This is a picture of me giving a presentation in Budapest. Join me in Orlando in a few weeks for a competition class I'm teaching in conjunction with Crystal Nails.

Let's pretend for a moment that you fell down and cut your finger and it’s gotten infected. (Holy crap! None of us would be able to work, but that's not the point!) You go to your doctor and he looks at it and finally says to you, “I think gangrene has set in. We'll have to amputate.”

WHAT?! Are you kidding?

That's what they used to do before penicillin. Do you know how penicillin came into existence? In 1928, Alexander Fleming made a chance discovery in a contaminated petri dish, but only through continuing study, up until 1940, when two Oxford University scientists using new chemical techniques, produced a brown powder that was able to keep its antibacterial power for more than a few days. Viola! Penicillin was born, and we all get to keep our fingers.

Now, imagine where we would be if those guys didn't continuously study? I mean, it took 12 years for penicillin to go from contaminated petri dish to antibiotic. Things don't always happen over night, ya know.

The first couple of times that I competed, I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, I knew how to do nails — my kind of nails — but competition-style nails are a whole different animal. I knew then that I needed more education. I didn't even know where to start, but I knew I had to do something. So, I started asking questions of top competitors. Then, when I eventually joined a competition team, I went to every competition that I could get to.

I thought I was continuing my education.

But it wasn't until I took some classes and learned how to really handle the products, that I started making gains. I learned that once you have control of your product, you can do anything with it. And I mean anything. Product control is what makes it possible to make nails any length, shape, style, or design.

What I'm saying here is, continuing education is the key to all my success. Without it I'd never be able to reach the level that I have. 

And on that note, here's something really cool. I'll be teaching a class on Saturday, June 5th in Orlando, Florida. I'll be presenting Crystal Nails USA, with a focus on product control, of course. You can get more information at www.crystalnails.com.

I hope to see you there.

— Lynn