A man and his nails

For quite a long time I worked in design. Before I came to manicure, I was interning as a product designer. The timeline and conditions of the internship didn't match my expectations, and I managed to both burn out and go broke.

In a conversation with a close friend of mine, a nail artist, I mentioned in passing that I was thinking of getting into nails. She offered to train me, and then gave me simply angelic conditions for practice and work.

Back then, the wish to take up manicure looked like an unconscious decision.

But now I understand that I liked the idea of a flexible schedule, and I had a skill for drawing in small formats that I wanted to put to use (for two years I painted portrait toys). And after a long stretch of working from home, I really wanted to escape to a studio with like-minded people.

My friends lent me a helping hand. Literally. They donated their nails when I was just starting to practise. And they gave me a big boost in spreading the word when I was ready to take my first clients. That helped a lot.

My mom didn't quite understand my choice. But she's more worried that I haven't found a stable job where I swim in millions like Scrooge McDuck.

Personally, I haven't met other men who do manicures. But they exist. Probably the most visible one online is a nail artist who, it seems, works only with men.

For some clients, a man doing manicures is a curiosity.

And that's exactly what prompts questions about how I came into the profession and what reactions I run into.

So, the main reactions are surprise and curiosity. Or no reaction at all to my gender and my line of work.

I love seeing people admire and enjoy the result of their manicure. And I like being pleased with my own work, too.

My mood at the end of the working day is directly proportional to how well the manicures went. I don't like how slow I am. It's not that I'm aiming to be a speed nail artist, but I'd like to get less stuck on the processes, especially removal.

Every creative profession, and manicure is definitely a creative profession, has the potential to be art. For me personally, visual art is defined either by visuals with artistic value or by a comment on reality that prompts reflection. Are there nail artists who meet these criteria? Definitely. Do all nail artists make art? No.

When it comes to nails as art, for me that's the work of one particular nail artist. For inspiration, I often go to the accounts of another nail artist and of a nail studio in Kyiv.

At this stage I'm still a designer: I grab other people's finds and rework them so they suit the client. But I do, by the way, consider myself an artist. A craft artist, at that. I draw and get paid for it.

A really great portrait of my target audience has taken shape. They're kind people who understand the importance of human rights and the value of peace and freedom. They have cool ideas for the manicure they want. Often it's a creative collaboration between me and the client.

There aren't many men. But when I was just starting out, I practised on my male friends.

It makes me really happy that I can provide a safe and comfortable environment during a manicure.