Last week we were invited to a house warming party, where we met a lady who was a Make-up Artist. We often enjoy reading about such talent in magazines and newspapers, as artists and creative people have always attracted us and we like to visit places where art events are organized. In a way this very word “ARTIST” has always created curiosity in us. As our conversation progressed, we asked this lady to explain to us about her work and why she calls herself a “Make-up Artist” rather than “Beautician” or other more familiar title. All we knew was that it had to do with making a person look good, beautiful and smart.

This generous lady smiled at our ignorance and started explaining. “I am frequently asked this question; although they may seem similar they are quite different professions. ao quench our curiosity she went on explaining. “Beauticians with their study, training, and daily practice do the regular facials, pedicures, manicures and hairstyles of their customers in the many good beauty parlours of Kathmandu Valley. The Make-up Artists differ in their sense of creative touch by developing and enhancing the natural beauty of their customers with the use of cosmetics”. So, we can say that Make-up Artists are basically painters. People are their canvas, their face, physique, appearance and desires are the atmosphere within which the artist’s understanding and creativeness starts flowing. Their skills bring harmony and beauty to their work and it is in this talent that Make-up Artists differ from beauticians. We were quite happy that we now understood and we thanked her for the gracious way she had explained. Our evening was soon over but this very word “Artist” compelled me to think ahead. It had a deep impact and meaning to me, always denoting more than painter or paintings. Why do Artists create? Is it just because they can? My thoughts jumped from this beauty subject matter to general life and living. We admire gracious living, elegant style and creative talent as seen on television, films and magazines. But, do we take any time to learn from and use what we see there? If something can be understood from artists and their work, with a little effort we can all learn to try and make our world more beautiful. The neighborhood we live in, our immediate surroundings and our homes are our own personal canvases. If Artists’ strive to create beauty just because they can, then why don’t us all try to create a little more beauty around ourselves. Let us be inspired by their examples and try to do something positive, not for selfish reasons, but for the benefit of everyone. “Just because we can”.