For Artist Mei Pang, Makeup is an Extension of Her Identity
In Art in Self, we speak to five creators whose art take the forefront of their self-expression. For Instagram beauty guru and TikTok star Mei Pang, creativity has always been in her blood.
Known on TikTok and Instagram for her avant-garde makeup looks, shaved head, and symmetrical tattoos, artist Mei Pang creates content as an extension of her identity. Since gaining interest in the artform seven years ago, the creative now treats her face as a canvas for colourful and otherworldly looks.
“I originally went to university for drawing and painting,” says the 25-year-old Toronto-based creative when asked about her artistic origins. “However, I realised throughout the years that traditional painting wasn’t necessarily my passion.” Although Pang strayed away from conventional forms of art, she knew that it would always remain a part of her identity.
It is also no secret that identity plays a huge role when determining self-worth. It is why many youths and young adults tend to go through hardships when trying to figure out their place in the world. For Pang, comfort and contentment are the best jumping points in achieving self-worth.
“To my core, I’m a highly competitive person – especially when it comes to myself,” she explains. “I always feel the need to constantly outdo myself and become better in whatever I do, which leads to self-doubt. I’m still trying to figure out how to deal with it because artistry should be about experimentation and learning rather than burning yourself out.”
Has your concept of self-worth changed since gaining recognition for your talents?
Social media is so interesting with what it does to the psyche. The amount of serotonin one person gets from receiving XYZ amount of likes is addictive and validating in a sense. But at the same time, it’s a double-edged sword. If I don’t get as many likes or comments, I think, “Is that particular makeup look not good? Should I not have posted it at all? Are people bored of me?” All those questions go through my head initially and I’ve been learning how to process that. At the end of the day, I feel so lucky and honoured to have so many people look at my work, and it’s something I never take for granted.
Tell us how you first got into makeup artistry.
I feel like I fell into it in the best way possible. I started at a makeup retail store as a stock person, which meant that I didn’t even need to wear makeup. But seeing all of my coworkers come into work with the most beautiful looks inspired me to try it for myself and here we are! I don’t have professional makeup training, but years of practice and trial and error has gotten me to the place where I am now.
Where do you usually get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from various facets of life. Whether it be from my colleagues in the social media space, graphic design, or even a couch on the side of the street, I’m always trying to find the next thing I can create on my face. Recently, I’ve been looking into nature and animals when it comes to colours and patterns.
What feelings do you hope to invoke when someone comes across your content?
When I get a message saying that people are playing with more colour or when I get tagged in a photo where someone has tried my look, there’s no better feeling than that. At the end of the day, makeup is like fashion – there are no real rules and you can have fun with it!
As a person who is recognised for her beauty markers, would you say that these make up your identity?
Although I look different from the average person with my bald head, head tattoos, bold makeup, and symmetrical (body) tattoos, I still feel like the next person beside me on the bus or just another person in the crowd. I feel so comfortable in my body to the point where I don’t feel dissimilar to the next person! I feel like I was always supposed to look like this, which is a comforting feeling.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
The best piece of advice is from my father, “Try everything once and if it sticks, it sticks. If it doesn’t, at least you tried.” I’ve taken that phrase and just ran with it. I feel like the way I look and the makeup looks that I’ve done are the definition of “try everything once.”
