Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Adams
Hi Samantha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts off as an underprivileged child from Pontiac, Michigan, born to a single mother and an estranged father. Believe it or not there is not a lot to tell because the story is pretty common. I was conceived by accident, and my mother decided to keep me. She struggled her whole life to provide for me while facing challenges of her own, that would eventually be passed down to me, inevitably.
I remember back when I was a kid I couldn’t wait to become an adult so I could live out my own dreams! I didn’t realize it would all be so challenging, and I also didn’t understand all of the odds that were stacked against me until I fell victim to a lot of them. However, despite all the hardships and the setbacks life has dealt me, that has not stopped me from becoming a shining light everywhere I go! Once I was old enough and my life was a bit established… I dropped out of college and fled from my hometown to Orlando, Florida, and forged a new life for myself and my son.
Many people may think I’m crazy, but I fled away from home, over 1000 miles across the country, just to live out of my car with a three-year-old. I can admit it does seem a little crazy, however it was the radical faith that I needed in order to set myself free from everything that was holding me back all those years! The greatest decision I have ever made in my life, was to go homeless and step out on faith and faith alone. Being outside at night time is not as scary as one may think, but failing as a mother, was. My son would go to sleep at night in my lap on a bench outside next to a pond or at a resort where we could hang out on a hammock until morning time. Once morning came around we would go and grab some continental breakfast and figure out how to survive through the rest of the day.
Before I decided to flee from home, I had sort of turned my back on God because I was feeling so betrayed and confused! I didn’t understand the purpose of life or what I was supposed to do with mine. And, let me tell you, turning your back on God will lead you some scary places, but the beauty of it is knowing when to turn back and see his face again. Once I decided I truly loved God and I didn’t want to turn my back on him any longer, he began to provide for me in ways I could never even describe!
And, that is my story, in short–I would be nothing without God.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Overall, it’s hard to say there hasn’t been any obstacles along my journey! The truth is there have been plenty, but maybe they’re not the challenges one would typically expect. I am a single mother and I homeschool my children on my own so forging time to follow my dreams is a true obstacle! A lot of the opposition I face is from natural sources like the day-to-day shuffle of life and mental and emotional setbacks that occur naturally. Nail art is an escape for me, which I truly love! However, when I don’t have enough time to keep up with all of my obligations or simply express myself artistically, I can say that it literally eats me alive inside.
I often suffer in silence because I believe it’s too much for others to understand. While this journey, as a whole, gives me unlimited potential, it also forces me to walk in a very fine line. Some of the most important things are simple things like exercise and hydrating, taking time to stretch and meditate, getting up from my desk for a break here and there throughout the day… It’s bewildering how some of the simplest things can become great obstacles when we are following our dreams. However, I truly believe these obstacles are simply meant to make us a better person, so we can lend ourselves to others when they are in need. I guess you could say suffering in silence is a great price to pay for being able to inspire others to follow their dreams!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
From a young age, I have always used art as a getaway. I had a rather rough and lonely childhood, and, when I was in art class as a 2nd grader, my art teacher took a special liking to my artwork. Prior to that, my grandmother would support my love of coloring, drawing, and writing. But, my parents were never really supportive. Over the course of growing into adulthood, I ventured into work/college, and my passion for art took a backseat for a while.
In the summer of 2019, I was at a trampoline park with my children, and, I ended up spraining my ankle very badly. I knew the recovery would take months, and perhaps even a year. So, I used this time to brush up on my art skills and see where they’d take me. And, I was truly blown away by everything I created!
Around the same time, I met one of my (now) best friends, and, instead of just creating art for the heck of it, I decided to create my friend a few priceless masterpieces. To which, he was really intrigued by my talent and the form of self-expression I was able to convey through my artwork. And, a few months later, unbelievably, the pandemic happened. Had it not been for my creativity and love for painting, drawing, and self-expression through art, I may have literally gone insane.
