STAR sessions

Shoot for success with advice & inspo from North America’s Star Nail Artist – Season 2 champion, JESSICA VERO

Navigating competition environments as a nail pro with ADHD

O ctober is ADHD Awareness Month, and as a nail tech with ADHD, I want to discuss something I have learned through nail competitions that I do not hear enough about. This is the importance of losing – especially for people who are neurodivergent.

I love competition categories that involve turning in pieces, either in the arena or remotely. For extreme nail projects, I can spend hundreds of hours working and become completely immersed in the creative process – obsessing over small details, making changes, starting over and pushing myself further than I thought I could. In the end, there is always a result to be proud of.

To be successful, you have to be resilient, and to learn how to win, you need to learn how to lose. Throughout your career, there will be losses, disappointments and times when you put in the work, give it everything you have and still do not get the result you hope for. It’s how you come out of these situations that leads to great things.

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Like many people with ADHD, I suffer from self-doubt and RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria), where criticism or simple feedback can feel devastating. It can amplify inner thoughts that tell you

‘you’re not good enough’. These feelings can hold you back, and make you nervous to put your work out there for fear of being judged, compared and critiqued.

When you are a creative person, these thoughts can be huge barriers, as they may cause you to limit your ideas or avoid opportunities due to the possibility of rejection. People with ADHD may not enter competitions because they are afraid to lose, or may not post their work because they are worried people won’t like it. They may not try new techniques in case they don’t get application right first time. Subconsciously, the fear of rejection can make the creative world smaller for a nail tech with ADHD.

Through competing, I have learned that losing is where the real growth happens. It forces me to get out of my comfort zone and reflect on what I could have done better. I improve my skills, learn from each experience and come back stronger.

"Through competing, I have learned that losing is where the real growth happens. It forces me to get out of my comfort zone and reflect on what I could have done better. "

The levels of talent and skill in this industry are astounding, so it is likely that you will face some losses. For me, repeated losses got me to where I am today. I realised that it’s not that I’m not good at what I do – there’s just someone doing it a little better. I have learned to be grateful

‘‘ for the growth that comes with a loss, and instead of only looking at where I place in a competition, I compare my work to my previous pieces and celebrate my progress. I see how my techniques have improved, how my ideas have become more ambitious and how my creative vision continues to grow.

As someone who struggles with RSD, I have started to think of nail competitions as a form of exposure therapy. Purposely putting myself in situations where there is a high chance of rejection and learning has made me more resilient in all aspects of my career. But ADHD isn’t solely determined by struggles. For me, it also comes with characteristics that can be useful in competition environments. It allows me to hyperfocus on something I am passionate about: my creative mind loves to rapid-fire ideas, and bringing them to life is highly rewarding. I find that I am able to function in high-pressure situations, and a deadline can create the urgency that allows me to lock in and solve problems quickly when things don’t go to plan.

Of course, these characteristics aren’t always superpowers. Hyperfocus can lead to perfectionism, too many ideas can become overwhelming, and working under pressure can be stressful. But, when I found an environment where those characteristics could work in my favour, I was able to see my strengths.

Nail tales

At the end of August, I travelled to San Antonio to attend the Premiere Beauty Show and compete in Nailympia. As part of my prize for winning NASNA – Season 2, I received free entry into four Nailympia competition categories, which enabled me to step outside my comfort zone and try categories that I had never entered before. I received medals in Division 3 for two of those categories: first place in Reality Nails and second place in Runway Nails.

I also entered the To Stiletto & Beyond category, which involves creating an extreme nail. While I didn’t place, I am incredibly proud of the work I turned in, and it will be going on the shelf in my creative space as one of my favourite pieces. The theme was Time Fracture in the Spirit of Dalí. Salvador Dalí is my favourite artist, so I loved creating a piece to honour his style of art. I produced the structure of a futuristic city with a broken, impossible-to-read clock and dinosaurs inspired by Dalí’s iconic artwork of elephants roaming through the city. I really enjoyed the surreal aspect of creating this design.

North America’s Star Nail Artist (NASNA) contestants receive feedback from many of the judges, which is amazing for growth. If you are in the shortlist, take that feedback, be grateful for it and apply it to your next piece. You will be amazed at how much you grow – and might even surprise yourself with what you are capable of creating.

If you haven’t started competing because you are afraid of losing, I hope you take the leap. Even if you don’t win, you’ll walk away with the skills and resilience to keep pushing yourself further than you ever thought possible.

A competition nail that didn’t place – however I loved creating it.

Follow Jessica Vero: www.jessicavero.com

@jessveronails

@jessica.vero

NASNA notes

Congratulations to the 25 nail artists who have been shortlisted in North America’s Star Nail Artist – Season 3, and can be viewed from page 44. You should be incredibly proud! October brings Season 3’s first challenge, and I am so excited to be on the judging panel.

For many of the challenges, the sponsors send products, which allows contestants to try items they may not have otherwise used. During the two seasons I competed in NASNA, I fell in love with Glitterbels products – particularly the brand’s vast range of acrylic powders, which are perfect for creating competition nails. My goal coming out of Season 2 was to join the team, and I’m excited to announce that I am now a Glitterbels brand ambassador.

My advice to this season’s contestants is to let your personal style show through your art, and create pieces that are true to yourself. The video you create for each challenge is just as important as the art, so ensure you carve out enough time to edit and showcase your nails at their best.

As a judge, I’ll be looking at how you interpret the brief, whether you bring fresh ideas to each challenge and how you push yourself to create something truly extraordinary. Most importantly, have fun and let your creativity shine!