Nail education...how do you like yours

I had a conversation with my mum the other day about the different opportunities today for nail techs to learn something new. We have the actual face to face workshops and seminars, DVD's and downloads, online subscribed learning. There is also the FREE stuff on YouTube too. But which one is right for you? Have you thought about how you learn, absorb the information and how you can improve this? 

Studies show that online educational programs work. In fact, students today are so used to using the internet that more and more education is now being provided online as it is effective and efficient, it facilitates an easy transference of information where as in the class room the student has more of a passive learning experience and individual learning styles could be ignored. The class structure is stricter with less freedom to absorb and practise when you're ready.  

Face to face learning and online learning is down to personal preference, and I feel the future of the nail industry will hold a place for both to be accessible readily so that your education could become a blended learning experience. 

Heading off to a workshop or class may help to commit to learning at that moment in time.    You are also surrounded (we hope) by like minded people and you are encouraged by the tutor being available if you have an issue. 
Online learning, on the other hand, may be better for certain learning styles as the learning is at a practical rate for the student. So, for instance, someone like me who likes to work quickly and prefers to work along side a demonstration, online learning means I have control of the fast forward and pause buttons. 

Any profession requires a level of re-investment; your continued learning, improving and skill building is what will make you one of the best. It is how you re-invest which is important. Online learning and face to face education should be a considered investment, and if your going to learn anything worth while it is never going to be FREE! 

But what saddens me is that there is a lot of nail technicians right now spending a lot of time looking for FREE education. With the motivation to save money by making do with the snippets of nail tutorials and half explanations through YouTube videos. Generally those free tutorials are there to highlight a product, technique or promote a person - the FREE stuff never gives you the whole story! I will let you into a little secret; it is a marketing tool in order to promote and encourage you to buy into the actual focus of the tutorial. There is nothing wrong with that, I do it all the time. Personally I think some of the cup cake tutorial videos on Face book are mesmerising. But if I wanted to make a cupcake look like a puppy dog, you can bet I would be signing up to a class.   

Surely that time and effort searching for FREE education could be put to better use? What if you had someone on hand to explain where you could improve and get better after you have learnt a technique? Wouldn't that type of education be invaluable? I know there is not always the money, time or resources to re-invest in yourself. My suggestion is to spend your time and money more wisely.  

There is a simple equation you should consider in order to make you and your business successful.

TIME + MONEY = GROWTH
and here is what you should concentrate on;

TIME -spent looking for the free stuff verse's time working at good stuff? 
MONEY - spending £100.00 on your education should give you a £1000 return 

It doesn't matter how you prefer to learn (face to face or online) both ways of learning can work hand in hand and reinforce nail education on a whole. But the one thing to consider is; learn the right stuff the right way. 

Monday Morning Moan

I received a comment on a post this morning...

which wound me up something rotten, I have to tell you, it stopped me in my tracks for a few hours.

I took a breath and understood that, of course this person does not intentionally want to wind me up or insult me and would be horrified if she knew. I also had to remember; she does not know that I have just spent the whole weekend working on tutorials, free films and steps to help nail techs 'learn new techniques' and that I am tired. 
How could she know of the past 10 years worth of content I have published for real techs doing real nails.....and just because it might seem difficult she doesn't know the lessons within a lesson are the most valuable!  
So, on reflection, I am very happy I did not reply..... to her comment.

"Sam, do you ever teach for real life nails" 

I am taking this 'life lesson' as a positive; I do teach nails for real clients, I have a wealth of content available for FREE for 'real nails'  You just need to spend some time and find out what is right for you. YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK VIDEOS and more....pictorial steps (before we knew how easy it was to film) and then there is always the online learning. Which, yes, is not solely for 'real nails' but there is a heck of a lot of techniques and applications you can use in your own work. 

What I am trying to say is, you need to get what you can for each lesson; take it and turn it into something you can use in your own work.

DON'T

rely on other peoples designs to just copy, reproduce and pass off as your own inspiration. 

