I know what everyone (or at least some of you) is thinking: nail art is not art. Well I beg to differ! Every time you see a pretty fresh design on someone’s fingernails, such as daisies, Christmas trees, or even dandelions blowing in the breeze, you just know that that person spent over 3 hours of their life working on it. Well, at least that’s what ends up happening to me about every time I paint my nails and decide to draw designs on them.

You may be thinking, “oh big deal, you’re just painting like you would on a piece of paper, except you’re doing it on your nail,” but it is not simply that. Painting on a flat surface and a relatively big canvas is loads easier than painting on a curved surface of a less than 1 square centimeter of space. That combined with the long drying time before top coat can be applied makes nail art both an art and a struggle. Whenever you think you are finally done with one nail, the worst thing possible happens and you have to start over because you accidentally scratched your face, and now your beautiful-spent-one-hour-on design is forever ruined, never to be resurrected. In addition, there are times when you are all finished and done with everything, but the final result is disappointing and you are not happy with your work. So, naturally, you erase all your hard work and start over, resisting the urge to rip out your hair. My point is, every time you see a pretty little nail art post on Instagram or whatever social media platform you prefer, click that little like button and share some love, acknowledging the time and nail polish remover spent on said nail art by that very patient and talented nail artist.

Long story short, I am not a professional nail artist, but I do dabble in it myself when I find those extra 5 hours to spare. I am still practicing the art myself, as I am not ambidextrous, so painting with my left hand is always a horror show. Since I am not as artistic as I would like to be, I usually opt for different simple designs and textures for my nails, while other more artsy and steady-handed people might opt for the fantastic and detailed miniature paintings of flowers or penguins on their nails. Whatever it might be, nail art is just as fun to look at as it is to do, and I encourage all the people out there to embrace your nails and have fun! (Just don’t go overboard and get those talon shaped acrylic nails, please?)

–Joanna Huang