Young and Talented Artiese

I recently got in touch with an old friend who just so happens to have her own company now, Artiese – Photography and Makeup.

Based in Toronto, Canada, photographer Therese de Jesus and makeup artist Kristine Sia both work together to create beautiful photography. Despite being very young at the start of this venture in 2006, they’ve grown in their success and continue to do so today.

As a long time fan and now a blogger, I decided to ask the dynamic duo for an interview on Artiese. To say the least, it was very amusing and enlightening as to how they came about, what they’re doing now and what has yet to come.

Why did you pick the name Artiese?
Kristine Sia: the name of the company derived from therese’s thinking of what we should be as a company. we both love art in many different ways. I being the makeup artist love to use creativity to make someone feel and look beautiful. therese being the photographer, she uses art to capture a person’s beauty with just one click.

Therese de Jesus: it actually took me a while to figure out a name for our company. I did a bit of research on words, but nothing really rolled off my tongue. It took me about 3-4 months to actually get ARTIESE, it started when I was applying for art school when I was preparing my portfolio. Then it hit me, ART! Both photography and makeup consists of art - the way one captures a moment and the other make someone look and feel beautiful, but then I wanted it to be more personal. I wanted to add even a little bit of ourselves - so I added “-tiese”, Tin is Kristine’s nickname and my last 3 letters of my name Therese - put it together and you have ARTIESE.

How did you two meet?
KS: we met through a friend around 3 years ago. i needed someone one fresh and young to work with and so did she. we had this strange idea that we could do something a 17 and an 18 year old wouldnt do on a regular basis.

DJ: yehp, we met through a friend. I took a year off of school after highschool and I found a hobby, Photography. I needed someone in the industry or related to it. So I found my partner, Kristine. They say 2 heads are better than 1! =)

Why did you want to start your own business?
KS: we wanted more for ourselves. we wanted to be known for our work. we wanted to be successful and respected not only as an young entrepeneur but as artists.

DJ: we both love challenges. Taking on and starting this company was a bit challenging for us, but we conquer them one by one. As time goes by, our challenges become more difficult. Like the quote, “Do not allow mistakes to get to you, but take them in as lessons learned”

Artiese seems to be doing really well, what’s the secret?
KS: - friendship is key because we actually got to know each other more and more. we know each other’s strengths and weakness.
-we are honest with each other.
-we keep everything fun and inviting.
-and most of all we compliment each other many different ways. haha

DJ: - we work together as a whole - even with the crew that we work with sometimes
- word of mouth is also key - we try to satisfy our clients as best as we can
- we update our viewers with new photos as well - sometimes we get experimental so it’s not the same feel as the last one the viewers saw
- we also do promotions/contests once in a while to give one or a few of our viewers the opportunity to feel glamours/pampered

Your gallery is full of shoots but which one is your favorite and why?
KS: my favourite would be Feresa khan’s shoot. Its my favourite because it was our first photoshoot and i was really nervous to do it. we didnt have alot of equiptment and we were just testing it out. that photo was how our company started because it brought alot of people asking who we were and how they can get there hands on us.

DJ: I don’t really have any favourites but I do like a few. Our photoshoot with Feresa and Marina because those were when we had limited equipment. And the dark series of Yaung and Cindy. I picked these out because I feel that even with limited resources we were able to put out work with a piece of ourselves to show the audience, and for the dark series I feel that it’s a different style from what I usually shoot and I find them really interesting and experimental.

Do you have any funny stories to tell?
KS: we have tons! one story i would not forget would be the second shoot. like i said we did not have lights, background sets or people helping us. we did a test shoot with a friend and we ended up using my breakfast wall as our backdrop. we needed a red background so we used my mom’s dollar store party table sheets and we pasted it on the wall. for te fan effect i had my boyfriend to fan her with a piece of cardboard. for the lights i had my bestfriend and my little sister hold it up. i might say it was not a crew you would expect but it did the job hahaha

DJ: Kristine already mentioned it. haha. We want our clients to feel comfortable.

What type of equipment/makeup/etc do you use?
KS: i use practically everything…i love mac makeup alot. i also use sephora makeup and other varieties of names out there.

DJ: I started out with a Canon Rebel XT (this was when it came out) then the Canon 30D, and now I’m looking into buying a new camera. For lighting I used Profoto, Speedotron, Aurora, Tungsten “Hot Lights”, and natural lighting. For post-processing I use Adobe Photoshop 7, CS, CS2, and now CS3 - PC and MAC computers.

Are there any shoots you would love to do that you haven’t already?
KS: maybe a huge celebrity like the jonas brothers hahaha

DJ: I would like to do more of a large scale photoshoots where I can build my own sets and be able to go crazy with creativity - but not too crazy

If you could sum up your career thus far in one word, what would it be and why?
KS: a rollercoaster

DJ: art - because it has challenges in every corner i.e. how would you start a painting? because you got inspired or you have to do one that the teacher asked - but I take those challenges in a good way - to better myself at my craft

What do you have planned for the future?
KS: lots and lots of photoshoots and weddings (i love weddings) and maybe a makeup line (who knows)

DJ: more photoshoots, more clients, weddings (I love seeing the emotions! tears of joy!), get our own studio

Anything else to add?
KS: always do what you think you can do. if you hestitate dont because you will never kno until you try.

DJ: think about challenges as a way to better yourself, if you make mistakes think of it as a lesson learned

To learn more about Artiese or book them for a photo shoot, please visit their official website here.