Tell us about yourself, your background and what you do currently?
Coming from an average middle-class family, we saw our parents work really hard to bring us up. I did my schooling but was more inclined towards all things creative. I tried my hand at singing too, but was thrown out, as I could not sing that well. I hated studying but always had a desire to do things differently. I started earning my pocket money by the age of 12, as I always had this deep desire to continue doing something so I could never sit idly.
In PUC, I hardly attended college, but received good grades in my exams. My parents have supported me throughout my journey. I became a merchandiser at the age of 17 right after college and at 18 and a half got married, had my son at the age of 20. At 23, three and a half years after becoming a mother, the urge to do something ignited again and my journey began as a make-up artist.
I started my career after returning from Bombay, completing my 20-day course in make-up. I started my career by charging Rs 500 per face.
After eight years of working I realised people wanted to learn from me and that’s when I decided I love to share and thought, why not? It helped me discover my self as an artist and as an individual and now I am totally hooked.
Tell us about any current projects or initiatives you wish to promote?
As mentioned, I love teaching and sharing or rather I am compelled to teach. I would continue my desire across countries to further inspire and empower.
What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?
My biggest challenge has been an utter lack of inspiration around me in the city I live in. This pushed me to create my own world and making my world an inspiration for others to follow
What has been your greatest achievement personally?
My greatest achievement personally has been that I have always been myself; many things and so many artists have inspired me. You cannot pretend people do not inspire you – everyone inspires! Everyday you learn what to do and what not to do, and that’s the key. Getting an idea is easy; it’s the execution that’s hard. Someone once said one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration – thousand of people can have the same idea, it’s how you go about it. It’s the execution that makes one artist better than the other. Here I am not even interested in being better than anybody else, I just want to be better than myself.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
I would be designing houses.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
It is an era of collaborations. Today you can collaborate. I collaborate with the music that is playing in the background that inspires me. Everything around me has a bearing it has an influence on what I do, whatever I observe, dream, whatever I watch. There is something away from all this, which is indefinable. Ultimately there is no right or wrong, it’s either you like it or you don’t.
I will respect a person who has talent, appreciating my work than a 1000 people who don’t have an opinion. It’s the quality and not quantity of people who judge you with an open heart, without greed or jealousy
What does the future hold for you?
The surprise is in knowing what the future holds for you. Life always has a plan for you. Did I plan what I am going to be or did everything go as per my plan? That’s arrogance! I’m excited for what life has in store for but that doesn’t mean I keep waiting for it. You keep working with the talent you have and await what life has in store for you until my journey and life plan meet.
I want to explore myself as to how good I am and I wouldn’t know till I execute, so I will keep executing. I want to teach because I am compelled to share, I want to share because there is something you learn from everyone.
Can you teach a person to be creative?
You can ignite a desire in some one to be creative; you can inspire a person to want to be creative. Can you turn a non-creative person to creative? That’s an interesting question, as you can argue for and against it. It’s very tempting to say you are creative or you are not, you can execute, follow instructions, copy and paste, you can learn how to do something and do it but does it make you creative? Or does it make you just an executor executing the strokes?
I try my best but all I can I do is invite people to join my journey, if they participate and are open minded they can pick up a few things. I hope I can rap with someone, push each other along the way and keep learning, growing and getting better.
About Gouri Kapur
Gouri is one of the most well-known make-up artists in the industry. With over a decade of experience under her belt she has worked with several celebrities including names like Deepika Padukone, Neha Dhupia, Sonali Bendre, Yana Gupta, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Katrina Kaif, Lisa Ray, Rahul Dravid , Pooja Bedi to name a few. Brands like Royal Challengers with director Sanjay Gupta, Tanishq’s award winning advertising campaign, Kingfisher, Nike for Shreeshanth and Mahendra Singh Dhoni for KSDL have all benefited from her magic touch ! Apart from working on editorials for fashion magazines like Vogue and L’Official on a regular basis she has also been on the panel of the maiden edition of Bangalore Fashion Week raising the bar on beauty at the event.
Apart from the star studded work, she has worked her magic on many a blushing bride and continues to do so till date. With an eye or perfection she maintains the highest standards of quality in her work. Her in-depth research and vast experience gives her unique insight into the world of make-up and Indian skin tones. She prides herself on being up to date on the latest global trends and techniques in the profession.
She takes her love of make up a step further by imparting the knowledge to select professionals via make up courses and workshops, every year through her academy – Gouri Kapur Academy. She strongly believes that make up has the power to create, empower and transform a personality and would like nothing more than to see this knowledge shared with everyone and helping them make the change. She first understands the client and their needs and its impact on their lives before advising them on what works best.
An easy going, happy and vivacious personality her infectious enthusiasm endears her to her clients and friends alike. She loves to go on treks with her two sons when she can. In her spare time she loves to dabble in art and create compositions in mixed media.
