Ciara Myst is Indianapolis’ shapeshifting superstar on social media, too

This story is part of IndyStar’s ongoing series highlighting local influencers. Got a favorite you want to see featured? Nominate them here. 

In reality TV’s modern era, the end of the competition is far from the end of the game. The real work for contestants begins outside the TV bubble, phone back in hand and internet access restored.  

Social media is where reality TV contestants like Ciara Myst can hit their stride. Indianapolis’ “shapeshifting superstar” finished 11^th on season 18 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” but Myst, a Purdue University graduate and Indianapolis resident with roots in Indy Drag Theater, has since parlayed deep Indy roots and momentum from the show into steady work and new projects capped with a headlining performance at this year’s Indy Pride. 

Ciara Myst, 32, is a drag artist who gained a national profile as a contestant on the most recent season of “Drag Race,” the Emmy-winning reality competition show where drag performers contend for the title of America’s next drag superstar. With a lifelong love of drawing, comic books and horror movies and a background as a special effects makeup artist, Myst began experimenting with drag while still living in Atlanta. She moved to Indianapolis during the pandemic and quickly became a staple in the local drag scene, building her resume for years before getting the “Drag Race” nod.  

With a lifelong love of drawing, comic books and horror movies and a background as a special-effects makeup artist, Myst first tried drag in 2019 while living in Atlanta and began pursuing it seriously in 2021. She moved to Indianapolis during the pandemic and quickly became a fixture in the local drag scene.

More: Meet the Indy drag queen competing for the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ crown

Since the show, Ciara Myst has ramped up her already-active Instagram account (@the_ciara_myst) and YouTube channel (@the_ciara_myst) taking fans behind the scenes of her drag. She sat down with IndyStar to dish on her “Drag Race” experience, her rules for handling online hate and why she’s sticking around in Indianapolis for a while.

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Question: How did you get started in drag? What were those early  days like?

Answer: I started as what you might call a “bedroom queen.” I was on YouTube doing a series called “Dabbling in Drag” where I was, every month, building a look head to toe, curating and art directing a photoshoot as a way to propel my own artistry and challenge myself beyond just, “What could I do if and when I want to do this?” Having that schedule and challenging myself to do something new every month is really what built Ciara Myst aesthetically from the ground up.  

It wasn’t until all of the Covid bans were lifted that we started to convene with the community here. Being a transplant from Atlanta meant we didn’t know a lot of the folks in the queer community yet, so we were eager to make those types of connections. It was through an organization called Indy Drag Theater that my partner and I auditioned for “Into the Woods.” That was the gateway for us to meet so many other artists in the community as well as for me to start my performance career here. I had been a performer on stage my whole life, so that was not something new to me. That unlocked the ability for me to engage with the community at large. Then it was performing at Almost Famous, it was hosting gigs. From there it was just sort of, “I’m really loving this. How can I continue to expand on this?”  

You’re consistently active on social media, and you post plenty of behind-the-scenes content and fun extras. Where do you get the inspiration for these ideas, and do you consider yourself an influencer? 

I love creating content. I’ve always loved YouTube. I’m a millennial, so YouTube was kind of the bread and butter of what we were doing with the little handi-cam, just throwing videos together. That aspect of capturing art for fun and sharing it with others was something I always enjoyed. Starting drag, I was like, “This is a place where I can do this.” It became sort of my first stage. 

The title “influencer” feels a little strange to me. For folks out there who want to be an influencer, just be yourself. Any influence that I have on other folks is just a byproduct of my artistry and being who I am. I don’t want to persuade people to go and buy something.  

As social media and content creation and influencing have all become these career paths, drag queen trajectory has also found itself on that path. In order to have longevity, there is now an entire digital platform that most people have to curate. Historically, it was bar performances or theater venue or cabaret or whatever. The digital audience is just a new avenue for folks to perform.  

We have to talk about “Drag Race.” How was your experience on the show? Was it strange to see yourself on TV in real time? 

“Drag Race” was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. It sounds so cheesy, hokey pokey to say that, but I think so many people assume that you go on this TV show and you either come home a winner or you come home traumatized. For me, I was neither. It was like summer camp in the best way possible. To go no phones, which was a gift, and create art every day with a group of artists that I adore and that have become my best friends was such a special, unique experience.  

When you go to “Drag Race,” you relinquish a lot of control in the challenges and what you’re doing, in how you’re going to be presented to the world and how the world is going to react to you. Those are three layers that you sacrifice control, and those things define how the world is going to receive you. It’s a very unique, liberating and challenging experience to say, “I have to be comfortable with whatever happens on this, and I have to be myself no matter what.” 

“Drag Race” is an exciting opportunity, (but) it is a gig. We (the season 18 cast) approached it like, “Yes, this is a great platform. It is an exciting opportunity. It is also a job. It’s a gig.” Folks maybe assume that you go on this show and your whole life is changed and you move to New York, you move to LA, you’re in Hollywood and “Drag Race” is giving you all of these things. Those people worked to get those things. “Drag Race” was just an introduction for us. 

