Daily Inspiration: Meet Nikki Carmela Peters

Hi Nikki Carmela, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in South Florida, I started off as a theater major. I was always the type to enjoy the limelight, but also found myself helping others backstage simultaneously… I’ve always had a love for beauty, film, horror, monsters, etc. and thus began my journey into my career as a makeup artist.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve endured many struggles along the way, but I’ve never let that stop me. I believe every struggle in life is a learning lesson to allow us to persevere. Especially as an artist, the best content always stems from life-altering experiences that allow us to truly express ourselves. Summer of 2017, I had a life-threatening experience. My life was put in harms way and I was in a tragic accident which forced me to remove a lot of toxicity from my life. In doing so, I was able to see more clearly what I wanted in life. About a month after my accident, I booked my first New York Fashion Week gig and many other opportunities began to open up to me. That was also the first year I began my #creeptober series. Fast forward three years, I managed to uproot my life and move across the country to Los Angeles where I’ve always wanted to be and I’ve never been happier. It’s really all about perspective. You can either let a struggle bring you down, or you can rise from it and find the good.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a makeup artist and creative designer/director. I specialize in everything from editorial, clean beauty, FX, glamour, horror, kink art, dark beauty, etc. And I’m known for creating weird beauty and storytelling through my art. I’ve had the privilege of working with independent artists in bringing their visions to life as far as visual aesthetics to match their sound. As well as working with beauty brands to bring a vision to life. I’ve always prided myself to be a great listener and people person which has definitely helped me when creating for clients. I guess you’d say what sets me apart from your typical “makeup artist” is that to me, it’s more than just “makeup”. I dive deep into my art. I create and entire vision, the mood behind the look, the vibe, the story. As far as what I’m most proud of, honestly anytime I can create art and truly express myself is an accomplishment. Recently, I was very proud of my #creeptober this past October. I developed four short horror stories and displayed them in editorial horror imagery along with my fellow creative Alexander Thomas.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I think what matters to me the most is human connections. I feel like yes, love, family, friends, happiness, etc. are all very important to me in life, but above all these all link down to connections. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without having deep connections with people. Good or bad, people come into our lives for different reasons and mold us into the person we are and the person we want to become. Even the bad connections, the heartbreak, especially as an artist, are essential in reaching our fullest potential.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.nikkicarmela.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Nikkicarmela

Image Credits
@alexanderthomas.psd @roxyfaithalexandria @_stylzz_