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SEARCHPatience is supposedly a virtue, but these days, I feel like hardly anyone exhibits this trait. A swipe or a click is all that’s expected to connect us with what we want. I too crave the satisfaction of a quick turn-around, but my most recent manicure appointment showed me that some things are just worth waiting for.
My nails by Teena Olsen
My nails by Teena Olsen
Teena Olsen in her Vallejo, Calif., studio.
My nail inspiration. I acutally had the honor of writing the foreword for this book!
Patience is supposedly a virtue, but these days, I feel like hardly anyone exhibits this trait. A swipe or a click is all that’s expected to connect us with what we want. I too crave the satisfaction of a quick turn-around, but my most recent manicure appointment showed me that some things are just worth waiting for.
Four years ago, I discovered nail artist Teena Olsen on Instagram (@tee_ohh). I loved all of her work, and when it came time for my 30th birthday, I knew I wanted Teena to do my nails. Because I was traveling for my big birthday celebration, I wasn’t able to have her do my nails, but recently I made it to Northern California and finally got my appointment. It was a dream service. She replicated a vintage fabric print by hand-painting it in OPI GelColor.
Patience is of the utmost importance to the creative process. For nail technicians, patience is a daily priority. Getting through a complicated service, making a repair, or removing product can all be trying and time-consuming tasks — not to mention challenging when clients are impatient.
One of the hottest topics on www.nailsmag.com and one of our most frequently asked questions is about speeding up service times. While efficiency is key, speed is not always king. If you’re torn between doing work that moves your clients or just doing work that moves them along, I encourage you to err on the side of taking your time. Explain to your clients that you care about the look of their nails and that a rush job is not the job you do. Remind them (and yourself) that what you’re creating is one-of-a-kind, and the cost of the service from a time standpoint should reflect that. I’ve been to several salons that have done quality work in a quick amount of time. However, when I leave a salon, it’s not the amount of time the service took that I remember. What stands out more for me is the overall experience of the visit and the nails that resulted from it.
I don’t know that I’ve ever had such an emotional connection to a set as I do to these nails Teena created. Waiting three years to see Teena was longer than I would have liked, but in the end, the timing worked out beautifully. These nails commemorate not only an appointment three years in the making, but the beginning of the Salon Fanatic Tour.
For those of you still waiting — be it for a chance to do a NAILS cover, a mention in the magazine, or for mastering a technique — I assure you that good things do indeed come to those who wait.
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