You might find junior Gillian Lindstrom adding finishing touches to her massive painter’s tape mural of Trico, the half-bird, half-beast star of a game as jubilantly eclectic as her personality. Or you might find her wandering the hallways in elegant vintage fashion, her bright shock of hair adding a sharply modern touch. You are equally as likely to spy her crouching behind a filmmaker’s camera, tinkering with elaborate visual puns in Photoshop, or swing dancing with her violin case slung over her shoulder. In other words, Lindstrom is sure to be wherever and whenever art spontaneously happens.
A LeClaire native, Lindstrom came to PV in second grade, after which she was quickly immersed in the district’s creative culture. She started taking elective art and music classes in junior high; now, she is enrolled in Advanced Drawing and participates in the orchestra program on violin. She has also taken Art 1, Drawing, Painting, Photography and Computer Graphic Design, and she hopes to take AP Studio Art and Ceramics next year. “I really appreciate the wide variety of art opportunities at PV,” she said. “I wish there were more, but I appreciate what I can get.”
Outside of school, Lindstrom creates those opportunities whenever she can, sewing, filming and writing her own screenplays. Her greatest love, however, is makeup. “I mess around with makeup all the time, whether it’s SFX makeup or beauty,” said Lindstrom. “It’s the perfect way to express yourself – you can tell so many stories with just one sweep of the brush.” One look at her personal Polaroid album or her makeup Instagram page – @geistcosplays – tells thousands: here is an uncannily realistic approximation of a celebrity’s face, complete with signature hair and stubble; here is a soft eyeliner wing that branches into a sea of hooks and flowers; here is a vibrant, David Bowie-esque pop daydream of sparkling neons and rainbow highlights. She also enjoys curating costumes and cosplays that match new makeup styles. “Actually, I’m going to Ragged Records tonight to get vintage clothing for a look I’m trying out. I’m a little bit obsessed,” she said.
After high school, Lindstrom wants to bring her penchant of telling stories in unconventional ways to the big screen. “I want to go to college to be a director,” said Lindstrom. “I want to tell stories that mix fiction and nonfiction – I really want to do a Marvel movie, but will they still be doing those in 10 years?” she said, laughing. As of now, though, Lindstrom is sticking to small projects and entering her first competitions. “It’s been slow but exciting,” she said.
No matter which way she explores art, one thing is certain – Lindstrom is a buoyant creative force with a lot of big stories ahead of her.
