Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikia Joseph.
Nikia, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Where to start? I am a 23-year-old self-taught makeup artist, entrepreneur, and registered nurse from the concrete jungle of New York City. One of a kind, huh? Lol Coming from the big apple where dreams are made of, Ive always wanted to be successful. With the many hustles, I have makeup; it’s where it all started; it is my very first hustle and my first love. My love for makeup started at a very young age; I remember being in middle school sneaking in my mom’s room putting on her eyeliner and mascara and then trying to hurry up and take it off before I came home from school. EPIC FAIL, I got caught every single time. I never could figure out how she always knew when I was in her makeup but now looking back; I realize I probably had the infamous ” not washing off all your eyeliner properly raccoon eyes.” Fast forward to my high school days, 10th grade to be exact, I decided that I wanted to do makeup on other people because I loved it so much. It all started with me practicing on friends and family; then when I felt a little more comfortable, I started charging 20$ for a full face. As years went on, I went to college, and makeup was my side hustle to help me get through, As with anything, practice makes perfect, so as time went on my craft improved and bigger gigs started to come my way (i.e., weddings, photoshoots). I never even thought I would get to the point where people would want little ole me apart of their big day or even trust me enough to showcase my talent on their face. Now here I am 8 years later, makeup is still my passion and my hustle. It saved me plenty of times when times were hard, and it got me through college. It doesn’t get any better than this; I get to not only make money but most importantly make people feel beautiful and confident when they get out of my chair. If you’re not feeling yourself when you get out of my chair, then I haven’t done my job. Ive came a long way in this makeup artistry game and I still have a long way to go, I literally can’t wait to see where I’ll be with makeup artistry in another eight years.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Makeup is my art. A lot of people don’t realize that makeup is a form of art. It can be simple and natural, bold, and dramatic or anything in between. Makeup artists use different brushes, and color to create different looks on a canvas. Our canvas are faces; each canvas will never be the same. Everybody is different and unique, which makes what I do so much more fun and interesting. There’s no better feeling than making someone feel beautiful and confident about themselves. Seeing a client’s face light up when they see themselves in the mirror for the first time after Im done with their face is the most rewarding feeling ever. I meet and talk to so many girls that say they want to be makeup artists, but they are too afraid to start because they feel they are not “good.” I say, just DO IT, sis! Challenge yourself; all you have to do is start small. Practice on friends and family, make sure to always have fun and make sure to practice in order to perfect your craft. What I had to realize over the years is that makeup is not permanent it can be wiped off, so there’s no need to be hard on yourself.. If you mess up all you have to do is wipe it off and start over again.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I believe you have reached success when you are able to wake up every day and live comfortably doing what you love to do without a worry in the world. There are many qualities that are essential for success, but one quality that I feel is very important Is patience. Success doesn’t come; you have to stay down for the come up. If you continue to work hard, strive to be the best you can be and know that one day your time is coming nothing can stop you.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can see all my work on Instagram @Nikijayy; I post all the clients I do on there. Support is 100% free; you don’t have to necessarily book with me to support me. You can easily recommend me to someone, repost a picture of my work, or just a simple like on my work photos will make me happy.
Contact Info:
- Email: nikiajoseph@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/nikijayy
- Twitter: Twitter.com/nikijayy
Image Credit:
Nikia Joseph , James Pennie Photography
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