Steve Douglas – the Mastermind Behind Bravo Arts

Everybody is crazy about Bravo Arts, but who’s the person behind it?

Bravo Arts is Guyana’s pioneering face and body painting company responsible for the exultant smiles on the faces of many children and facilitating vibrant marketing undertakings for big companies.

MagLYFE got a chance to chitchat with the mastermind behind this innovative business.

Cool, calm and very reserved, Steve Douglas, the mastermind behind Bravo Arts dished about growing up and how he moved from not knowing anything about face and body painting to heading the most sought after company of its kind in Guyana.

Steve is testimony to the fact that passion equals success. He considers himself an internet junkie; it is this overly addictive yet productive yearning that led to the development of Bravo Arts. Though the head of a successful business, Steve is a very humble young man who detests littering and finds perfect happiness in doing what he loves – not because it’s a job but because it is something he is very passionate about. He is also very family oriented and believes that when you surround yourself with a loving family, you’ll be very happy. He loves to be in the background but that is kind of hard sometimes, especially with running a company like Bravo Arts.

Steve lives by the quote – “I have the right to be as successful as that guy.” It is this adage that fuels his ultimate goal in life which is to have a regional (or international) face and body painting business; one that manufactures paint as well as host conferences on body art for interested persons.

What’s interesting about this story is that Steve did not intend to have a business in face and body painting; matter-of-fact he didn’t have the slightest idea as to how to apply face or body paint. But his desire to flourish and his love for the internet and learning helped him to perfect this art. He has learnt extensively about face and body painting for sites such as Google and YouTube.

Steve was facilitating at a youth camp hosted by the Lifeline Counselling Services when he was first exposed to face painting. He was thinking of something very creative to do with the children when his webpage landed him at information regarding face painting. Without wasting any time he decided to try this with the children. Nobody knew, not even Steve that this was the beginning of Bravo Arts.

He did face painting at a number of workshops including the one that allowed him his big break. Steve was spotted by the owner of Tons of Fun and because his skill meshed perfectly with her business, the two joined forces and worked together to bright smiles to the painted faces of many children. After a few jobs, Steve realised that this unique skill can easily be transformed into a booming business. So Bravo Arts was birthed in 2009! Steve not only focused on face painting but he included body painting as well.

Bravo Arts has grown over the years. Currently the company has 10 artistically inclined persons working, usually for and at various events. These individuals are persons at art school or just persons interested in art. Persons recruited are trained before they go out into the “play zone” to work.

Body painting requires a lot of work – research and preparation. And Steve ensures that when he and his team are called to execute a task, it is done to perfection. He noted that his most creative and time consuming task was a model he did for a private party held by King’s Jewellery World. The model was outfitted with gemstones (not real ones of course) which were placed one by one unto her body.

Although, we might think that face painting might be a huge hit with children, Steve states that his largest audience is the business company. Businesses use this kind of service mainly for promotions, parties or launches. His largest fan base however is young people.

As with everything, there were challenges. Steve didn’t know what to expect initially, he didn’t know how persons would react to such a service in Guyana. He was taking a gamble. A rather successful one we can conclude. He started off not getting work but eventually things progressed and he is at a very comfortable pace right now. He says that his major successes include the development of Bravo Arts’ website and his young and dynamic team helping to keep things afloat.

What’s next for Bravo Arts? Steve is looking to open an office equipped with his own photo studio and he also hopes to focus more on marketing and attracting more large companies. His sights are also on a television show and of course, we’ll be seeing lots of his work during Mashramani.

Keep up the good work, Steve!!