We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Darriona Griffin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Darriona below.
Darriona, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
As an artist, ironically, being creative and staying creative can be one of the most difficult tasks that I have discovered. I try to keep my creativity alive by staying inspired within my field and looking at the work of other artist, staying on top of trends, scrolling on Pinterest, etc. Looking at the world around me and trying to make art out of things that I see in everyday life also is extremely helpful in challenging myself creatively as well as keeping my love for nails and nail art alive
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Darriona Griffin, I am a nail artist and have been a licensed cosmetologist for the past 4 years. Growing up I quickly lost interest in a majority of career paths that I was exposed to, but when I discovered makeup, hair, and nail videos on YouTube, I was hooked! I would stay up countless hours watching artists perform their beauty services from start to finish and I remember thinking how fun it would be to turn this interest of mine into a career. At my high school, I was dual-enrolled in a technical school where I was able to go for half the day for 2 years where I received my cosmetology license in 2020. Fast forwarding to the end of 2023, Alignment Nail Studio was created where I offer Gel-X extensions as well as builder gel and regular gel manicures. I mainly focus on nail art and prioritize conceptual nail designs that clients may not be able to find going to a traditional salon. Alignment Nail Studio prioritizes aligning the clients vision of their nail design to the actual outcome so they never leave dissatisfied.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three qualities or skills that have been most impactful in my journey have been patience, an understanding of different mediums when it comes to nail art, and being personable. Practicing patience shows up in many ways whether it be being patient with a difficult client or showing yourself grace and patience when something doesn’t come out perfect the first time. Taking a step back and remembering the bigger picture of why I started this journey always gives me an extra push when I feel like things aren’t going as smoothly; this extra push often begins the start of my creative juices flowing again which is really helpful if I ever feel like I’m losing focus or in a creative rut. Understanding the mediums has had a great impact on my journey because at first I would just use whatever I had lying around from brushes to gel polishes but after understanding the proper usage of products the work process becomes way easier and more enjoyable to perform. Something as simple as knowing whether to use a gel polish or a gel paint can have such a helpful impact on how smoothly and efficient a nail appointment goes. As a nail technician, my job is to sit and have conversations all day, which can often last 2-3 hours. People are much more inclined to book with someone that is nice and that they can relate to, so being authentic to yourself and creating a comfortable environment for your client has made the biggest change in my journey so far.
Starting off in your career to help develop these qualities and skills, allowing yourself to not be perfect and to learn from your mistakes is the first step. It’s not standard to be the best in the world starting off, or knowing what products to use to create certain effects, but through trial and error you will gain the knowledge and help further your skills.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I would love to work with anyone with an editorial or fashion background; photographers, artist, agents, etc. My dream has always been to be a celebrity nail artist working on runways and having my own agency. I have always been fascinating with how different concepts are captured and displayed through nail art and it is truly one of my favorite design processes when it comes to nail design. I would love to collaborate on an editorial photoshoot or even for a fashion show! The quickest way to reach me would be through Instagram Dm @AlignmentNailStudio
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alignmentnailstudio/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@alignmentnailstudio?si=sPGNKIfxCmDtoJra
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