressure and attention of being famous. I know though with every step I take it does sometimes seem like I’m shoving myself down everyone’s throat, but I have to put myself out there.”
So she was a normal girl with a MySpace who loved beauty and fashion and music and honestly? The internet really is a great way to put ourselves out there and sometimes when we do we have to take the good with the bad. But there is just as much in the real world. So her view on how she became known made a lot of sense. “Sometimes I do these interviews and people seem to think I have all of this stuff going on but really I’m just working a lot. A LOT! But there are worse things.” Winding down for Eliza means spending days NOT on the internet (unlike many of us!) and she just keeps on learning. “I do research a lot on the industry, on people in it that I admire or if I hear about something interesting, I keep learning. I know I keep saying it, but I truly am always going to be a student of the industry.”
“I feel like I maybe learned beauty backwards. I was around all of this punk and hardcore music, cutting hair and handling the beauty end of things and even after going through school I keep on learning.” She explained further, “One of the things I noticed about myself is that I set standards for myself that are kind of unreachable, I still manage to get most if not all of it. I reach all of my goals. And I think it can be like that for people who are passionate about having a home, a family or pets, but I’m passionate about this industry.”
What makes her passionate or keeps that passion alive within the industry? “Oh Tarina Tarantino! I really love what she does, I mean she worked for NARS before she started making jewelry and another person I really like a lot is Kat VonD, she is so unique, so intense and she is such an individual.” Individuality, to me, is an art that I think Eliza has mastered. ”I’m me, I’ve made mistakes but at the end of the day I think ‘What do my real friends think?’ That’s really what matters. Life is hard enough when you’re working 40 hours or more a week, I have to be willing to push it, set high goals and put myself out there.” And what would she suggest to someone who is just starting to pursue their dreams? “Study up on the people you admire. When I look at the people I really admire, they had an intense, vivid, work ethic, that was their common thread so that’s what I knew I had to do.”
So we all have those people we would love to work with. I once read a quote from Eliza (I cannot recall where I read it, sorry) where she said “I want cut my favorite band’s hair!” What blows my mind is that she says things like that and then does it. A woman after my own heart! If you want it, do it! Love.It. So since she has worked with some of her favourite bands and still does, who hasn’t she worked with that she would love to get her hands on? “Siouxsie Sioux or Robert Smith!” she replied immediately. I have to agree with her. If I could interview them, I think I’d fangirl all over the place before I got into the room.
Nothing happens overnight. Eliza didn’t just wake up and have a job she loves and a blog writing about what she loves, she had to make it happen and in the process of making it happen she really came into herself and who she is. She said, “Slow and steady wins the race.” and it is so true that when you have a passion for something you also have to have the patience and the perseverance to take the steps to reach your goals. Some of us sit around and wait for opportunity and some of us go out and just make the opportunities.
Rockstar? Moviestar? Beautystar!
Eliza Siep is one of those people. A beauty in the beauty industry and definitely a tough cookie who knows her stuff!
Do not forget to check out her blog at: Pretty Cheap
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