So why out of all the comments I get, did this one touch a nerve? 

I think I felt a little used. 

I do give away a lot of FREE stuff, I do work hard to bring everyone something they can use in their salon work and I do think about the nail technicians and their clients before anything else.
As much as I want to, I can't make things cheaper, easier and free'er than it is already! 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I would have to disagree, it not only becomes frustrating but creates a negative feeling, tempting me to start keeping things close to my chest. 
I am not alone with this gripe, I know a lot of you have also felt the whip of imitation within your career, but look at it this way,  if your doing something right, you will be copied. 

Throughout my career I have always been questioned for giving too much away, people rarely understand how I can give away freely some of the things I have learnt on my travels and my answer to them is this; "I share freely because it is my role as an educator to help others expand their knowledge".  But when things are taken from you, or your good will is misused you are pushed into a place where you ask your self 'sharing freely might not be such a good thing'.  

Life is not FREE, we all have to make a living and I understand we are all trying to carve our own empire with original innovation and inspiration available to us. I am not blind to the fight to be the best, but lets all take one step back for a moment.  This is about the clients and not our own careers, think about the bigger picture and before you dilute your business into many different avenues because it is working for the competition, look at what your business actually needs to grow. Perhaps there is something unique and distinctive of your own you can develop instead of ripping off someone else hard work and ideas. 


For me to stay healthy, my approach to education won't change and I will keep innovating and developing my own original ideas and share freely, I know I have touched a lot of nail technicians worldwide and my actions of  sharing have helped them move forward.  

Do the same and be a leader, let the others follow, they will always be one step behind anyway. 

It is not the action that is important but how we feel about it that will make the difference! 

I know what your biggest nail art hurdle is.

Because I have faced them myself!  One of the biggest stumbling block to creating Nail art is finding inspiration.  The second hurdle for many of my students is the lack of skills to translate this into a nail design.

Inspiration is every where, all around us we see colours, shapes and designs, but the skill is translating that onto a nail and coming up with a design. 

The one thing I see nail techs do over and over again is over compensate because of their lack of confidence and just keep adding more!  The skill of becoming a great nail artist is working out how to translate your inspiration and put the design together over 10 different nails to make it look complete.

What I am noticing is that there are a lot of nail techs looking to social media for inspiration, in fact lets loose the word social media - nail techs are looking at other peoples work and trying to recreate the looks they like.

This is where their problems start! STOP right there! Copying other peoples looks and designs will not only stunt your creativity and  hinder you, making you doubt your abilities and leave you frustrated! 

What you need to do, is find a design you like, and think about the actual application.

Ask your self....HOW? 

What did they use to create the look, was it pigment, did they get the fine lines with the nail art pen or a brush, was using alcohol and ink how they got that effect. Learn HOW, and then put forget the image. Instead draw from your inner creative and use what you have learnt to develop your own unique style. Pull two or three different nail looks together, use a technique or application from one, and colour combination from another. Perhaps the lines and patterns from a third.

Then you have a brand NEW look in your own style, and you feel good about your work!

Remember one thing I always tell my students above all else!

You need to K.I.S.S your nails.

"Keep them simple & sexy"

The wisdom to say nothing...

The other day I overheard conversation, which turned into a little debate, both parties took it in turns to voice how they did things within their business, but getting nowhere in trying to change the opinion of the other. 

Although it is important to stand up for what you think it is right morally, It is difficult to fight the urge to prove yourself and the temptation to explain your actions to others is hard to resist.

It is the wisdom to say nothing and have faith in what you are doing is for the good of your business and the industry, which will ultimately make you the
winner. 
There is no point wasting your time trying to change another’s point of view, they will still make their own opinion of you and your business. 
This valuable energy making sure everyone knows you are more than what they think you are is wasted. 

Ignore this urge, don’t feed the ego, instead send your self some love and give yourself a break. As long as you can continue with good intentions who care what anyone else thinks, surely this is all that matters.

