We are not one thing. None of us are solely our vocation, our position, our background, our bodies. We do, as the saying goes, contain multitudes. We are all visionaries.
We are celebrating the many things we are by talking with our doctors, opticians, and staff about all the other things they are when they’re not helping you see your best (and looking your best).
Brian Estep is one of our incredible opticians, and he’s always more than happy to help our patients and customers with their frames, lenses, contacts, and general mood lifting. Plus, his personal collection of frames is in constant rotation and always super stylish. We start this series with him, as he is an inspiration to our entire team, bringing his humor and warmth to everything he does.
“When I’m not your optician, I’m a drag queen & makeup artist.
Almost two years ago I returned to the world of drag. I performed for a number of years in Bloomington (IL), but stopped when I got to Chicago. I was intimidated by the scene and my confidence simply wasn’t there.
Since my return, I’ve performed at Berlin Nightclub and Call Bar (here in Andersonville) where I am a cast member for three of their shows. The Drag Menagerie is one of the shows I joined as a cast member, and was fortunate to co-produce as well.
I’m also a makeup artist. I work with everything from horror/special effects to drag, and even makeup design for theatre. I’m passionate about creating characters of all types. During the month of October, I do a challenge where each day has a different theme. Most artists will draw or paint, I choose to do makeup looks. I could plan elaborate looks, but I find the most satisfaction from creating looks from things I have lying around. Duct tape, card stock, bits of foam, and scraps of construction paper have created some of my favorite looks.
You know me as Brian the optician…but sometimes Charity ShareAlike takes center stage.”
Follow Brian’s incredible drag/makeup creativity on Instagram @charity.sharealike
While theatre and live performance are taking a pause during COVID, we’ve noticed Brian’s creativity hasn’t slowed down one bit.
