We recently connected with Adele Williamson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adele, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I feel lucky and blessed to be able to earn a full-time living from my creative work and from what started as a passion/hobby of mine. It hasn’t always been that way, though. Like many young people, I had various jobs in many different industries throughout my early 20’s. I also attended university and was planning to pursue a more “traditional” career in the Public Relations and Marketing industries. After earning a Bachelors degree and after a couple of years holding freelance, part-time and full-time positions in the industry, I felt that wasn’t the life for me. I knew I wanted to explore making my favorite creative hobby my career, but that was a huge unknown and scary thing. I had just spent all this time, money, and effort to go to college, earn a degree, find internships, and ultimately a full-time position. But I truly felt I didn’t fit that life and it didn’t fit me. I knew I had to do some things differently.
I finally got the courage to quit my full-time agency job and I went back to serving in a restaurant. I truly believe that first step opened the first door for me. The little bit of flexibility I got from leaving my 9-5 enabled me to find an affordable nail tech program to attend on my off days and nights. For five months, I worked full-time at the restaurant and did 15 hours a week of nail tech school. I studied for the state boards and received my nail tech license. I then started working part-time at a salon along with the restaurant to start building my clientele.
Everyone’s journey is different and I completely resonate with the fear of making the leap and starting something completely different for myself. For me, the first leap of quitting my corporate job made all the difference. I truly believe that step can be the hardest part and once you make the decision to follow your dreams, the journey becomes easier after that.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Since I was a little girl I have always loved beauty and especially nails. I’ve always enjoyed painting my nails and when I got older, painting different designs and colors on my nails. As a young adult, I felt that the nail industry was missing nail techs who had their own style and techniques of doing things.
I always joke that half the reason I started doing nails was so I could learn to do them exactly the way I wanted to on myself, all the way down to the manicure and removal of product. While I had professional education and training to become licensed, along with continued education, a majority of the things I’ve learned have been self taught through experimentation,, and networking with other independent techs and artists.
Today, I work out of a private studio suite and I specialize in gel polish manicures with a focus on nail art and high end cuticle work. I love that having your nails done is like wearing an accessory you don’t have to take off. You can have tiny works of art on your nails that you can enjoy for weeks at a time, then you get to change it out for a different work of art. It’s amazing how much confidence well-manicured and even designed nails and hands can give you. I love giving my clients the relaxing and pleasurable experience of getting a manicure, but also the art that is a small joy for them for weeks to come.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Our society needs so many things in order to function – whether that comes from services, products, etc. Art and beauty help people in a different way than other essential services and products Feeling good about yourself and receiving daily joy can come from art and beauty and are so important. I love providing my clients with something they can see daily on themselves and feel good about. I also love performing a satisfying manicure and painting tiny works of art all day!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media is a whole beast nowadays, but I think being authentic and consistent can get you a long way. I find that being consistent with the type of content and with the frequency of posting related to your business or craft keeps people attentive and engaged. Interacting with other businesses owners and small businesses is a great way to expand your network socially and personally.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Youregettinnails
• Facebook: You’re Gettin’ Nails

Image Credits
Dave Crawford