Taking Advantage Of Downtime As A Nail Pro
"I BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. PEOPLE CHANGE SO THAT YOU CAN LEARN TO LET GO, THINGS GO WRONG SO THAT YOU APPRECIATE THEM WHEN THEY'RE RIGHT, YOU BELIEVE LIES SO YOU EVENTUALLY LEARN TO TRUST NO ONE BUT YOURSELF, AND SOMETIMES GOOD THINGS FALL APART SO BETTER THINGS CAN FALL TOGETHER."
-- MARILYN MONROE, AMERICAN ACTOR & TIMELESS CULTURAL PHENOMENON
As we continue to adjust through the surreal times of a worldwide crisis, many nail professionals find themselves with a lot of unstructured time on their hands.
Our packed daily routines have ground to a stop and yielded to a different problem set, the slow pace on the home front. The things we hold close to our hearts mean something completely different today than a month ago. Settling into the “New Normal” and hitting the pause button, how can we take advantage of this time away from the salon? Do we need to be productive at all and what should that productivity look like? We share how we’ve approached the unlimited hours that stretch ahead of us.
WAVE AND ROLL
The brain and the body are at ease with a familiar routine. What does your daily routine currently consist of? For us, it’s a continuous wave of calm, worry, curiosity and frustration. Accept all the emotions and just roll with it. Our “productivity” depends on what time we went to bed, what kind of crunch we ate, what kind of physical activity we’ve engaged in and what kind of brain games we played. There is no perfect way to be right now. What we’ve found helpful is living each day within a schedule made on our own terms with a priority of going with the flow. May your days be filled with connection to the people you love and all the things that bring you joy, emotional balance, and gratitude. If you can, make this time about you. Rest. Restore. Re-evaluate.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
We hope you’ve come into the nail industry because, like us, it’s something you truly love. We are all artists and the nail business is based on our creativity. Julia Cameron, the best selling author of The Artist’s Way, an essential guide for those seeking to unlock their creativity, reminds us that, “Art is not about thinking something up. It is the opposite -- getting something down.” When the time feels right to check back into work, return to your art. Get really curious and perhaps seriously nerd-out on nails, pick up a new technique or dust off a long-lost one. Fall down the rabbit hole of nail art tutorials on YouTube or Instagram Live/Stories. Practice at home. Document your journey and share it with us. Share it later with your people. Wouldn’t it be incredible to take on that thing you’ve felt the most resistance towards? If you want to, know you can.
BUTCHER, BAKER, MYLAR GLITTER NAIL MAKER
For the nail pro, whatever time you can give to your nail obsession will be time well spent. Go toe to toe with your Netflix habit. For every hour spent on Tiger King, Breaking Bad, or The Great British Bake Off, click on some nail tutorials. There are so many ways to do that now. Check out quick clips by YN mentors and longer form lessons on our daily Instagram Live sessions accessible 24 hours afterwards. We admit you might be watching more nails get done than actually doing them but allow the information to absorb into your consciousness. Expose yourself to as much stuff as possible. While we might want to focus on the negative things out of our control; our souls might be better soothed by accentuating the positive things in our lives. There is a true gift of this age of social distancing, it’s about reconnecting with ourselves and moving closer to becoming the people we are meant to be. Stay Sane. Stay Safe. Stay at home.
**This is an adaptation from our YN Biz Talk playlist on YouTube, “TAKING ADVANTAGE OF DOWN TIME AS A NAIL PROFESSIONAL .” If you are interested in the full episode, see the link below.
***Follow our YN YouTube Channel and click here to watch the full BIZ TALK discussion here:
13 April 2020