how my press-on nails ended up in a museum

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 sworn they were lying. having your work displayed in a museum is already an achievement that can take a lifetime to reach, 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 museum of pop culture (mopop) curator would be there as a guest. i 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 mopop's upcoming exhibition, "styled by the streets."

ummm, of course i am???

a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arrived 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 on april 18.

i, the queen of imposter syndrome, was terrified. but after months of lackluster ideas, i finally landed on my concept: an entire outfit on nails. from the hair and fabric to the makeup and jewelry, each nail would represent a different element of the look. together, the nails would tell a story. genius. 12/10, no notes.

"styled by the streets" highlights black women's impact on hip-hop fashion, featuring artifacts from famous musicians like doja cat, cardi b and mary j. blige. at first, i thought about creating a set inspired by something these artists would wear themselves (maybe onstage during an iconic grammy performance or on a red carpet for the latest movie premiere). but none of those ideas had 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?" it makes you adjust your glasses and look a little closer. it sticks with you long after you've left the exhibit. and for my museum debut, i wasn't aiming for anything less. i knew being too on the nose would not create the effect i was looking for. so when the concept clicked, an outfit on nails, i knew the idea was golden. execution, however, was another story.

i haphazardly practiced the cornrow technique a few times in the days leading up to april 20. i would meander around my apartment, stopping occasionally to paint, only to soon find myself distracted by something that felt more exciting. less scary. i'd paint a little, wander a little, distract myself a little more. the urgency still hadn't found me. it wasn't until the morning of april 18 that i finally sat down to create the full set. i had 48 hours. 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. as i painted, the silent pressure i'd been carrying for the past six months melted off me. 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. so, 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.