Today we’d like to introduce you to Piper Baldwin
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 how you got started?
I started my journey with makeup when I was 11 years old in Kansas City, MO. One night, I watched the 1973 movie “The Exorcist,” which featured Dick Smith’s incredible makeup work. At 2:00 am during summer break, I tried to turn myself into Regan; there was no going back from this. Getting more into makeup, I obsessed over different movies for their makeup, which introduced me to Rick Baker and Ve Neill when I was 12. They have guided my career for a long time with how much they continue to inspire me.
I started doing makeup looks every single day. I’d go to school in the mornings, and in the afternoons, I had softball practice. When I’d get home after all that, I would sit in front of a mirror and just paint myself or build DIY prosthetics out of cotton and latex or whatever I had on hand for hours. I’d melt down my mom’s candles with crayons for blood effects—anything I could use before my parents decided they would take me to the only theatrical costume store in downtown KC where they had a Ben Nye counter. I went crazy for it, getting to talk to the employee about all the different products and getting to buy the products I had dreamed about, which are now common in my everyday kit.
I continued to practice makeup every day, which then led me to work in New York at 16 years old for The Dysfunctional Theatre Co., creating a calendar for them of mythological women. This was my first taste of understanding I could turn this into a full career.
I played a lot of sports in my childhood—seven, to be exact. When I was 17, I got injured in softball and had to undergo ulnar nerve surgery on my right arm. I had two choices at that point: if I kept going with sports, I’d shred my arm up even more and one day might not be able to even throw a ball again, or save my arm, focusing on and retraining it in physical therapy for my art, and one day get to play catch with my future kids. The choice was obvious, even though I was going to miss the sport, my coaches, and my team. My art was more important to me. I already knew, even going to college softball camps and getting scouted, that I wanted to go to college for Makeup.
During this time, I was still in high school, and I met my high school sweetheart. Our story is complex, but the important part is that he was kicked out by his family and became homeless. He never expressed this to me until it became apparent to me I was never taking him home at the end of the night, always a friend’s place. After I found out, he moved in with me in my room at my dad’s place. He has been one of my biggest supporters ever since, fueling my determination to be successful for us. I wanted to get him and I out of Missouri and out of the place that, without going into too much detail, took so much from us physically and mentally.
In my junior year of high school, at 17, I got an interview with Vancouver Film School, a school I had dreamed about since I was 12. Only 20 people were accepted into each class, and I finally got the CONGRATULATIONS call. I was over the moon. This meant I could get us out of Missouri and move to Vancouver, Canada, although I had to wait until I graduated high school. Still, I had secured our future.
During my time at VFS, I had a teacher, Amy Van Wormer, who inspired me everyday just within who she was as a human. She then introduced me to Jaime Leigh McIntosh’s podcast called “The Last Looks Podcast.” I was obsessed. I typically would show up an hour and sometimes two hours before class to prep or talk with teachers or listen to the podcast. A specific two-part episode by Howard Berger on the podcast struck a chord with me. I listened to it on repeat at least once every day. His words, “It’s not going to all happen overnight, you know? It’s just a mindset, you know? You got to just get into it and go like, this is what I got. It’s got to be in your blood too. Like you have to be like, you’re going to die if you don’t do makeup or makeup effects or hair or what have you,” resonated deeply.
Another quote that stuck with me was when Howard talked about newer or younger makeup artists: “They got to step up to the plate. It’s not going to be handed to you. You don’t deserve anything. Nobody deserves anything. Everybody has to earn it, you know? And that’s a word I hate, deserve.”
From The Last Looks Podcast: 48. Howard Berger – Makeup Designer (pt.1), Feb 26, 2022
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-looks-podcast/id1510644467?i=1000552316958
These words drove me through the ups and downs at VFS. I knew my career wouldn’t be handed to me. I was obsessed with makeup, monsters, and transforming humans into characters. I loved how a movie character, even one far from human, could evoke emotions in a theater full of people through the collaboration of makeup and the actor. I wanted to move people with my art in collaboration with others. I graduated from VFS with my diploma in Makeup Design for Film and Television in December 2022.
