Brighton Walmsley is a model and makeup artist with an intriguing vibe. Be it her rare but awesome name or fashion versatility in photo shoots, there’s something about Brighton that’s captivating. It was a wonderful experience being able to talk with her about the fields she takes part in during Pop Culture Spin’s newest collaboration article. She provides behind the scenes knowledge and insight about modeling/makeup artistry that anyone with even the slightest interest in these areas should find informative. Check out my interview with Brighton below and be sure to give her a follow on social media.
Pop Culture Spin: Thank you for joining Pop Culture Spin on this interview, Brighton. To get our dialogue rolling, when did you realize modeling was the right path for you?
Brighton: I honestly kind of fell into it. When I was in high school, photographer friends started asking if they could shoot me for their portfolios. I had been in theater and acting for 5 or so years so I figured I could toss some emotion at the camera. After I graduated other photographers started reaching out wanting to shoot after seeing the work of my friends. It sort of snowballed from there. I never saw myself as a model and I certainly didn’t have the build for it being 5′ 3″, but opportunities for modeling kept coming my way. It was something I was shy and self conscious about which is why I knew it was a great opportunity for me to grow.
PCS: Are there any difficulties in this field or do you appreciate basically every aspect of it?
Brighton: There are constant difficulties. You can’t take anything personally because you’re in an industry where you’re being judged solely on the way you look. I think a lot of people underestimate how much work it is. The call times are crazy early, you’re on your feet for hours and hours at a time, sometimes all day and night. I’ve never wrapped a shoot where my back isn’t killing me haha. In my case I’ve taken on more of a personality/ host/ interviewer type role which is so much fun don’t get me wrong, but you have to be “on” at all times, constantly emitting energy, being funny, coming up with things that will make your segment new and entertaining and make people feel like they’re right there with you.
PCS: Your Instagram page shows that you’re also someone with a strong/diverse fashion sense. Is being able to mix creativity with fashion part of what makes modeling an enjoyable career?
Brighton: YAAAAS. Fashion is the #1 reason why I started modeling. I love clothes so stinking much. God bless my mom for saving the majority of her clothes and shoes from the 70’s and 80’s. When I was first starting out I would post my style on Lookbook. I would pack about 3 or 4 bags full of clothes and make some poor photographer shoot me in about 20 different outfits. I would love to collaborate with an existing brand and design my own line with them. Down the road I’d love to create my own line of clothing. I love anything that has a retro 70s feel and I love when intimates are made intricately to be seen as a part of an outfit not hidden underneath.
PCS: Have you found people online to be primarily supportive of you or have a portion of haters ever surfaced?
Brighton: I’ve been really lucky that for the most part people have been so nice to me. I love talking to people in my comments, answering any questions they have. It cracks me up when people say “I can’t believe you responded!” Because I still can’t believe people who don’t know me take their time to reach out and comment. A lot of girls will ask where I got what I’m wearing or ask me to do makeup tutorials. Which one day I will do I swear. The only negative thing I’ve ever gotten really are people who post inappropriate comments. I won’t respond or I’ll delete your comment entirely and block yo dumb ass.
PCS: You’re also a makeup artist on top of what we’ve already discussed. What motivated you to work in this area?
Brighton: Originally I wanted to do special effects makeup. I loved the fake gore. Bruises were my shit. My next favorite thing was outlandish avant garde beauty makeup like you see in a lot of runway shows. That’s what I saw myself doing. The older I got the more I fell in love with simple beauty makeup. I’m primarily self taught so I would watch hour after hour of YouTube tutorials. Go to Naimies and pick everyone’s brain on what their favorite products were, their application technique and so on. I’d practice on all my friends. I loved being able to draw a picture on a moving breathing creature and watch it come to life.
PCS: Is there any cross over of skills such as attention to detail or anything else that plays a role in both modeling and makeup artistry?
Brighton: I’m incredibly OCD about detail in all things but especially makeup. Just like you learn the angles of your body in modeling you learn the angles of your face. Looking at paintings and portraits are great tools to learn how light hits your face naturally. That way you can enhance the highs and lows of light and shadow and not fight it with misplaced over done contour. The same really goes for modeling. I can make my tiny self look 6 feet tall all depending on the way I angle or light myself. Science.
PCS: What’s the most rewarding component of helping someone else feel more comfortable/beautiful in their own skin by virtue of your efforts?
Brighton: Someone loving the way they look after I’ve made them up is the greatest high. When I finish with a client I will always ask them if there’s anything they’d like changed because it’s not about my ego and thinking my way is right, it’s about them feeling beautiful and the most confident in their skin. I always love hearing from clients who’ve gone to events after I’ve made them up that people complimented them on how vibrant or glamorous they looked. Even if my job is to make it look like they’re not even wearing any makeup, as long as it makes them feel like Beyoncé I’m happy.
PCS: What are some of the passions/hobbies you have outside of the work related ones we’ve talked about?
Brighton: Other than eating animal fries all day long, I loooove yoga. I’ve recently started working out at a gym like a real person and I’ve caught the fitness bug. I do quite a bit of hot power yoga but I’ve made the resolution to go to the gym every day that I’m not at the yoga studio. So wish me luck, we’ll see how that one goes.
PCS: Do you have any projects you’d like to plug upcoming in 2016 or would you prefer for readers to patiently wait and see?
Brighton: 2016 is the year of acting! Finally getting back into acting and it feels so good. Modeling has made me a much more confident, courageous person. I was painfully shy as a kid and deep down there’s still that part of me, but acting makes me come out of that and getting back into it this year feels like coming back home in a way.
PCS: Thank you again for spending this time with my website. I hope this has given you an opportunity to tell people more about yourself. In closing, can you state where anyone interested can follow you on social media?
Brighton: Helllllz yeah follow me on Instagram @brightonwalmsley and on Snapchat: brightoninacar and always feel free to reach out and say what’s up!
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