Have you been in a situation where you wanted to shout from the roof tops because you know they are wrong, trying to inform them of this fact, or do you let them continue to insist their way is right and keep quiet. I would love to know what you think? Please leave a comment on this blog and let me know. 

INSPIRATION OVERLOAD

Is social media destroying our creativity?

Do you know the difference between inspiration and creativity? 

Creativity - The use of imagination or original ideas to create something. 
Inspiration - The process of being mentally stimulated to do something creative.

I have watched the industry grow over the last 15 years and the past 5 years have seen it become a tighter community, where everyone is available at a click of a button.

A blessing? Social media has enabled us to reach far and wide and speak to fellow nail techs on the other side of the world, making new friends instantly. It has expanded our businesses, allowed us to network and learn. We have had our eyes opened to new styles, products and application methods. The changing trends from different continents has given us knowledge we wouldn’t have had access to before. Social media has opened other avenues of awareness to help us build our own empires, like marketing and the beauty, hair and make up industries collaborating to expand what we offer to our clients and students. 

Social media and our need to share and show the world what we know has opened up a whole new way of gaining information, expanding our knowledge and learning from others for free, instantly.  

There is an influx of FREE video tutorials in abundance on the Internet. I have not only watched them, I have posted my fair share and I will continue to do so. I’ll be honest with you here; for me, posting free video tutorials is all about marketing my brand and getting my message out to you. I’m guessing this is the case for other people who post their videos too, but who cares its for free right?  

Learning online for free is something we all do in general whilst traveling, watching TV or waiting at the Doctors surgery. However this  new information and inspiration is all lost the moment we browse onto the next video.

So in reality, we learn nothing at all. We just watch a nice video and think to ourselves, 'must try that one day' or, 'I wonder where she got that brush from?’. 

What we think and feel about other people’s nails, products and even the attitudes towards clients is shouted at us in big bold capital letters, with different social media groups for just about everything.

There’s a battle to be noticed, to shine brighter than the rest of the posts, to be innovative and come up with something new and different  in order to stay ahead of the competition. 

Because of this fight to be distinctive, our timelines have been filled with so many different things, the attention span of an individual constantly being diverted and tempted towards something else more exciting and glittery.

Nail technicians are getting drowned in self doubt as they look at art work and video tutorials they hope to recreate by watching a quick 2 minute video, with no practical step by steps on how to succeed.

There are so many new avenues to education today; when I started there was limited internet, no YouTube and definitely nothing like Facebook. My only source of new information was magazines, workshops and shows. With videos and images coming up on our news feeds everyday, are we at risk of inspiration overload? We are suddenly caught like a deer in the headlights not sure where to start when it comes down to doing the work. The mixed messages and techniques floating around our heads making no practical sense at all. 

The questions I ask myself are, “Is our own inner creativity being stunted, are we loosing the ability to come up with our own unique ideas, style and be inspired by whats around us? Do we rely on our newsfeed and YouTube subscriptions to stimulate us and inspire, running the risk of not developing your own style?”

You will never be innovative or unique if you can’t learn to listen to your inner creativity. We all have it, the source of that creativity will not come out unless you’re sat in front of your nail desk, and not in front of your computer.

Stop looking to be innovating and different. Start looking for the right tools and information to build your own style, enhance the fundamental applications and develop the skills you need. That is what will make you unique and distinctive, standing out from the social media crowd. 

I would love to know what you think about this article and how you find your inspiration? Does this translate to being creative? 

I fell into the trap...

It was quite powerful to realise that the effort and energy you put into something based on fear and need is not going to reap the same satisfaction than if you created something based on truth. Oh dear, reading that it does sounds like some psychedelic hippy talk, but please bear with me because I am about to open my soul. 

I am good at being an educator and that is not because I am good at nails.  I do know my limitations and I am out shined by some amazingly talented artists out there, but the reason why I am a success is because I can see the abilities in my students and I can recognise what they need to grow and achieve. I named my business on the basis of inspiring others to be the best they can be.

