We recently connected with Emily Deadman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I have been an artist my whole life, but it wasn’t until I started doing nails in the summer of 2023 that I felt the agency to use that word to describe myself.

After a difficult breakup, causing a change in my financial situation, I decided I wanted to start doing my own nail art. What began as an act of self-care forced by life circumstances quickly morphed into an artistic and therapeutic practice with others. Starting with my friends at my dining room table, I honed my craft and realized how much I enjoyed offering a space for others to feel pampered and safe. Then little by little, word spread, and I expanded my practice to include friends of friends and strangers, realizing the opportunity to offer someone a space to feel cared for.

Having been in the corporate world for almost ten (10) years, doing nails has opened an entirely different perspective on my life. Struggling with managing my ADHD and the general tasks of all office jobs was never something that came naturally to me; I assumed I was doomed to struggle until retirement.

Starting nails was an act of love for myself, but it turned into a passion and shared experience of offering love to others. At 30, I’ve decided to go back to school, obtain my nail license, and switch careers to do something I truly love and that brings me so much joy while prioritizing creating a safe nail space for the queer, trans, and neurodivergent communities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Mystic Mushroom Studios (MMS) is a safe space for queer artistry, where I invite my clients to truly be themselves. My at-home studio is more than just somewhere to get your nails done – Mystic Mushroom Studios is a place to unwind and embrace the magic of self-care.

Specializing in gel and gel-x nail art, the purpose of my work is to make my clients feel at home and euphoric in their bodies through the process of creating living art. While I serve a variety of clientele, Mystic Mushroom Studios was created as a safe space for queer, trans, and neurodivergent individuals. Oftentimes, clients can have negative associations with salons based on their gender or neurodivergence. At Mystic Mushroom Studios, I aim to create an environment where everyone can feel safe enough to pamper themselves.

Stemming from heartbreak and the crafty-queer urge to-do-it-myself, I began my gel nail journey. What started as an act of self-care quickly transformed into a community-based passion to bring others into the pampering nail art experience. My time as a nail artist has offered me opportunities to advance my skill, create beautiful relationships, and offer my clients euphoric opportunities to be themselves.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Having been in the corporate world for almost ten (10) years, I have struggled with office job after office job. The lack of self-expression and the requirement to adjust my personality to fit into a “business professional” environment was an endlessly difficult daily task. Learning to do nails has been a breath of fresh air, and my goal is to transition out of the corporate space to owning my own nail business and working full-time as a creative.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a nail artist isn’t the beautiful nail sets I create or watching my skills improve over time. The most rewarding part of this work is the opportunity to create a relationship with someone where for two (2) hours I have the opportunity to offer them a breath of fresh air from their daily lives. Stepping away from their phones, immersing themselves in the intimate nail process of holding their hands, transforming their nails into living and breathing art, and allowing them to experience euphoria along the way.

The joy on my clients’ faces and the ability to create a space for people to feel seen and taken care of is the best part of working as a nail artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mysticmushroomstudios