HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - Isadora Blake

Isadora Blake 

Body Artist 

Fijian 

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Bula everyone, my name's Isadora Blake and I'm a makeup artist living and working in New Zealand. I was born and raised in Fiji, come from Fijian and a mix of European heritage. My father is from Udu Kabara in Lau, and my Mother is from Levuka she's of European Fijian heritage.

I have 5 brothers and 12 sisters. 7 of the siblings including myself live in New Zealand, 2 in Australia and the rest live in Fiji. 

My maiden name is Bulatiko. I married Benjamin Blake in 2010 whom I met in Fiji late 2005 and moved to New Zealand in 2008. We have a 4-year-old girl.

When/How did you realise you wanted to pursue a career in Body Art?

In 2010 I studied makeup artistry at The Makeup School (TMS) in Auckland and graduated with a diploma in Professional Makeup. It wasn't until a couple of years later I realised I wanted to do something more than just beauty makeup application. I wanted to create art and that's when I saw on social media other artists/vloggers from the US doing body painting (@Madeyewlook) and I thought wow that's definitely what I want to do. 

 In terms of Body Art, how does your Pasifika culture affect your work? 

I can't think of a time when my Pasifika culture has affected my body art at this point. But I'm keen to find out more about my heritage and hopefully one day incorporate a design that's influenced by my heritage. However, I’ve always been conscious not to appropriate traditional art of other cultures that are not my own.

 

Who are your biggest inspirations and why? 

My biggest inspirations would be all the artists on Skin Wars. I hope one day to be as good as every single one of them that enter the show. They are so passion driven and are the best at what they do. 

What is your ultimate goal? / What do you want to achieve through your work? 

Ultimate goal would be to perfect my skills and be the best that I can be at body art. There's still so much to learn.

 

Have you had to face any struggles on your journey as a Body Artist? 

Thankfully not at all.