With the rise of social media came the rise of incredible talent to be shared. My Instagram is chock full of exceptional artists, working with every medium from painting to graphic design to makeup. This last year, something particularly excellent caught my eye– 21 year-old Charity Kase’s new drag looks, which appeared on my timeline daily. Charity Kase’s work is a mix between traditional drag and whimsical FX makeup, a combination that sets it apart from any other makeup on Instagram. Charity Kase’s nonstop, 365 days of drag challenge had me enamored for an entire year, so I decided to ask a few questions via Instagram.

Q: What is your name, where are you from, and how old are you?
A: I’m Charity Kase, I’m 21 years old and I’m from London, UK

Q: What peaked your interest in drag/FX makeup?
A: I wanted to turn myself into something that wasn’t from this world. I’ve always been drawn to the fantasy and the idea of magical creatures or beings and I think being able to look as though I’m snatched straight out of a different world [is] my goal!

Q: How many years of practice did it take for you to get where you are today?
A: I’ve actually only been doing drag for around 2 years! And only one year more seriously. Before 2017 drag was more of an occasional hobby and I was honestly terrible at makeup. I have come a long way since then!

Q: Why did you decide to do a new look every single day for an entire year?
A: Originally I created 100 looks in a row, mainly to challenge myself and improve said embarrassing makeup skills! When I finished the 100 days, I had received some amazing press coverage and had great feedback so [I] thought, ‘why not continue!’

Q: How much time did you have to set aside every day to finish a look? Did this commitment hinder your everyday life in any way?

A: I spent anywhere between an hour and around 5 or 6 hours on my looks per day in total. This included creating the character, making the costume/ ears/ any extra bits I needed, writing the story, doing the makeup, styling the wigs and taking the photos. Some days it was literally all I did! It really affected my social life as I was barely able to go out and see friends or go back home to see family up near Manchester. It’s really great to have more time to put into my looks now!

Q: Do you have anything to say to young artists who hope to achieve similar success?
A: Work your a** off! Push your limits and work your hardest for something and nothing and nobody can stand in your way.

Q: Our newspaper is for high school age kids. Is there anything empowering/controversial you would like to share about social media and its power over teenagers and young adults?

A: It’s scary how easy it is to become swallowed up by social media presence these days, but you have to treat it as a business and see it as an audience if you want to use it to your advantage. Once you stop believing everything you read on Facebook and start making the most of the viewers/ buyers, which are literally [at] your fingertips, then you’re on the road to success!

Answers via @charitykase on Instagram.