We were lucky to catch up with Nika Geneva recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nika, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
This is one of my favorite subjects and I enjoy listening to podcasts about it often, because we always continue to grow and there are always new things to learn…this answer will be a long one :)
What it takes to be successful, in my opinion, is firstly having a clear idea of what success means to you, and not to what other people define it to be. To someone the ultimate happiness could express in being a full time parent, to another it might be touring across the world or living in solitude in the mountains… Nobody can define success for you and nor should you allow or expect anyone to do so.
Now comes the part of achieving the necessary skill and becoming extremely good at it, or as they call it “put in the work”! Find the best schools, teachers, and take time to practice!
Then comes having a plan, even just a simple one. Once you know what you want, it is time to create a system on how to achieve it. Peeking at what other successful people in your field do can be helpful, but always check in with what feels right, your gut feeling will be your best friend so learn how to tune in!
Ultimately investing in yourself is huge, like education in any form (books, courses, YouTube videos, podcasts) as well as having mentors and coaches is crucial, because it saves you tremendous amounts of time and energy! Here I’d like to point out investing is not only measured in financial transactions, but time as well.
I’d like to also touch on the mental and spiritual side of success, as much as on the physical if not more, because I believe it plays such a huge role in our lives. Taking care of your mind and body with meditation and exercise, managing stress, manifesting, tuning in and taking care of your soul will guide you and save you from mindless mistakes, illness and overload. Building resilience is so important, so you can resist the pressure of outside factors – those could be environment, society, family, negative friends and comments. People always have something to say and most of the time it is not going to lift you up! Being prepared to be flexible, so you can react fast when the world is changing around you and not stay stagnant in your old beliefs could be life saving for you, your health, your business and your well being!
I can talk about this topic forever, but I think these are some fantastic basic points and we could go deeper on each one of them another time!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I moved from Bulgaria to Los Angeles in 2010 with big dreams and $100 in my pocket! I had regular side jobs like everyone who is starting out in the Entertainment Industry and a new city (and for me a new country, haha).
Both of my parents are Artists, so I was naturally drawn to painting and drawing, which inspired me to attend art school back home. I felt like makeup is a natural continuation of painting except your canvas is not white and it is three dimensional :) So I decided to attend Marinello Makeup School in 2012. As a very social extrovert, I could not imagine myself painting alone in my studio like my parents did when I watched them creating art. So another appeal to a career as a makeup artist was the fact that we hang out with a lot of people, haha!
After finishing the first makeup class, my instructor invited me to assist her on a feature film which set my career in motion. And here I am 10 years later. I have six feature films under my belt, I have worked on shows with Brat TV, CW Seed, Vet TV, as well as in live broadcast with The Daily Wire.
Something I am most proud of this year was being hired privately by Disney Animation for the D23 Expo and working with Academy Award winning producers, animators, directors and executives. It was truly an amazing and empowering experience!
In January 2022, I rebranded into exclusively working with celebrities, public figures and private clients. What sets me apart is that I love showcasing my clients’ natural beauty in the spotlight and not mask it under layers of makeup, which has become a trend around social media and YouTube. I custom mix the foundation to match everyone’s true skin tone, and personalize the makeup according to their face shape, features and beauty goals. This way every amazing individual who sits in my chair feels confident in their own skin, whether they are walking the red carpet or in front of the camera, because their inner beauty shines through.
I am also very passionate about women empowerment and I feel like it is so important to know and love ourselves, and what could be better than embracing our own raw powerful beauty?!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Oh, I love this question! Like I said earlier we always learn, so I am so happy to share some of the books and podcasts that have helped me! I will not list them under numbers, because they have all been equally important to me!
* Delanie Fischer – this power woman is amazing! She has been my adviser, business consultant, biggest cheerleader and support through the transformation of my business, I can’t be thankful enough! She now works with mental health professionals exclusively, but she has The Self-Helpless Podcast that I strongly recommend.
* Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu – so grateful for the vast variety of amazing successful people and advice Tom brings for us!
* Tai Lopez – there is a lot of controversial talk about him, but his 67 step program has such tremendous value and it costs $67… the videos are so packed with information and wisdom, it will take you months if not years to accrue on your own. He has other valuable programs, in my opinion, but if you do not want to pay and are interested watch his videos for free on YouTube.
* Love Life with Matthew Hussey – I know this is dating advice, but hear me out… Matt talks about boundaries, how to establish and communicate them so beautifully, and I think having boundaries and respecting them in others is one of the most valuable thing you can learn not only in your personal life, but in your business as well!
* The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks – this book will show you your limiting beliefs and how to overcome them! It will help you sky rocket your potential, incredible value!
* The Silva Mind Control by Jose Silva – this book is about meditation and visualization. It will open a new realm of your subconscious and will take your mind game to the next level!
* The Secret – I recommend the movie (you can watch it for free on YouTube) but there is also a book by Rhonda Byrne! Your mind will be blown by how the laws of attraction work.
* Mind Power into the 21st Century by John Kehoe – this book is like a little compact mirror that has all the answers and wisdom of life… truly fantastic!
The list goes on haha, but I will stop here and if anyone wants to know more, please feel free to reach out to me!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being creative has always propelled me forward and brought me happiness, so I feel truly blessed to be able to express myself through my art and do that for work.
Helping people is another aspect and is such a satisfying feeling… My favorite moment is when my client’s makeup is done and they look in the mirror! That moment right there is magic, and is the reason I do what I do! Seeing someone levitating after being in my chair is truly the biggest reward to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nikageneva.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nika.geneva/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikageneva
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nika-geneva-17906b122
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/nika-geneva-beverly-hills
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7968221/
Image Credits
The PH Studios