We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jamie Gainey. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jamie below.
Jamie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I have been an artist and a creative since a young age. I have always doodled and drawn and then I graduated to painting in middle school and throughout high school. I started getting my nails done when I was 16, for my first prom and instantly fell in love.
When I was in college at the age of 20 I took a job at Sally Beauty Supply and there was a young lady who worked with me who always had the most exquisite nails. I asked her who did them and she replied “I do. I went to Cosmetology school and got licensed by the Board and do my own nails and hair.” I was enamored at her talent. I told myself in that very moment I was going to go to nail school and learn how to do nails for myself and others, but I let life get in the way for too long. Right after I graduated from undergrad, I jumped straight into working a full-time job and then I decided 2 years later I wanted to pursue my Master’s degree, so I did.
By 2016, I had walked the stage with my Master’s of Science, feeling super accomplished, but still not totally fulfilled with the creative side of my life. But instead, in 2017 I moved to Oklahoma to pursue PhD studies in my field, but didn’t complete the program because some family members back home got sick and I didn’t feel totally comfortable being that far away from them during their tough time. So, I moved back home to be closer to family as they navigated through these illnesses.
I landed a quick job so I could start back earning money and benefits, all the while still unsatisfied with not using my creativity. By this time the nail industry had grown to something out of this world and celebrities like Cardi B and Kylie Jenner were making long eccentric nails popular again through social media platforms such as Instagram, though, this was nothing new. African American women have been doing this for years since the 80s/90s and flaunting long beautiful hand-painted nails as an addition to their personalities. Take Coko from SWV or Olympic athlete Flo Jo for instance.
So, when I moved back home to NC, I started searching for nail schools in my area. It took nearly 2 years for me to get enrolled due to the many obstacles of my schedule. At the time, the school was nearly 45 mins from me (in good traffic) and I didn’t get off work every day until 5:30 PM. Evening classes started at 5 PM and went until 9:30 at night. I begged the owner/instructor to let me make up the time difference but she would not. In Jan of 2020, I landed another job and it was right down the street from the nail school and also, I got off daily at 5 PM. I was ecstatic that everything seemed to be lining up and this was finally going to be MY TIME, so I put down my deposit and enrolled in nail school. Then…COVID-19 hit the nation. I was devastated. I was slated to begin the 3-month, 300-hour, 6-day a week school curriculum in July, 2020 and currently she was having to teach her April class virtually. This is not what I foresaw for myself.
Luckily, by the time July came, the NC State Board was allowing classes to resume back in person, so I was able to have face-to-face and hands on interaction. By the last week of September, I had finished! I studied hard and practiced for a month with 2 of my close classmates. We had weekly practices about 2-3 times per week, each of us taking a turn being the instructor while the other two mimicked the actions of the students. These practices I set up served us well! I went and nailed my boards on the first try. I scored a 92 on the written portion and passed the practical (hands-on portion) with flying colors as well. And honorable mentioned that they both passed theirs on the first try too with flying colors. This was a great feat for us all!
I said all that to say that, since the age of 20 I had wanted to do nails and it took me until I was 32 years old to finally accomplish that dream. Though delayed, I never gave up my hope and dream and used my painting creativity to create a nail business that I work hard at and adore. After establishing myself in the professional corporate and academia sectors for the last 10 years, I finally decided to build on my artistic and creative talents as an entrepreneur and started my nail business after becoming licensed by the state of NC, because I was inspired by glamorous, eccentric nails in a glowing, growing, and beautiful black-owned nail industry. I have a passion for elevating my clients on the outside through the delivery of eccentric, quality, upscale, and luxury nail services that in turn makes them feel just as beautiful on the inside. I serve with integrity, quality customer service, and a positive attitude.
Each nail artist is different and has a different niche or specialty. Not all artists can truly draw, but I can! Some may be great at stone placement or other things, but I love to draw on tiny surfaces and do it well. I offer acrylic, gel-x, and press-on nail systems.
Knowing what I know now about the service industry, women love to get their nails done (or beauty services in general), and I would not have waited so long to begin nail school especially because it was only a 3-month course. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone to nail school straight out of high school for 3 months, taken a gap semester and then enrolled in college the following semester. I could have been in college and doing girls nails and making some money as an entrepreneur! But, I also am a believer that all things happen when they are supposed to.
The skills that were most essential to me pursuing this journey are that I came to nail school already well-prepared. I had a foundation in nails because I had been practicing at 6 months at home on a practice hand and myself while also watching YouTube and Instagram videos daily so I would not have to start from ground zero. I carved out goals each and every night and worked on them until I got better and better. This helped tremendously and I was the most advanced student out of the 6 of us in the class because of this. I would do this again and encourage other young ladies interested in nails to do the same. But I must say an old college classmate of mine really helped speed me along in this journey also. She had attempted nail school once herself but didn’t finish pursing it because it wasn’t her passion. She has all her nail school supplies still left over and gave me everything for FREE! I am forever grateful and indebted to her and always make sure to thank her and give her her flowers when I can. She knows how she blessed me in a major way and I’ve even been afforded to do her nails and feet on several occasions. The whole story came full circle!
As mentioned before the obstacles that stood in my way were timing, college, working a full-time job, pursing my master’s degree, family illness, and a worldwide pandemic, yet I still persevered 12 years later and became a nail tech and am still learning and growing.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
The younger generation has it pretty good right now with resources. When I was 20 Instagram, YouTube, TikTok…none of these existed. I wish we had had these learning platforms when I was coming along. They are definitely helping me now at this age and stage in my life and career, but 12 years ago it would’ve helped me even more. I can’t wait to see what technology comes out in the next 12 years that will be even better.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Experiencing the joy of clients when I finish with their nails or feet and the look of excitement. I have helped restore confidence in some of my clients that have amazing personal stories whether is be single moms, women trying to recreate a new look and lifestyle, recent divorcees, etc. Again, I have a passion for elevating my clients on the outside through the delivery of eccentric, quality, upscale, and luxury nail services that in turn makes them feel just as beautiful on the inside.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gaineysbeautybar.com/
- Instagram: @gaineysbeautybar
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaineysbeautybar/
Image Credits
I own the rights to all the images bc the nail work is my own, but my personal photo was taken by photographer Scott McGregor of Visison 6 Productions ( @vision6productions on IG)