Well, it is official, I have finally lost my mind. Not only have I decided to start competing again — after over a decade absence from any competition forum — but I have also decided to blog about it, sharing my experience along the way. I guess I should start off by introducing myself.

My name is Michelle Aab, but you can call me Shelly. I am 43 years young, and I have been lucky enough to be a part of the nail industry for close to twenty years. I must say, I have enjoyed every last minute of it. From my initial years behind a nail table, the transition into teaching in a nail school, to the last eight years, when I have worked countless trade shows for a cutting edge product manufacturer called Nubar [link: www.bynubar.com], I can look back at my career and smile. I had positive experiences, met talented individuals, and I have made a lot of great friends along the way.

You will have to forgive me if I speak of my nail career in the past tense at times. Those of you who know me, know I took a few years off from “nail” work to obtain my cosmetology license, get an associate’s degree in salon management, and that I am currently enrolled in an online college to obtain my bachelor’s of science degree in business management.

Those of you who really know me, know I did all of this because of a problem with my vision. Without getting into detail, I have problems with my vision and I always will. It might get worse, it probably will never get any better, but those are the cards I’ve been dealt, so I play my hand accordingly.

I am not bringing up my vision problems for sympathy, but maybe as a little bit of an excuse. You see, if you think you’re reading a blog of the next competition champion, you’re not. There is no way I can put in the time, hard work, and dedication to participate in most of the competition categories — it is physically impossible for me.

So therefore, I am choosing to enter only the nail art competitions. I know, boo hoo, right?

I picked the fun competitions to enter, and after reviewing some of the rules, the nail art competitions seem to have the least amount of “stress factor.” The designs are completed in advance, the themes of the designs are provided, and get this, you do not even have to be present to enter your designs; someone else can turn your nails in for you. Awesome!

I am about to have way too much fun competing in the nail art category, but I guess I should start by doing just a little work.

First things first: When is the next nail art competition and what is the theme? Yikes! ISSE Midwest Chicago has a Hand Painted Nail Art Competition, but the designs are due on March 26, 2011. Do I have enough “time?” Notice the quotation marks around “time.”

Anyone want to take a guess at the theme? Yes, the theme is “time,” and right now I am left to wonder if “time” is really on my side for this one? I need to rearrange my desk, replace my schoolbooks for a sketch book, and my pens and pencils for paints and brushes. Fortunately, a quick glance at the calendar shows that I am scheduled to work this show for Nubar, so I will not have to make arrangements for someone else to turn-in my designs. I do not think I could do that anyway, just hand my work over to someone and say, “Do me a favor? See that these make it to the show.”

I might have to eventually, but this “time,” my first entering a nail art competition in a long while, I will turn them in myself. Speaking of “time,” I am short of it, so I am going to wrap this up. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you and I promise to stop with the “time” references sooner or later, all in good “time.”

— Shelly (with her pug, Fugly)