I’m Brandi—a writer, makeup artist, musician and dreamer. BrandiLand is the playground
where I create and chronicle my adventures through writing, music, & art. My work explores how we can stop hiding, discover who we are, and celebrate our authentic selves. I hope you’ll leave encouraged to cultivate more creativity, vulnerability, and wonder in your life.
Creativity
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.” ―Brené Brown
I love learning about the creative process and how our brains work. I'm constantly reading and listening to podcasts that inspire me & give me practical tools to grow. From art, neuroscience, spirituality and everything in between, I'm amazed at the resources we have at our fingertips.
If you're feeling stuck or curious about how to unlock your creativity, I highly recommend starting with The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's an immersive self-led creativity workshop in book form. I first read it in 2009 and it changed my life.
For creative inspiration and more favorites, stay tuned to my instagram and diary.
Writing
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. -Maya Angelou
Words are my love language. I'm fascinated by their power and I love studying etymology to get a better understanding of where certain words and phrases come from. There's something magical about understanding the root meaning that can open up new pathways of understanding in our brains.
I'm also an avid journaler and greatly relate to Joan Didion who said, “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”
Writing, whether prose or songs has been so cathartic to me. When I was growing up, my thoughts and feelings were often misunderstood because I couldn't articulate them in real time.
Creating a daily writing practice has given me space to explore and honor my thoughts and feelings. As an introvert, empath & Enneagram 4, I've learned how important it is for me to honor and make space for all of my feelings. When I give that to myself I'm able to be more present with others and express myself more freely.
Beauty
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.” -Benjamin Disraeli
For over a decade I've been a professional makeup artist for television, commercials, music videos and special events. I love the opportunity to be part of a team and help bring stories to life.
In recent years I felt a pull to expand my work. In 2018, I founded
Révéler Beauty to help women use the power of beauty rituals and self-care practices to transform their lives and feel at home in their bodies.
I'm also clean beauty advocate & educator. I'm passionate about teaching women (and men) how switch to safe, non-toxic and eco-friendly beauty and personal care products.
Above all, I desire to be a voice that empowers women to stop chasing illusive standards and reclaim ownership of their beauty—inside and out.
If you need help revealing your unique beauty, I'd be honored to support you on your journey!
Music
"I want to paint colors that can't be erased
I want to make some noise, light up this place
And I want to believe I"ll fly if I spread my wings
More than I want to be afraid."
Music is the language of my soul. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to sing. I have a distinct memory of being on a road trip at 3 years old and singing loudly to a Madonna song in the back seat. I also remember my Dad putting on “oldies” and Motown every time we got in the car...the songs were infectious and I was hooked.
The biggest gift music has given me is its ability to heal intangible pain and provide an outlet to express feelings I didn’t know how to articulate otherwise.
Growing up I dreamed of being a singer-songwriter, but had no idea how to make it happen. After college I began taking guitar lessons and writing lyrics (which were terrible, by the way.) In 2007 I left home and moved to LA. I was in my mid 20s and was desperately trying to figure out who I was and what kind of life I wanted to create.
It took many years before I wrote a song I actually liked and thought was good enough to share with other people. After doing months of open mics, I launched a Kickstarter campaign and recorded my first EP, Tailspin, which was released in November 2012. My second EP, Another Kind of Fairy Tale, was recorded live on my birthday, March 12, 2016.
Since its release, I’ve taken some time away from writing music. I know I’m not done—heaven knows I’ve got notebooks full of lyrics that have yet to see the light of day. For now, I’m just trying to give myself space to play and fall in the love with music again—to let it work its healing magic on me, and not get hung up on producing any particular results.