NIKIA PHOENIX

Tell us about your story. Who is Nikia in a nutshell?

I am a dreamer who does her best to bring my dreams to life. Over a decade ago, I made this special trip from the east coast to LA and my life hasn’t been the same since. I love and create and positively change the world one breath at a time.

How was it growing up?

Growing up was a mixture of haze and confusion. I know that I had happy moments, but I felt like an alien most of the time due to my freckles. Yes it was trying, but I wouldn’t change anything. I needed to go through all of that to be the human being I am now.

When and how did modeling start for you?

The idea of being a model started in my teens. I wanted to be a supermodel like Naomi, Tyra, or
Veronica Webb. My official professional break came once I moved to Los Angeles 13 years ago. It was the right time at the right place when a morning coffee and bagel run turned into my first modeling job. I thank God for that day.

As a model working in the industry, has anyone ever asked you to cover your freckles? How did you react to it?

When I first started in this business, makeup artist were still using heavy foundation on models and I did remember a few of them trying their darndest to cover my freckles. It was horrendous. I also remember an instance when a magazine retouched all of my freckles from an image. It changed the structure of my face. I didn’t recognize myself. That’s not something I ever want to experience again.

What are your thoughts on people drawing on freckles and people getting freckle tattoos?

To be completely honest, I’m not a fan. Freckles are not a trend or a makeup fad. There are many of us who don’t choose to have them, yet we do. That unique beauty isn’t something you can take on and off like a shirt you’ve worn all day. For me, it’s my actual skin.

What is your definition of beauty?

Beauty is an energy that exudes from our bodies, our spirits, and nature. It can be seen, heard, felt. Beauty is more than a state of being. It is a an intoxicating feeling and anyone who experiences it is forever changed.

Tell us more about Black Girl Beautiful. What is it about?

Black Girl Beautiful is this idea that is ever evolving. It started as my love letter to Black women and has grown to be a movement to support and uplift our community. Black Girl Beautiful isn’t just one person’s dream, it’s all of ours.

We commend you for your positive force in the industry and in the social media world. Are there any tips that you can share to young people out there on how to be more positive and how to love themselves more?

I know that it can be so hard to silence the negative thoughts and voices you hear whether they’re critiquing your work or criticizing you. Begin and end each day by showing yourself love. That may be writing in a journal or saying affirmations. Know that you are loved and you are worth all that love.

What usually keeps you busy and how do you balance your time?

I stay busy doing my best to make my imagination reality. As of late I’ve been very intentional about how I spend my time. I’m not wasting any more energy on things that don’t nourish me and help me get to the next level. Balance means I listen to my heart and tell my head to follow suit.

If you’re gonna be a book, what type of book will you be?

That’s an interesting question. I would be a book of love poems, most definitely. I am a hopeful
romantic.

If you’re going to have the chance to support any charity/organization/person, what/who would it be and why?

I gladly support an organization right now called St. Anne’s that provides aid to women and young mothers in Los Angeles. I appreciate the mission and the many lives the organization is able to touch. I believe we have to show girls who are often overlooked and their families extra love. They are not only our future, they are our now. We can’t neglect them because by neglecting them we are neglecting ourselves. We are one big community.