Beauty Lies In The Eye Of The Beholder - Tanistha Panda

TW: Depression and Anxiety 

"I met with an accident in December 2019, and broke 3 bones of my ankle. Thus, I was advised to complete bed rest for 5 months and months before  this, I had lost my father(a week prior to my boards so I had to drop that year). Soon, depression and anxiety issues started to set in. I was completely broken from inside. After battling with anxiety and mental breakdowns for three months, I researched face art, it caught my attention and I started to take more interest in it. 

First, I was  confused with what medium to use, but later got to know about the specific colours required for it. Family didn’t support me. Face art distracted me from the mental trauma. I was one of the first face artists in Odisha. Initially, people made fun of me, and passed comments like, “If you want to draw then use pen & paper, why do all this on your face?”. I did a face art on Marvel concept and people started  liking and accepting it.

My mother and I were facing financial issues, because my Father was a government teacher and had a good salary, and my mother is a private teacher in a deaf and dumb school. After I lost my father, everything fell apart.

 But, my mother is very supportive and asked me to do what I want to, and agreed to spend all the money, irrespective of the costly products required for Face Art. Nobody from the family supported us, so eventually I started earning from Instagram collaborations, to help my mother with finances. Some brands force me to buy the products and review and then they make fake promises of payment, but it becomes difficult on my end to buy so many things with this financial situation.

Now that I’m about to graduate, it’s becoming hectic to manage studies, collaborations and Face Art altogether. However, my mother and I have accepted this lifestyle now, and we are trying to do everything to keep ourselves happy and are overcoming all the hurdles. – Tanistha Panda.