“Drag Race” comes with a very engaged fanbase. How did you handle all the sudden attention online as your season was airing, specifically negative comments?  

Indianapolis Drag queen Ciara Myst shares her top three accounts to follow

Indianapolis Drag queen Ciara Myst shares her top three accounts to follow in a video highlighting her favorite creators and influences

You have to create very intentional boundaries. And you will not do that. You will break your boundary, and then you will get your fi-fi’s hurt, and then you’re like, “That’s why I needed to create that boundary.” We’re excited by the idea of like, “Oh my gosh, I want to hear what people think about this.” There is an overwhelming amount of positive, but the loudest voices online are the ones who are passionately disgruntled, who have access to a computer and a lot of free time and need to turn in their homework. 

There was an excitement when this project was coming out, and then very quickly you are exposed to the negative comments about you or anything that you do. It can be very discouraging, so a lot of us talked about ways to create digital boundaries around what types of comments could come into our feed, what types of comments we could see online, what types of websites could we access. That way, when you’re kind of lonely and you’re like, “What did people think about this?” Your internet is like, “Baby, we set the boundary months ago. You don’t need to look for this.”  

I treat my internet like my house. If you want to come to my house, knock on my door and tell me, “I hate that thing that you did, and I think you’re ugly and terrible at makeup.” That’s pretty bold. Most people feel very safe to do that in a digital way. Don’t come to my house and leave hate mail. Don’t graffiti my wall. Don’t leave negativity here because I don’t have room for it.  

Your drag is very intertwined with political activism. Was this always a goal for you? 

In school, we were always taught to be aware of politics. It wasn’t something that I was necessarily as staunchly involved in as I am now. I think the first segue was coming into my queerness and realizing that there is an importance to your community, to your fellow people that comes being queer. A lot of that is respect for the history of where we come from and the people who fought for access to things that I can take advantage of now. 

I think drag just doubled down on it. When I think about the people who were the pillars of the community or the pioneers, it is the trans people who come before us. It is the drag queens. It is the drag artists. Drag offers the community a reason to gather. When it comes to spreading information, sharing education, sharing resources, drag shows were the place to do that. I knew if I was to participate in the art form of drag, it couldn’t just be to be the most beautiful person in the room — that’s just a given. It had to be a commitment to championing the causes of queerness and being an ally to all other marginalized communities. 

Reality TV contestants often move to New York or Los Angeles after their shows air in search of bigger opportunities, but you’ve remained in Indianapolis. Why? 

BeelzeBabe is a fabulous king here in Indy, and he said, “They already have it in New York. They already have it in LA. Why should the people of Indiana or wherever not have access to amazing art just because they don’t live in one of those hubs?” I thought that was such an astute answer because people here crave creativity. They crave art.  

The philosophical answer is that we need great art here in Indiana, and I would be humbled to be a part of that. And I’ve been so privileged to participate in amazing art here already. The practical answer is we’re just a hop skip out of “Drag Race.” People think you go on TV and you’re a millionaire. That reality is not true. We are still building and growing our work and our business. Where that takes us is to be determined, but the home right now for us is Indianapolis, and I love that. I have a drag family here. I have an amazing community here. To choose to take a chance and move on the “what if” of where we go doesn’t feel as enticing as somebody who’s in their 30s.  

You’ve said you want to help revitalize the Indianapolis drag scene. Have you seen any progress, and do you think your “Drag Race” run is helping the city gain traction? 

In decades’ past, we had many other avenues for drag to happen in Indianapolis. That’s simply not the case anymore.  

There are so many systemic things that need to adjust in order to make Indianapolis a sustainable hub for drag artistry. We’re at such an interesting crossroads where there’s so much drag but there’s so few places for people to consume it. The younger folks who are excited about drag on TV, they’re not as excited about going out in public, or going to a bar and paying cover as they are gathering with their friends and watching it on TV. Live drag, local drag is suffering, especially under the current climate. 

I was hopeful that we would see more excitement come out of my TV appearance, and we did see that. That’s the change that brought me a lot of joy. There were more folks who found pride in Indiana than maybe there were before. We saw people have that passion and enthusiasm when they knew there were Hoosiers on TV. The trick is how to capture that all the time. It’s not just the Hoosiers on TV, it’s the Hoosiers who are performing Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday at your local bar.  

Fast facts: Who is @the_ciara_myst? 

Name: Ciara Myst 

Age: 32 

Hometown: Indianapolis 

Content: Drag, makeup, fashion, pop culture 

Favorite Indy spots: Tsaocaa, Beauty 4 U, Monon Trail  

Three local creators she recommends: Indy Drag Theater (@theindydragtheater), Haus of Diva, Pancha’s Penthaus (@penthaus69) 

Advice to potential creators: Be yourself, and don’t give any energy to the negative comments.  

Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman at hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.