Thankfully, as always, my art was a safe space for me! It brought me back into tune with myself and I began to reflect on how art has always been a part of my core identity. Now, another thing I was always passionate about was nail art and manicuring my own nails. As a child, my mother would never allow me to paint my nails. She always spoke critical of nail polish being worn by children. So, before the pandemic happened, I had also come back into tune with the version of myself that loved self-expression through nail art, and I began going to a personal nail tech to get my nails done. However, due to quarantine, I wasn’t able to keep up with getting my nails done because contact with others was strictly prohibited.
I found myself spending all of my spare time binging on nail art videos and tutorials on Youtube. After about 6-weeks of salivating over the screen wishing all those nails were mine…. I began to order nail products and take the leap into learning how to do my own nails! I was dedicated to my new journey as a self-taught nail artist; I knew the possibilities would be endless!
To my surprise, I have done fairly well at making a name for myself in the nail art community online. I started by first purchasing products with my own money, and filming unboxings and reviews. I would work day and night at learning how to do my own nails. One day, I remember, I worked at it for 16-hours straight, took a few hours to sleep, and then got right back to work within a few hours! I was more dedicated to this than I had ever been about anything I’d done up until that point. After I learned to do my own nails and I tried out a fair share of products, I began targeting brands through social networking, with the hopes of becoming a well-known brand ambassador; this would enable me to try lots of products, save a little coin, and share my honest reviews and discounts with my supporters. It went great!
Once I accomplished all of this, I began to feel a little out of place, as the market felt a bit oversaturated and the pandemic was quickly coming to an end. So, through much thought and contemplation, I decided to create the Goddess Gang Nail Art Challenge, where I would invite artists from all walks of life to participate in fun and interactive nail art challenges, for the chance to win prizes! I like to think of it as a way to give back to the community. Everyone may not have the means to follow their dreams or pursue their desires the way I have been able to, but, I still like to offer those artists the same encouragement and support in the community. There is a place for everyone to fit in, here, and, that is the legacy I want to be remembered by, when it’s all set and done.
Additionally, I believe what sets me apart from others is my passion for everything I have created. As an artist, even if others attempt to steal my work, or my ideas, one thing they can never mimic, is my passion. My passion for my journey as an artist and entrepreneur is something that cannot be duplicated. Our passion must come from our heart, because the truth is, we can start many things…. But, we will only see our passions to the end. Passion and love for art, creativity, and fostering a safe community will always be at the core of me. And, I am very proud of that.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Before I decided to commit to this journey, I contemplated what the future may look like if I did. And, I have to tell you guys about one of my greatest mentors in the nail art community, and her name is Femi Beauty. When the pandemic started, Femi had already been working on nails on her YouTube channel and Instagram for five years. Throughout that time she did see success, but I believe she never saw the success she had imagined until the pandemic happened and everyone was inside binging on YouTube videos. I always thought that was rather insane how your life can change from one moment to the next when you simply just follow your passion. I know it’s easy for us all to say that we don’t do what we love for the money, which I can say I definitely don’t… But what is better than when your hard work and efforts finally pay off and it’s a bigger payoff than you could have even fathomed?
The nail art industry comes with tons of shifts and trends, especially when there are big brands in the market that are able to sort of dictate those things. However one major aspect of my success that I had to take into consideration, was my willingness to conform to trends in the community. They say if you can’t beat them then join them, but I’m not a believer of that. So this was one of the biggest challenges for me as a nail artist when it came to garnering success in the community.
While I understand and respect trends in the industry, I am not a huge supporter of them because I believe everyone should be able to be successful regardless if they are doing what is popular or trending at the time. With the Goddess Gang Nail Art Challenge, I have been able to circumvent that aspect of my journey by becoming a sort of trendsetter on my own. To respect the industry and the trends that will naturally occur throughout the seasons, I have implemented them into my challenges so that again everyone can feel embraced yet have a sense of individuality at the same time.
I believe there is unlimited potential and freedom in this industry and that is one thing I truly love about it most!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ScorpionGoddessNails.blog
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scorpiongoddessnails
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWK8eJHjcF3Nhx7BC6I823A
Image Credits
@ScorpionGoddessNails
