TikTok Influencer Liza Runscay Has Always Had the Passion to Create
In Art in Self, we speak to five creators whose art take the forefront of their self-expression. For 18-year-old Russian influencer Liza Runscay, makeup, fun hair, and interesting clothes are a way of bringing her creative process to everyday life.
18-year-old Russian influencer Elizaveta Runscay (or Liza, for short) is recognised on TikTok for her colourful, ever-changing hair and alternative makeup looks. While she first downloaded the app two years ago out of boredom and the lack of social interaction caused by lockdowns, the young TikTokker has since gained over 2.4 million followers.
Unlike other beauty influencers on the app, Runscay doesn’t quite view herself as a creative person. “I do have taste and enthusiasm, but I’m not the person with much imagination and I’m not one to come up with mind-blowing ideas,” she elaborates. “Most of the time, I take something that many, many people did before me and just give it my own twist.” Hopping on the trend (as TikTok is known for), so to speak.
“It’s all about analysing what does well on other accounts and trying to get on the trend while it’s still not gone,” says Runscay. “Creating a video is not that hard, but making a video that would do well on the platform is a completely different story. You just have to learn to sense when something is getting popular and jump on it.”
Though she may not see herself as one, many of Runscay’s followers still look up to her as a figurehead of bold and artistic self-expression.
What is the most fulfilling part of being a young creative on social media? Are you in a community of like-minded people there?
I think it’s an interesting question because social media really did create a community for people like me. I never really had many friends growing up, but right now I have a lot of people around me who I came to know because of TikTok. Platforms like these help find creative minds – interesting people who have interesting stories to tell. The internet makes us all closer and helps us get inspired by each other, even if we live in completely different places.
Where did your penchant for makeup and hairstyling come from?
To be honest, I have no idea. As a kid, I always had a passion to create – even if I wasn’t any good at what I was doing. I tried a lot of hobbies. I think makeup, fun hair, and interesting clothes are a way of bringing that creative process to everyday life. As for the skills, it’s all just pure practice. You can’t convince me that there are people who did their makeup perfectly right from the start. Just like anyone else, I had to go through many stages of bad makeup decisions. I’m still learning and finding ways to get better because you never know too much and there’s always room for growth.
Have you ever questioned your identity growing up?
I grew up in a society as all of us do. Throughout my teenage years, I had to face the fact that most people won’t like you unless you fit in. I still don’t quite understand where that line is between fitting in and looking weird. I remember when I was around 12, maybe 13, I would dress up in my room and I would think, “I could never walk out of the house looking like this.” I always had this voice in my head telling me, “What would people think?” and “What kind of looks would you get if you walked out like this?” This wasn’t really about clothes, it was about every aspect of life. I don’t want to lie, I still have this voice in my head, but it just got so much quieter to the point that it sounds like a mouse is squeaking and it just sounds funny to me.
Do you think creative individuals see beauty differently from others?
I think, for the most part, the definition of beauty has been dictated to us. Most people didn’t even have the chance to discover what they actually like because they got overpowered by society’s standards and lost all motivation to search for their own point of view. Maybe if we all started listening to our own opinions more than the opinions of others, the word “beauty” would have a completely different meaning.
With that being said, what is your definition of beauty?
Something free, something that was created purely out of passion. Beauty is something that comes straight from a person’s mind before it gets mutilated by other people’s opinions. It’s something that comes from excitement, self-love, and self-confidence. Beauty is honestly so precious and it’s so easy to break, and sometimes just one word is enough to make it shatter.
