Where were you born?
I was born in Brighton and grew up just by the sea, then I moved to my grandad’s church in a tiny village in the countryside. I spent the majority of my childhood in the South Downs.
Where do you live now?
My mum had a really horrible accident before Christmas where she was left unable to walk and needing daily care, so I’ve been looking after her in my hometown of Brighton. She’s made an amazing recovery but I’ve been in career mode here which is weird, and I’ve totally outgrown Brighton. When I first created my platform online I was determined to help my family financially, so when my grandad died I was able to help buy the house he built for my mum. We have a base that’s now four generations of memories.
What’s your sign?
I’m Taurus, but people think I’m a Leo, I have no idea why. I’m definitely more of a bull in a china shop than a lion.
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I grew up between two extremes where my paternal family were spiritual, my nan was psychic and had tarot and wrote me prophetic notes in books and things. My maternal family were extremely religious and regimental, but super lovely. I wasn’t however able to watch certain movies or music. When I got to school I was much more academically along than my age group and I was tested with MENSA, I was asked to do my GCSE’s earlier, and I was in a smaller class. Everyone thought I was a girl, and I didn’t have a standard experience of British schooling. I didn’t know what I could become, I just wanted to explore things.
How did that transpose into makeup artistry?
I definitely consider myself more of a concept or mixed medium artist than just makeup, I can do way more than people have ever seen from my public portfolio. But I learnt how to apply makeup from the Sims, I took apart the game files and found the images of the characters ‘skins’ which were flat, that taught me makeup. I wasn’t motivated to wear makeup for any other reason but to design new characters. I then created a MySpace when I was 12 or 13, I found myself with hundreds of thousands of people following me over my Summer holidays and by 14 I was scouted as a model. I worked in London for all the indie magazines before travelling to Asia and discovering Japanese makeup, which was totally different to what I could access in the UK. I then asked to work at MAC after being told by all the department stores my ‘image’ was too strong to work in retail, and MAC put me to work at a Terry Barber Masterclass. Some of the queer celebrities in London wanted me to do their makeup or sew their clothes and I eventually put it onto YouTube. No one could believe what they were seeing because I looked femme presenting but I insisted on being called Joseph, so it really pioneered a new genre of what we see online today.
How did you know that the makeup artist industry was where you wanted to be?
I think setting an intention and then creating in makeup is the closest thing we have to magic, and when you are a human that’s 6 foot 3 of indistinct ancestry, indistinct gender identity and you can paint on a persona that changes your experience of life, it’s extremely powerful. I taught myself how to do it but when I started there was a lack of access to the industry. I knew that I wanted to create the products that weren’t there and I think my real talent is being so different that I force in my new ideas.
What was your first memorable work as an artist?
I have had so many iconic moments that have really stood out, the classic image of me in my Mermaid guise was one of the first times a trans person went truly viral, it wasn’t negative, people loved the image. It was a game changer and this is before there were any trans influencers, tens of thousands of people shared that image and drew me as a mermaid. My celebrity transformations and boy to girl transformations were definitely memorable because I was the first person to bring that to digital. In 2013 they were covered by Buzzfeed which led to publications all over the world sharing my work, and then in the UK I had a weekly magazine slot in a tabloid magazine, again without a negative spin, they positioned me as an expert. I brought the transformations to the cover of LoverBoy with Francois Sagat, and that image became a cultural talking point. I also won Simon Cowell’s the You Generation with my classic Boy to Girl
What are the things about working in makeup that you love?
Young people doing amazing new things. I think I’m at the age now where I’m close to 20 years in, I can see how ideas are integrated into the network of creative minds, there’s a neural network where like minded people produce the same type of thing and I always pay attention to it. People have quickened so much since social media has adapted and I’m amazed at how brilliantly technical young artists are, but I encourage people to look at themselves and come up with something inspired by their own experiences instead of trend jacking.
What are the things about your work that makes it the most interesting to you?
Meeting new people and travelling is what I love. I always get inspired when I go somewhere new. I do think that the lack of equity amongst the beauty industry is a challenge that needs to be overcome, because we should be paid for new ideas. I am quite strict about producing new digital content because I know how people behave like magpies and they take the shiny parts, which is fabulous but if the distribution is unequal then that’s not cool.
