Maggie Rants [and Raves]

Brain Training

by Maggie Franklin | May 30, 2014 | Bookmark +

There’s a big difference between knowing how to do nails in the manner of having read and understood the instructions, to knowing howto do nails in the manner of having it all click in place and come naturally. There’s no shortcut from this Point A to this Point B. No matter how many times you watch a video or a seasoned tech, there is no substitute for repetition of the physical motions. That’s the only thing that creates the wrinkles in your brain that translate knowledge to ability.

It’s just like the first time you picked up a pen or pencil — you couldn’t write your name. It took practice. You had to learn your ABC’s, you had to learn what each letter looked like, how to draw it, which ones were in your name, and then you had to practice writing that name over and over before it became the second-nature scribble that you call a signature today, right?

So why do we expect to master a new skill in a few weeks by watching YouTube videos?

Getting your license does not a nail tech make. Mere desire manifested in wishing does not a nail tech make. You have to get out your products and go through the motions, over and over and over and over. You have to train your brain to move your hand automatically through each step of the process without conscious thought so you can focus on the minutiae that make the difference between a set of nails and a great set of nails.

It’s a process. For many of us, it’s a long, tedious process —

Wax on...

Wax off...

Wax on...

Wax off...

HEY! This is boring! I wanted to learn to do nails!

OH! Hey! Look at that. I’ve been learning to do nails.

Who’da thunk?

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