museum of pop culture x so pressious: styled by the streets

i made a set of nails for the museum of pop culture's newest exhibition, "styled by the streets," and it still doesn't feel real.

december 21, 2020, the day i first launched so pressious. if someone had told me then that i'd grow to become a museum-exhibited nail artist, i would've swore they were lying. having your work displayed in a museum is already an achievement that can take years, but as a nail artist, too? calling this my biggest opportunity yet is an understatement.

so how did this even happen?

on april 20, 2025, i hosted my first press & sip. it's our fun spin on the traditional paint & sip, except instead of painting canvases, we paint nails! i knew the class would be special because it was my first ticketed event and the beginning of a new branch of so pressious. what i didn't know was that a mopop curator would be there as a guest. i genuinely thought she was just another girly pop! we painted, mingled, and had a great time. little did i know, another seed had been planted that day.

fast forward to october 28, 2025. i get a dm from a previous press & sip customer. i recognized her name immediately, the lovely lady from my very first class. but this wasn't an ordinary customer inquiry. she was reaching out to ask if i'd be interested in creating a set of nails for the museum of pop culture's upcoming exhibition, "styled by the streets."

ummm, of course i am???

my biggest opportunity came through a casual instagram dm, and suddenly, i was asking myself: how do you make a set of nails for a museum? i was confident in my ability to make a beautiful set of press on nails, but for a permanent museum exhibition? surely they weren't asking for a little french tip or cat eye. so what could i possibly create that would truly hold its own?

then came "threads of her becoming."

six months later, actually. and if i'm being honest, i procrastinated. they told me they'd pick up the nails on april 20, 2026, so naturally... i started them april 18.

me, the queen of imposter syndrome, was terrified. and after months of lackluster ideas, i finally landed on my concept: an outfit on nails. genius. 12/10, no notes.

"styled by the streets" highlights black women's impact on hip-hop fashion, featuring artists like doja cat, cardi b and mary j. blige. at first, i thought about creating a set inspired by something one of these artists might wear, but it didn't have the "wow" factor i was looking for. even if the set was gorgeous, it could still be forgettable, too predictable.

sometimes, the best art makes you stop and ask, "what is that?" and in some cases, being too predictable can actually work against you. and then it clicked: why not make an outfit on nails?

the idea was golden. execution, however, was another story.

i haphazardly practiced the cornrow nail a few times in the days leading up to april 20, but it wasn't until april 18 around 10 am that i finally sat down to create the full set. i had 48 hours, so it was time to lock in.

would i ever procrastinate that hard for such an important opportunity again? absolutely not! but once i started, i entered a flow state. all the pressure i'd been carrying for the past six months just disappeared. i worked tirelessly for 48 hours, taking mini refresher naps in between, staying up at odd hours, and trusting the process. i finally completed everything around 1 am that monday morning. i was tired, delirious, and completely in awe of what i'd created.

"threads of her becoming" is an avant-garde set of press-on nails created to embody a young black girl finding her style. fusing elements of beauty, hair and fashion onto a tiny canvas, my motto for this set was simple: "art, but the medium is nails." i'm so honored that my work gets to live alongside iconic pieces of pop culture and artifacts that helped define an entire era.

and the craziest part? exactly one year after meeting the mopop curator at my very first press & sip, i was turning in my nails for this incredible exhibition. unbeknownst to me, a full-circle moment was already in motion.

the exhibition opens to the public september 19. if you're reading this after september 19 and you're in the seattle area, please stop by the museum of pop culture and check out "styled by the streets." you won't regret it! you can get your tickets and learn more about the exhibition here. 

i'll always be grateful for this opportunity. being a part of this exhibition is an honor, and this experience has been nothing short of amazing.