We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessieka Martinez-Soto a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jessieka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I was 8 years old and my favorite pass time was watching music videos, art, recording my favorite songs on cassettes and making up choreography with my friends. When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would tell them with certainty “a singer!” Of course, they would laugh. One thing about me is, I don’t give up on my dreams that easily. Years passed and I stayed active in the arts singing but mostly dancing . Briefly while I was in high school I danced professionally for a Puerto Rican folklore dance group called Borinquen Dance Theater. I left because my mental health took a deep dive. It was my last year of high school and I had so much going on in the background but I also had to decide what was I going to be when I graduate? That year I went to Puerto Rico and saw my big cousin doing nails. It wasn’t that I was “new” to the concept of nails. My mother would take me to get my nails done since I was 12. It was the first time I knew that this was a path I could take. I never did give up on my dream of being a singer but for this period of my life this would be the path I would take. I loved the nail art and creating things with my hands and wanted to delve into the world of nails and art and that’s exactly what I did .
Jessieka, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Jessieka Martinez-Soto I’m a 31 year old Puerto Rican transplant living in Rochester NY. Im a nail artist, owner of Botánica Nail Studio and a salsa singer for The Ny Rican Project and Calle Uno.
I started Botánica Nail Studio after I was fired from a job right before thanksgiving. I had the option of finding another salon to work at but I was tired of working for others and for me it was now or never. With the holidays right around the corner I knew I was taking a gamble but my dreams were bigger then that. So Botánica was created in December 2019, yes right before the pandemic. I was devastated at the time but looking at the big picture now, it was truly a blessing in disguise.
Botanica Nail Studio is a gel only nail artist collective. We specialize in Gel x and structured gel services. When I was bringing Botánica into fruition I knew I wanted to create a space where folks could come and get their nails done in an artistic environment where they could bring in their Pinterest finds or get free style art from the nail artists of their choosing. A space where the nail artists are not only knowledgeable about the products that they use but would also take care of your natural nails. A place where uniqueness was honored and valued. I wanted Botánica to be an art studio, something that you could find in places like NYC dedicated to the culture but for nails!
As for the artists that choose to house their businesses inside of Botánica. I wanted to create a space where they could have freedom and learn to be independent businesses owners. One thing about the beauty industry is that you are expected to work long hours and sacrifice your time for the needs of the clients. This never worked well for me and it always led me to quitting jobs every year because of burn out. Plus being a single mom and as someone who has dealt with depression, this type of work environment was extremely oppressing. With this experience in mind, I knew that I wanted to help each artist to create a work relationship that will not only be able to create balance in their lives but I turn be happy. I think we forget how much of our waking time we spend at work, we should be happy and have a healthy relationship with what we do for a living. My goal is to help each nail artist grow to the fullest potential.
Singing is my true creative outlet though. I took the plunge in 2018 and started taking vocal lessons at Eastman community school. Soon after I was asked to join a Salsa band and I have been hooked ever since. When I’m not at the studio I’m traveling from Festival to Festival singing old school salsa. I love that when I’m talking with my clients and they ask me what I’m doing they’re always so amazed that not only do I do nails but I’m also a singer. Call me the singing nail artist because I’m always singing while I’m doing nails m, haha! This comes back to me always wanting to follow my dreams and not giving up based on what people say. Growing up people always told me singing was out of the picture, something that wasn’t realistic. So I focused on Nails and I fell in love with the industry but now that I have establish some roots and have created a balanced work relationship for myself, I now have the time to pursue music the way that I originally wanted to. I’m grateful to say that I’ve been able to connect with wonderful individuals and in some shape or form am making my dream a reality!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Initially, Botánica consisted of three team members – one of whom was a friend, and the other a new addition with great potential. From the outset, I made a consistent effort to cultivate an environment of transparency and open communication, having experienced challenges in my own career that I wished to avoid. Rather than viewing them as mere employees, I saw us as a collaborative unit, working together to realize our shared aspirations or achieving independence in the nail industry. At first, it seemed that everyone was onboard with the vision, which included expansion plans that I openly discussed with them at every turn and before bringing them on. However, I wanted to ensure that they were comfortable with the direction and which location we’d go to, given that I would not force them to follow a path they were not enthusiastic about.
Unfortunately, I soon discovered that individuals who lack self-awareness are incapable of being truthful with others. Two weeks before we were set to move to a new location, my friend informed me that she had no desire to relocate and instead intended to open her own nail studio in the same building we were about to leave . The next day, the other team member quit. Left with no other option, I moved out that same day to avoid paying rent at two locations. I sensed that something was wrong. A week later, they announced that they had launched their own studio, utilizing the same concepts that I had shared with them. I felt deeply hurt, realizing that the individuals I had trusted had been disingenuous.
I found myself alone in a large space meant for three people, confused and overworked while juggling the responsibilities of being a mother to my two children. I didn’t sleep for 3 months and I tried to look for ways I contributed to what had just happened to me. I realized that I didnt do anything wrong and in fact, I did everything right and there is no reason why I should stop being who I am !
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The mission driving Botanica and who I am as a musical artist is Legacy. I want to create a legacy not only for my family but for my culture and for the world. I want to leave behind an experience, a piece of me that contributed to the culture.
As for Botánica specifically, my gold was to create a place where innovations and strides were made that changed the way people viewed their nail experience and the nail industry in general. A place that not only benefited the clients who came and got their nails done but the artists that chose to grow whether they left or stayed at Botánica.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.botanicanailstudio.com
- Instagram: @botanicanailstudio @ohnoits_jess
- Facebook: Facebook.com/Botanicanailstudio Facebook.com/jessiekaMartinez-Soto
Image Credits
All were taken by me or my sister Leilanie Martinez