We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Dempster and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m originally from a small town in Southern Indiana. I had always been a creative kinda quirky kid growing up & I had several teachers throughout my life inspire me to pursue a creative career along with immediate family members. My mom & her parents were a MASSIVE influence on me growing up. They were always buying me sketch books, makeup, painting sets & anything else you can imagine.

Mr. Richards was one of my very first art teachers in elementary school & he made a massive impact on my life growing up & he always went out of his way to challenge me during in school projects. He pulled me aside on my last day of elementary school & gave me a massive pep talk about how he wanted me to stay creative & think about becoming a artist. From that moment on I knew I wanted a creative career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think a lot of my love for makeup began when I was a kid. Getting into my moms makeup bag & rummaging through her stash to find the brightest lipstick I could was exciting for me. When I was in High school my mom was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer & when her hair started falling out she wasn’t sure how to wear makeup. Without lashes, eyebrows & hair it takes a toll on people & their confidence. I started playing seriously with makeup on my mom & learning a lot of what works/doesn’t work. By the time I was a senior I was doing my friends makeup for prom & all the dances. YouTube wasn’t really a place to go look up tutorials at the time so it was A LOT of trial & error. But by the time I was in college I was doing makeup on my friends & some kids in the fashion department. I loved makeup & how it made people feel but I never envisioned it as a career for myself.

When I moved out to Colorado to attend art school I got side gigs with face painting & Halloween houses. By the time I had graduated from college I had done several weddings, photo shoots & so much more.

The struggles I faced while in college was limited by experience & knowing the right people at the right time as cliché as that sounds it’s 100% true. I struggled competing with more mature artist & competing with their names. With age comes experience & a father reach.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As perfect as the timing is my best friend is coming out to Colorado to visit in exactly a month from now! We’re all taking a girlfriend trip up to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It is such a beautiful place to visit & perfect for a relaxing getaway. Our favorite thing about Glenwood Springs is that you can go up there 100 times & it always has this new feel to it.

My personal favorite hang out spot up there is Iron Mountain Hot Springs. It is literally a slice of heaven and n Earth. The individual hot springs next to a slow running river with a blanket of stars against a night sky are absolutely serene.

Not to mention the cute little town is absolutely amazing during the day. Lots of trails to hike, a small amusement park nestled on the top of a mountain & so much more. Little slice of perfection hidden in Colorado.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom is my driving force behind my creative career. She always is behind me 100% in whatever crazy adventure I decide to take on. When I told her I wanted to go to art school & learn as much as I could about art & creating she told me to do whatever I wanted as long as I was happy. I have had a lot of amazing experiences in the creative world whether it is creating art for bands and brands, makeup looks for clients or anything in between she has been my biggest support systems my entire life. Without her I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.

Instagram: Tooglam2giveadayum

Facebook: Rachel Dempster

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.