Art Shows, Expos, and Press on Toes

As 2025 comes to an end, I'd to reflect on the year I've had and how I've grown as an artist and as a business. I had amazing new experiences and met so many lovely people who took the time to give me valuable advice and opportunities. Firstly, I became an official LLC early this year which means I'm literally in business!

I began my in-person selling with Michael's craft store. Trying to break into the handmade seller world like Etsy, Michael's gives you the opportunity to sell on their platform, and they also invite you to sell in a store of your choosing. I have gone back every month since July and just the process of exposing myself in a huge craft store was humbling and exciting. It felt like the beginning of huge opportunities for me and my business. In full transparency, a lot of times I count my successes in the amount of sales I've received, and to be frank I haven't received that many this year, or the year before. It can get quite discouraging and it can be hard for me to see my progress, because if I'm doing so well, why don't I have more sales? However, selling in store gave me the courage to apply to be an artist for Florida's 10th annual international business and culture expo. I got a call four days before the two day expo to let me know I was accepted (I had applied so long before I had forgotten that was what I signed up for!) Luckily for me, I am determined and I had started an actual an art piece, but when I applied I stressed that the nails were the art, and applied with photos of my nails! I was so nervous but all the artists were amazing and encouraging and expressed to me that I WAS in fact an artist and I belonged there as much as they did. Many people also told me that I was in a lane of my own making and that is something that is validating and SO scary. From this event, one of the artists asked I could recreate his painting on a set of nails, and invited me to his event as an artist. That's twice in less than 3 weeks I debuted as an artist! It was something I cannot wait to have on a larger scale. It felt good to put my money where my mouth is, because ultimately I AM an artist, I see the press on nails as the "prints" of my work. My art gallery is the ultimate goal, so it feels good to have positive feedback for my vision.

I also introduced some new products, had a free Christmas Art Set raffle (which was an entire mess but it worked out in the end!) and I wrote a newsletter every month since January. I am extremely proud of myself this year, and xPRESSive Designs' New Year Resolution is to reach 1,000 sales this year! I also am planning an art show, a pop up exhibition to show the world what I have to offer. Read on to see what 12 things I've learned running my business in 2025!

12 Things I Learned This Year

It is easy to overlook my own successes- I elevated as an artist this year and I am still worried about how many sales I did or didn't get. I've learned to really focus on my accomplishments and celebrate them because honestly, my advancement as an artist will have more of an impact than just getting press on sales. (I do want to sell a buttload of nails though! I want everyone to be wearing my nails!
I am meticulous about my art- I've decided I want all of my nails sold to be handmade by me, and I want them all to be of a certain quality. I will order anything to make sure a set for my customer is at the quality I want it to be, I will also start over as many times I need to until I'm satisfied.
The sets make themselves- There's been so many times I set out to make one set, and it ended up as something else. It's not often I'm struck by inspiration and the set comes out exactly as I saw it in my head, more often than not I have an idea, and the rest comes along after. I've learned to go with the flow, and not to push myself so far one way or the other. I also learned to quit when I needed to. It's a fine line between giving up and knowing that a project isn't right for you.
My press ons last for years- All the sets I debuted for my art show were sets I've worn multiple times over multiple years. My nails are not subject to wear and tear, and it felt good to put that idea to the test.
I am an inspiration - People are inspired by me and proud of everything I've accomplished! It's really humbling and awe inspiring to me that people see my work .
I really want certain sets of mine to sell- I done a few collections, but my proudest one is my Sonny Angel inspired and there are 6 sets in it. I sincerely hope that someone buys the entire collection... I have dreams of being a big coveted brand and a famous nail artist that changed the art world as we know it.
To have the courage to post the looks I hate- There are plenty of nails that I made that I don't wan to put on, and I want to post them even less. But as always, everything is content, and even if I don't like it doesn't mean that someone else won't.
The best way to know if you like or don't like something is to do it- Before the Michael's opportunity I definitely shied away from selling in person, harping on the fact that I don't know peoples sizes, preferences, etc. But because I never say no to opportunities, when I was offered to sell in store I just made some sets in different sizes. At first I made 3 sets in one size, then I made 3 of the same set in different sizes, and then I gave up on a system altogether and made sets in Small, Medium, Large one after the other. There's no rhyme or reason to how people buy their sets, and a lot of times people told me they prefer "simple sets". Now, I just make what I like to make and sometimes I get sales and sometimes I don't but I ALWAYS get the best compliments.
Art is subjective- This is something that I repeat and notice on the surface level, but I somehow seem to forget when I'm obsessing over whatever art I'm making at the moment. I can get lost in becoming obsessive about a piece I'm making, and then I remember whatever I present the world is what they THINK it's supposed to be- they're not in my head seeing the piece how I see it. And every single time I step away, instead of trashing my work or giving up and just release it, it turns out perfectly.
It's fun to try new things- I added almond and curved nails to me repertoire, although I strongly dislike both shapes! I even wore the curved nails for a bit, I did a great job making them however I still haven't changed my mind so far! I also have tried out press on nails, but I'm sure I'll have to sell sizing kits, and I haven't figured out a good way to photograph my toes! I have lost the need for perfection, but I'm at a point in my business where I have a level of quality I stick to and I refuse to present anything less than THAT.
You can literally do anything if you believe in it hard enough- Whenever I used to hear success stories it would be like "He opened up his own store.." and I was like how do you just open a store?! I realized as I was making my debut as an artist that it starts small, and with persistence and progress you can be connected to opportunities that can get you where you need to go. I am nervous and excited to see how far I can get this year without excuses and really doubling down on posting content everyday.
I will take my business farther than I can imagine- As someone who is amazing at manifesting, I can feel that this is just the very beginning and xPRESSive Designs Gallery will be a tourist destination in Wynwood in the next few years!