But life takes you on a path, and down this path are many different turnings and obstacles, opportunities and temptations.  I have diversified into products and lately concentrated on marketing those products. I have invested money, time and more, into different aspects of business and that means the focus has changed because the pressures and responsibilities have increased. 

I started educating because of the joy I felt when I watched someone 'get it', that light bulb moment. The exchange of money for work was a by product, and something that just happened.  The ultimate goal when I created the video’s and workshops was to watch fellow nail techs benefit and grow. It seems I have forgotten about this reward for the effort I put into prepping for a class or designing a lesson and this 'payment' was just not my focus any more. Because of other commitments I fell into the trap of looking at the perceived value; effort = payment. How do you measure that payment, is it monetary or something else much deeper?

Doing nails on a client is not about getting paid, it is about doing nails. Teaching a class is not about how many attend it is about how many will learn from you. Of course life is not free, you have to make a living, to give everything away without an exchange means I would be teaching from a card board box in the street. But what should I focus on, that which pays my bills or the exchange that makes me happy. I have realised today that money is a by-product of the exchange between client and tech, or student and educator, it is not the focus. It will happen anyway, if you’re good at what you do, and give and share with passion and truth.

We all have skeletons in our closet and a past that shapes us. I have my own demons and battle with them daily. My relationship with money and acknowledgment was shaped from past emotional pain in my childhood (no blame attached) I have only just learnt that I need to delete this thinking, this outdated programming, because today I am confusing my role as an educator and business woman, and working from a place of fear and need, based on the thinking that I am not good enough.  

This year I decided to try something new in order to change how I work.  This was so I could concentrate on what I do best and selfishly what I enjoy most. Travelling the world is an amazing experience and I love doing it but leaving my family every other week is not so much fun anymore and gets lonely. With an idea of reducing my time away from home down to every other month but still educating, inspired me to develop an opportunity for nail techs to have access online to  inspiration and creative learning. Through the magic of technology I can be there for my students all the time without the pressures of travel and putting a value on being away from home. Starting my online learning program was purely selfish, and for no other reason than to stay at home.

As a business woman I was very aware that setting up the online learning,  had to be viable as I was giving up a large part of my future and investing time, money and a lot of effort. I got lost in the bottom line. Hello! far cry from WHY I went into to education, I was no longer working from a place of truth, of giving and sharing inspiration. I had fallen into the trap of worrying that I would not having enough and losing something I had already built. 

I had to change my thinking because to make money or become rich from other people is not going to give me the satisfaction I am looking for, earning an income from what I do is just a by-product that may or may not happen.  Focusing on my financial well-being on the back of other people's investment is not healthy for me. It is not about the money! It is an exchange of energy between two people which will give me a far richer reward than a few pounds. 

So I have now opened my soul to you and you have had a look at a small part of mind. How does this affect you? Your clients, no matter how rude, how inconsiderate, how un-organised they are, are part of a business you have invested in based on passion and creativity, and you did not grow this business based on a need for money or to build a retirement plan. I would hazard a guess for more than 75% of the nail techs out there you do what you do because you love your job. You have an opportunity to help each one of those clients express themselves through their nails, even if they have natural nudes or bright pinks. They are able to feel good and look good because of you and the time they spend with you.

You have affected them in a positive way. 

How many of you started this job because it was easy money? Of course not, because you and I know the truth. When the focus on our passion becomes about money, either the lack of it or the fear of losing it, our passion and creativity is affected. We begin to resent our career and those important people who helped us shape it to begin with.

So remember who you are and why you do what you do, and change your thinking. Remember what you do for a living is more than just nails, you touch people every day in ways you can only begin to imagine. No matter what the financial situation you’re in, never make your focus about money or the lack of it. Your truth is always from an exchange of energy and not pennies. 

I seem to expose myself periodically with this blog it has become my therapy as well as an opportunity to inform. I hope my honesty has helped today, being honest with mysterious elf has given me freedom.