Anaïs Campos
A note from Amanda:
Our final journal of the year is with Anais. I’ve sat next to her for many, MANY hours over the last 8 years (remember when we used to work 12 hr days, 5 days a week? lol) and I’m still learning so much about her. Some of the questions y’all asked helped me peel back another layer on someone I think I know pretty well already, thank you for that. We’re talking hair, girl dinner, and inspiration with this one. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this series so far too.
You change your hair and do bold things with it, it’s something I admire about you. can you tell us about your relationship with beauty and your own grooming choices?
I guess it’s a mixture of fun, expression, and convenience. I do also love to use it to challenge myself. It’s not always so intentional, but sometimes more intuitive. I like to do little check-ins with myself!
For example:
Have I been feeling like my self worth and beauty are tied to long feminine hair?
Yeah. Fuck that. I think I’ll cut it off.
Has makeup become a security blanket?
Let’s embrace and get reacquainted with my bare face.
Coloring my hair scratches an itch. Shaving my head was an attempt at genderless expression (I was also hot and tired of brushing it). Like so many of us, I’ve struggled with my own body and self image since I was a literal child. Hate that. Gross. We don’t deserve that. I want to feel like I define beauty/beauty standards, they don’t define ME. I think changing and challenging has helped me not only to plant that idea, but to nurture its growth. I think I’ll always do it this way. I have aspirations of being unstoppable.
Do you have any hobbies we don't know about?
As a long time diagnosed ADHD girly, I have had MANY hobbies. However, the one that’s lasted the longest is keeping plants. I have plants all over my home in effort to create my own personal forest. Caring for them helps ground me, I think. I also love collecting quilts, books, and contributing to my partners massive vinyl collection.
what's your dream vacation?
Chasing waterfalls in Iceland while listening to TLC. No but really, I want to experience the northern lights there.
It’s time for girl dinner- what are you eating?
Crusty bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. Apple sauce pouch. Life cereal. Jalapeño kettle chips. An entire package of raspberries. Chocolate almond milk. Baby carrots and vegan ranch. I want all of that now actually.
what's inspiring you lately?
Alternative beauty, body modification and art (jewelry mapping and large scale tattooing), and the (unfortunately slow) leaning away from rigid eurocentricity. Beauty and style is everywhere and in everyone; deviation from the norm will always always be fun, inspiring, and important to me. Nothing puts a spark in my heart and a twinkle in my eye like a “weirdo”.
what are you looking forward to?
Not to sound like a huge goof, but… I’m looking forward to all the things I’m going to learn and experience next year, and putting into practice what I’ve learned this year. Both in work and life, because for me they’re so often intertwined. I’m looking forward to all the new faces I’ll see in the studio, and finding out which ones I’ll get to build a relationship with! Because connection is cool, and probably one of my most favorite things about my job. I have so much to look forward to, I’m lucky that way.
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