Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikk Alcaraz.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about what you do?
I am a Food Artist, Craftsperson and Content Creator on social media. I love nothing more than empowering and mystifying my audience and clients using peculiar and whimsical creations. As the founder of Practical Peculiarities, a creative hub for peculiar food and DIY’s, I take pride in cultivating a unique platform where food meets art, magic meets reality and practical meets peculiarity.
Native to Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised by my grandmother who had an affinity for Halloween, it was inevitable that her passion for peculiar things would pass on to me. In addition, I just so happen to be a (super)natural-born artist and foodie. Since a young age I liked to dabble in as many creative endeavors as possible. With that as my base, it ultimately became the catalyst for me to move to Los Angeles in 2014 to earn my BFA. From there, I worked at a 9-5 for a couple of years as well as performed as an actor, and taught kids crafts. But I’m sure you have guessed, my ignited passion to create peculiar art inspired me to finally quit my day job and pursue my art full-time.
Fast forward to today, I am the founder of Practical Peculiarities, a creative hub for peculiar food and day. The platform was developed in memory of my grandmother who gave me my peculiar roots. Since then, I have created tons of DIY Food Art concepts ranging from peculiar cakes, treats, and crafts and have also worked with many notable companies on adding a bit of whimsy to their brands such as Netflix, Target, Box Lunch, and HGTV Handmade. I have been fortunate enough for my videos to have reached international audiences, received recognition by the press, and have gained the attention (more than once) of Gordon Ramsay himself. Along with that, my content landed the rising star award presented by Box Lunch and a spot on the show Craftopia on HBO Max. I WON!!!
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?
It was not always a smooth road. I quit my job in July of 2020 to pursue an artistic career during the pandemic. In that time, I was living off savings, selling my art on Etsy, doing a bit of background work, and making TikTok’s. It was a lot of work, but doing it all on my own time was all worth it for me. I didn’t have to answer to anyone, nor was I put in a creative box. I was making art from the heart, and that was all that mattered.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make elaborate and peculiar food and DIY videos on social media. My social media career kicked off January of 2021 after I made a viral video that put me on a lot of radars. The video was entitled “You’re the apple of my eye!” and it was essentially an apple cherry eye pie. (A heart-shaped apple pie with an eye in the middle) This video helped me get exposure in places that I could only dream of. Since then, I’ve been able to make content creation my career.
The videos are dark and elegant in mood. They often start with me doing something drastic like crushing a fully decorated cake or gouging out an apple. From there, the 15-30 second videos walk the viewer through steps of the creation with a creepy but calming voiceover. The shots are both satisfying and questionable in a good way. It all leads up to me saying “And Bam”(camera flash) and I present a perfect piece of peculiar art, most times edible, that ends up being something completely different than what I started the video with.
Making these videos helped me get discovered by the casting director of Craftopia. Which I was fortunate enough to be on and win! The show is on HBO Max and is hosted by Lauren Riihimaki @Laurdiy
In the show three contestants had to create a holiday tree topper and a holiday mini town in a short time frame for the chance to win $10.000.
You can catch me on Craftopia on HBO Max Season 2 Episode 5 “Make it Train”
What are your plans for the future?
I hope to write a bake-book this year as well as getting further in my social media career. Last year I was invited to talk about “Creating a World Through the Lens” at a High School. It warms my heart when the students tell me how much I inspired them. I would love to have more opportunities to do things like that. I love inspiring and motivating others to live their lives creatively because it has changed my life in so many ways. Overall, peculiar food art has an intrinsic power, one that stems much farther than the taste buds themselves. When done correctly, magic can be made from the simplest of ingredients.
Contact Info:
- Email: Practicalpeculiarities@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/practicalpeculiarities/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@nikkalcaraz
Image Credits
Connorclaytonphotography Weston Reindl Nickolas James
