Today we’d like to introduce you to Piper Nelson.
Hi Piper, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m Piper Nelson, or you might know me as “piperartistry” on TikTok and Instagram. I’m a self-taught creative makeup artist.
I’ve been really passionate about all forms of art since I was a child. I was that student who signed up for every art class my school had to offer. But I didn’t start out as the adventurous makeup artist you see today. In fact, makeup entered my life during middle school, not by choice, but as a way to cope with bullying and to fit in.
I loved the power of makeup and constantly watched YouTube tutorials. I became absolutely captivated by makeup YouTubers and dreamed of starting my own channel. However, I struggled with self-confidence and didn’t believe that content creation was within my reach.
Fast forward, I pursued a double major during my undergrad years and had my sights set on law school while working in politics. It seemed like a promising path, but something was missing. Creative makeup looks kept calling to me, and I couldn’t ignore that.
After the campaign cycle, I found myself without a job, and although I considered various other positions in politics, I wasn’t truly happy. I couldn’t stop thinking about trying creative makeup and decided that I needed to give my dreams a real shot, or I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
I took a 9-5 job in insurance to have an income while I focused all my remaining energy on building my creative makeup presence on social media. It was an intense journey juggling work and my passion. But after almost two years, I took the leap of faith and left my job to pursue content creation full-time.
That was three years ago, and I can honestly say that I’ve never looked back. The decision to pursue my creative makeup dreams has been the most fulfilling and rewarding choice I’ve ever made. I’m grateful for the incredible support of my followers and for the opportunities to work with amazing brands like Xfinity for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, JCPenney for their Holiday Spectacular event, NERF, Snickers, E.l.f, Amazon, and Niantic for the launch of their new Peridot game, to name just a few.
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Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Navigating this journey hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride, but I don’t think many things in life are. Besides the obvious growing pains and challenges, one of my biggest struggles has been dealing with comparison and self-esteem.
Growing up I was frequently subjected to bullying, and that experience left me with very little self-confidence. I learned to build walls to protect myself. I grew to try to please everyone in trade for acceptance, which is not good when creating content or just navigating life in general.
There is so much content available that people really crave creators that are authentically themselves because at the end of the day, that’s the only way to truly be unique. I wasn’t confident in my ideas or interests, and I was convinced that no one else would relate to them. This self-doubt led me into a big lull in my accounts, and I found myself dissatisfied with the content I was creating.
That’s when I decided to give my unique ideas a chance. After all, if none of my videos were performing well, they might as well be ones that I genuinely enjoyed making. My pages began gaining traction, and I started to realize that other people resonated with my interests too. As time went on, I grew more and more confident in my skills and ideas, and it became easier to trust myself. However, this is a cycle that I still find myself in from time to time, and I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever fully escape. However, I’ve learned to live more and more for myself each day.
I’ve come to understand that if I create art that fills me up and aligns with my authentic self, it doesn’t matter how it’s perceived. I can only hope that my self-expression inspires something in someone else too.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a content creator on TikTok and Instagram. I do creative makeup, and I’m especially known for my creepier and more unusual looks. My love for all things Christmas blended with my inner weirdo in a series I started on TikTok in 2020 called “Creepy Christmas””. This series truly set me apart because there weren’t many people doing anything like it at the time. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mpGPPM/
I’d like to think that my personality and perfectionism are what set me apart. My audience has really accepted me and motivates me to be authentically myself, constantly supporting me along the way.
Yet, my perfectionism can be a double-edged sword. It gives me the motivation to bring my elaborate ideas to life with really big attention to detail and the determination to complete looks that can take me upwards of 26 hours straight. However, it also means I can be my harshest critic, a struggle that I’m always balancing.
I think that I’m most proud of believing in myself and starting my pages to begin with. It was something that I thought of doing for over a decade but never thought I would actually try. I cared way too much about everyone else’s opinion, and it really held me back. It was scary and vulnerable but has paid off tenfold. It has helped me grow and heal in ways I never thought possible, and I really couldn’t have done it without the support of my amazing community. They push me to open up, accept who I am, and be proud of what makes me unique. I truly am a different person today than I was before I started this creative path, and all for the better!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I think having a mentor and strong peer relationships is invaluable. They can provide amazing support, advice, motivation, a sense of belonging, and connections. I have had a business coach for the majority of my journey. My coach, Elisa Owen, completely changed my mindset and has really expedited my growth. She has been amazing to work with on strategy, goal setting, and getting clear on the decisions I’m making and why I’m making them. Dedicating specific time to talk and think about my business has really helped focus my priorities. When I was first starting out, I was really nervous to reach out to other content creators that were further along on their journey to ask for advice. However, as time went on I began messaging more and more people. A lot of people didn’t reply, but so many amazing people did. I cultivated tons of really meaningful relationships that I still have today, and I’m extremely thankful for. With networking and mentorship, I think that you really get out of it what you put into it. I have made it a huge priority to give back any advice, connections, or support to this amazing community and other creators that reach out to me. I love sharing what I have figured out or been taught to help others on their own journey.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piperartistry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/piperartistry/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@piperartistry
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@piperartistry