What are the challenges you face working as an artist?
I think learning to be a business. I was a part of the Princes Trust enterprise schemes when I was a kid so I learnt how to get my business ideas onto paper, and how to run things, pay tax, save for a rainy day, protect my name. I didn’t have rich family or connections to help me so I had to self fund and I am very confident in my decisions. Makeup is an expensive occupation which is many times underpaid, and people who work in the bulk of our industry are actually not creative, so they’ll employ you to do the work they need but they then collect all the coins, and it’s a tricky place to be if you’re not skilled to handle things.
What should someone who is looking to develop a career in makeup know before getting into the business?
Understanding how the finances work, the technical application stuff is easy in 2024, financing things, being paid fairly, protecting your art and ideas, that is the tough part. You have to learn to navigate things without taking things personally, and please reach out, because I’ve always been happy to help with new artists. You also have to not sugarcoat things because I thought makeup artists were all working on merit and now I’m in the midst of this industry, the majority of the big names have been born into an artistic preexisting network. They have their kits paid for, they have a wizard behind the curtain, it’s not what it appears and you have to be honest about it.
What are some of the most important qualities that a makeup artist can have?
Resilience, integrity and business acumen. There are so many people in the beauty industry who are not innovative at all, they just repeat things that already exist and you have to be different to what’s going on to stand out.
What makes you a good makeup artist?
New ideas.
How do you continue to grow as an artist?
Learning more about the historical use of makeup and art before looking at what ‘could be next’. Trying to find something that’s in you that you can build upon. I looked into my ancestry and I come from all over the place, I’m learning about how different people convey ideas in makeup and introducing them into my own work.
Do you have a signature style?
My style is totally unique, I have only ever released ideas from my own experience and when I created concepts online like the transformations, it was because I was trans and learning how to fit into the world. I saw Purikura machines in Japan, I used the techniques I saw then as filters before filters existed. I took my red hair and green-screened it because I couldn’t afford wigs. I was using other peoples faces to see if I could get by safely. I put together a project where I was transforming into prosthetic masks and the idea was totally inspired around the elders who came forwards in the trans community.
What type of work do you find most satisfying?
Teaching and communicating with young artists.
Do you have a project that you are especially proud of?
Perfect Androgyny was an LGBT platform I built to celebrate all of our community, and I loved working with other people and sharing our experiences. I love my website JHournal.com and I loved my recent launch with Latest in Beauty, which sold out in ten days… It’s amazing!
Do you ever get stuck creatively?
No I have a formula. We can’t control that things around us change constantly, so look at that change and see what people need, and then look at what you need, and create that. I feel stuck more so when I have to fight to do work, when you have to actually battle someone over your worth as an artist I block the thing that comes through me with new ideas. There is a huge wave of transphobia in the industry to this day where you’re not allowed to accumulate value. Where are the people who came out at the same time as me? Where is Andreja Pejic? Where is Jake Zyrus? They’re never acknowledged anymore, and we’re not disposable.
What project did you have the most fun working on?
Perfect Androgyny, I hated doing YouTube in general because I was scared of showing my silly personality so it’s absolutely cringe watching back. I loved being around other people like me and I still do, I love speaking at events and meeting people, and travelling. I can’t wait to share my upcoming TED Talk.
Do you prefer one type of work to another?
I don’t love being the center of the project as much anymore, but I do love it all. I’d really love to do more work in fashion because I think we are lacking someone with a strong voice at the moment, ever ything is repetitious and I think I could offer a good contrast to that.
What would your clients say is best about working with you?
I think people are surprised that I’m not super strident in person, I’m quite a fool so I hope they’d appreciate that I’d let my guard down to share a little of my soul with them through my artwork.
What inspires you?
Life and family, food, fantasy, video games, books, flowers, science, space, joy.
What’s next for you?
Definitely more collaborative projects for my community, my first brand is coming before the end of the year with an amazing fragrance I designed, it’s unbelievable and the responses from our surveys have been like… It’s just amazing, I am in love with it! I have several projects coming out including a British Beauty Council campaign, lots of new product designs I’ve worked on with brands and if all goes well, a documentary project covering the last five years.
Words Michael DeVellis
Photos Courtesy of Joseph Harwood
