This morning, as I tore February off my calendar, I realized that the ISSE Midwest Chicago, Flat Nail Art Competition is only a few short weeks away. A red “X” marks the Saturday, March 26th, that I will turn in my handpainted nail art creation, which is only still an idea in my head. Well, technically, I have sketched out what is to become my “time” theme submission, but I have so many ideas sketched out, scribbled out, and numbered with my favorites first that I am having a hard time choosing which idea to use or how to stretch that idea across 10 nail tips.

It has been a while since I completed a nail art design across 10 tips. Working as an educator for Nubar keeps my nail art skills polished (pun intended), but I rarely complete more than one nail design when demonstrating my favorite product line. Maybe that is why I have more nail art ideas about time, than the actual time needed to complete them. I am used to coming up with ideas for nail art designs to share with my fellow nail technicians; I am not used to completing 10 nails of nail art with the same idea!

And I am also not used to having so many tools and techniques available to enhance my competition nail art. The last time I competed was in 1999 (ouch), and sure, I had polish and paints to create my designs, but I did not have the resources I have today. Back in ’99, my Internet was “dial-up” and for the life of me I can’t remember using my computer for anything but e-mail. I bought my nail art supplies from my local beauty supply and I learned about the new products and innovative techniques by scouring the pages of NAILS magazine (still a good idea, I might add!).

Here it is, 2011, and I am entering a whole new world of competing where everything I need is a point and click away. I can order my products directly from the manufactures’ websites, research nail art techniques, view pictures of other nail technicians’ art, and network with nail technicians from around the world.

Unfortunately, none of this wonderful computerized technology will do my competition nail art for me. Wait, I just Googled “computerized nail art”,apparently there is a computer to do my nail art for me, but can you say, “cheating?”

I am not a cheater and I am certainly not a quitter, so I am promising you (and myself), I will start working on my nail art designs tonight. I will work on all 10 nails, not just the one nail I am used to, and hopefully by the time I write my next blog it will be about doing 10 nails of nail art, not just thinking about what art to do. It is time to do some nail art! Until next time...

— Shelly