After I graduated, I had to move back to Kansas City, MO because my student visa was up, and we couldn’t stay in Canada anymore. Once my fiance and I moved back, we decided we were going to take that year to work our butts off to make as much money as we could to survive in LA. I was working 20 hours on and 4 hours off. During those 4 hours, I was driving to one of the jobs, sleeping, or eating. My fiance was working 60+ hours a week for overtime just to get that extra pay.
During this year of work in 2023, The Last Looks Podcast announced they were hosting a mentorship program where if you posted a makeup and in the caption explained why you should be picked, you’d be entered in the “contest,” pretty much. I entered, hoping and waiting to see if I’d get picked by anyone. I did lie on the application, saying I was already out in LA, hoping that would help my chances of getting picked.
Unfortunately, I had work the day they were announcing who was picked, but my fiance sat there glued to the screen. As each mentor went through the names of the mentees they chose, mine still hadn’t come up until they got to the last surprise, last-second mentor, Brian Sipe, who picked out individually the people he wanted to mentor. That’s when I heard my name. My heart stopped when I saw the live announcement. I knew I had finally gotten the opportunity I had been working so tirelessly for. Brian had held a churn and burn for his mentees, which allowed me to fly out to LA for my first time ever. For five days, I didn’t sleep; I was learning from him around the clock to the point I didn’t realize the churn and burn was over. I thought we were only on day 3.
This is the first time I heard Brian say, “What will you do with your 24 hours?” I live by that now, still a year later. I think about that quote every day to myself: “What am I gonna do with my 24 hours today in makeup?” Brian was kind enough to extend the menteeship long-term if people wanted to stay. Unfortunately, I had to fly back to KC, but I told him I’d return. I took the rest of that year to work, and on January 6th, 2024, we made the move to LA in our RV. I knew we didn’t want to lose all our money to LA rent, so we condensed down and packed our lives and my makeup kit into a 38ft RV and moved. When I got here, I messaged Brian letting him know I finally made it out here. He was gracious enough, even a year later after the initial churn and burn, to allow me to continue to learn and practice in his home/shop out back. I went every single day at the beginning of this year until I actually started getting some jobs. Now, I try to go every day that I don’t work or have a gig, I will never be done learning.
Also, during this year, I had the opportunity to take Ve Neill and Nikoletta Skarlatos’ business class for makeup and how to be an HOD. During this class, I got to meet my childhood hero. I was so nervous; my heart was pounding. She was sitting there right in front of me. In all honesty, looking back now, I had nothing to be scared of. She showed me such a kindness that I was not prepared for. Talking to her came so easily, and I enjoyed it so much. I learned so much from Nikoletta and Ve, listening to their stories and their own trials and tribulations through the industry. It truly captivated me, and I got to meet some other like-minded makeup artists in that class who are in the same position as me. With moving here, I had no friends, so getting to meet and actively make friends with people who understood the obsession and passion for this industry was priceless.
Today, I’m still soaking up knowledge like a sponge wherever I can get it, going to Brian’s as often as I can, trying to get out there and get work. Anything from monsters to aliens, high fashion editorial to period makeups—I grab what I can get, and I love every second of it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road but for the struggles I have gone through and am currently going through I’m grateful for them because there’s no success without struggle and I’ll get there one day.
A current struggle is not knowing people here in LA so I have to network a lot which is fun don’t get me wrong but I’d much rather have my nose shoved in clay sculpting or brush in hand creating cool makeups.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently do Makeup and Special Makeup effects for film and television, i specialize in special makeup effects and high fashion editorial, personally I don’t know what people know me for but I would assume makeup in general!
I am most proud of who I am becoming as an artist watching myself grow as an artist from 11- 21 years old.
What i believe sets me apart from other young makeup artists is my work ethic, drive, obsession and passion for the Makeup industry.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is my life and how it is being lived. That might sound crazy but it’s because it’s the only life I got, it’s the one chance I get on this planet to live it out in anyway I please and it’s this set time frame of I’ve already used 21 years if I live to 100 then I’ve got about 79 years left and when you go back to that quote I live by “what will you do with your 24 hours” it really hits you harder when you think of this
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piper.0.3?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Personal photo- Daniel taylor (@daniel.iso)
Action shots MacDrip (@macdrip613)
