Avant Garde

"a controversial avant-garde composer"
synonyms:
innovative, original, experimental, left-field, inventive, ahead of the times, cutting/leading/bleeding edge, new, modern, innovatory, 
advanced, forward-looking, state-of-the-art, trendsetting, 
pioneering, progressive, Bohemian, groundbreaking, trailblazing, revolutionary; unfamiliar, unorthodox, unconventional; informal, offbeat, way-out "this year's avant-garde fashion statement"

Avänt-gärd is a term carelessly thrown around by many artists today and I do not consider myself an avänt-gärd makeup artist.  What I do hold true to is being my own artist.  So while I will be holding true to my artist, this class is really about how to hold true to YOUR own artist.  

Where do we find our own artist?

There are many great artists who hold true to their inner creative flow including people like Alex Box, Kabuki, Hungry and Lyle Reimer all of whom I would consider avänt gärd although I’m not sure they would believe themselves to be so.  While their craft may be rooted in time honored and traditional makeup techniques, they have incorporated new ideas of their own into the process.  

When we are new to artistry it’s easy for us to think that throwing things like feathers, glitter, rhinestones, and lashes at a face is what creates an avänt gärd makeup.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Editing is one of the most important ingredients of any makeup including avänt gärd makeup and I’m excited to show you what that means to me.  I look forward to seeing you push yourself beyond the limited realm of your own mind and generic social media trends!
---

Stephen really has lived two lives; that of an Internationally-acclaimed make-up artist to the stars, and another, as a vulnerable, struggling artist claiming his place in life and earning street cred along the way.

As a celebrated make-up artist, Stephen has had the fortune of working in LA and NY with some of the most esteemed personalities in film and television, such as Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick, and the Kardashian’s.  Also in high demand in the world of fashion, Stephen’s runway credits include Christian Dior, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and more.

Stephen has collaborated with some of the industry’s best photographers: Greg Lotus, Miles Aldridge, Chad Pitman, and Josh Olins. His work has appeared in the Italian, Japanese, and Australian editions of Vogue, as well as Time, Numero, Interview, Flair and V Man. His editorial in Cosmopolitan magazine will be released this summer.

Life for Stephen wasn’t always fortunate though. From humble beginnings and what some refer to as the tragic makings of an “after-school special” life, he was raised in the small Air Force town of Ipswich in Queensland, Australia. Stephen’s first beauty muse was his mother, who graciously “suffered” many hair and makeup looks at the endlessly talented hands of Stephen. Adolescent and teen years proved to be difficult as he struggled to fill his creative outlet and overcome a childhood filled with shame and guilt.  

No longer satisfied with the prejudice of small town life at the age of 16, Stephen ventured to Brisbane City where he found other like-minded creatives. Living hand-to-mouth, he painted faces (mostly his own), and did whatever it took to make ends meet. He was in his element with a makeup brush in one hand and a palette of colors in the other. Making a short stop in Sydney, Stephen ultimately landed in the New York City in 1997, with an incomparable ‘schooling’ in street-sense.

Once in New York, Stephen found that his undeniable talent helped to esteem the women that were put into his hands. Even with all of the accolades and success he has experienced, Stephen admits that “Nothing fills me with joy more than seeing a woman walk with her head held a little higher because she learnt how to enhance her beauty with just one flick of a brush.”. 

That awareness led him to a greater purpose: He could use his talent to help women flourish from the inside-out, to lose their shame and start using their life-stories for the greater good. “True beauty comes from experience,” Stephen offers, “if you aren’t pretty on the inside, it shows; then you are just an ugly person with makeup on.”

Stephen Dimmick is not just a makeup artist turned social entrepreneur. He is an empathetic soul determined to find the good in the world.  He is a relationship-builder, a content-king and a community engager. He changes lives and encourages women to live outside of the confines of their realities. He challenges others to face their fears and encourages them to follow their dreams.