Meet Lina Racquel | Licensed Nail Technician & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lina Racquel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lina, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I’m just now finding a solid work life balance. For a long while, I would work really hard for the wrong companies, the wrong people and it would drain all of my time, energy and money. It really comes down to fighting for yourself and owning your own voice enough to speak up for what you believe in. I had to push for a long time to be able to achieve the things I believed in, and find my position to stand confident in my ability to follow through. Find your footing, and then run for the hills.

Presently, I’m able to prioritize a work schedule that also works with my personal goals, such as deepening a relationship with God or settling in to Big City Houston. I really appreciate establishments like Drip Nail Salon that see their nail technicians not just as money making robots, but as artists and people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I wouldn’t say I had it hard, but it wasn’t easy either. I got in the way of a lot of things that could have been achieved or realized quicker had I just… been still. I left Texas 3 years ago trying to “make something of myself” as a fresh 20 year old, thinking I could do it and never look back. I was wrong. I fell into a hole with some people that didn’t have my best interest at heart, some that were struggling right next to me, in the same or similar hole. My art was basically nonexistent; of course I still found a way to practice and create, even in the slightest (shoutout to my VA friends/clients of 2022-23, I love y’all down bad!!) I was lost as a person, and in turn my journey became hazy as well. From the drugs, or the smoking or the drinking; I was coping and running. When I wasn’t doing those things, I was drained of working for someone else, listening to someone else, doing something for 8+ hours a day that I did not want to be doing because it just “paid the bills.” When I finally had to face the music, there was an overwhelming sense of comfort. I was home, not necessarily because I was back in Texas and with my family, but because I could focus on what and who was important to me. I was careless graduating high school in 2019, never having paid for my license which later on I would regrettably find out I had to repeat school in Texas, and do 4x the hours (quite literally) in order to receive recognition from the state. There goes all of my money, health insurance and my stable job, all to pursue my dreams. Frankly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. These last 5 years has felt as if I was standing in the middle of a typhoon, and it still feels that way, it’s just frozen in time and I am somehow okay. I’ve spotted a single white rose in the middle of the storm. Maybe I’m romanticizing a little, but this is the best way to put it in writing lol. Focused on weeding out my garden; taking better care of my body, being more conscious of my mental, and getting closer to God are all ways I have been able to push forward and not get sucked back into the vortex. I consider myself a two-time licensee, with double the knowledge and expertise. My passion is the literal art that flows from my hand, down the brush and onto the nail. Aside from high quality products and knowledge based experience, I love bringing peoples inner child creations to life. Putting the impossible on such a tiny canvas amazes people, shit it amazes me every day. I am grateful to be able to witness clients radiating when leaving my chair; that is enough payment for me! We just have to figure out a way for those smiles to pay the bills too! LOL. All jokes aside, I may not have all of the funds to fully practice at 100%, but my dreams have carried me this far so I can only imagine where I will go, God willing. Never let anyone tell you what you can be, nor where you could go. Find your faith, trust yourself, and go all in — you’ve got this.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am biased on this, but first stop would be getting our nails done. I’d want them to experience a part of my life, which includes working for Drip Nail Salon in The Heights, the only salon in Texas that exclusively offers gel services. I am always down for a trip to Discovery Green, or Hermann Park, so long as the heat allows me to enjoy the beauty of the land. My best girlfriend Ifechilu is a gym baddie if you will, so we’d probably check out Alpha-land and then create some sort of local food tour, with the first stop being my faithful boba spot, Happy Lemon. My group of friends doesn’t really view being ‘outside’ as going out and getting plastered, but we love a good time with great food and a happy hour! There are so many options out here, it’s kind of hard to narrow down to one. We love some good seafood though, and Crawfish Cafe has yet to disappoint me. Exploring all that Houston has to offer is something I am still working on, so outlets such as Shoutout HTX have been a great way for me to add things to my bucket list! Texas natives are not hard to find, they almost always find you, and are some of the sweetest people I have met. It truly is a welcoming state once settled, and we will definitely be visiting The Rodeo once it comes back to town! A solid way to end the night would be driving around downtown Houston, taking the beltway all the way around, seeing the different murals and various forms of art all around the city, it’s very hard to miss them.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost would be God. I have stumbled down many paths, blind and confident, yet there was always some glimmer of light guiding my steps; that’s honestly how I ended up back in Texas after 3 years of saying I would never come back. Next in line, hands down goes to my mom. I know I know, way to be original, Mother’s Day just passed, WHATEVER! Haha. No seriously; my work ethic, my drive, it all comes from her. In my eyes she has always been a single mother, raising three girls. A nurse, working the graveyard shift to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads, no matter how dark times may have been for her. There are things she could never discuss with a 8- year old. That same 8-year old could see how hard she was fighting to extract us from our (then) current, so we could have a better (present) now. I wouldn’t have found my passion without first setting foot in that nail salon at Chapel Hill Mall in Akron, Ohio; as she got her class red nails or a french tip with a 90s inspired flower. My mom bought the first products for my business, pitched in to get me better equipment, and supported me every step of the way while ensuring there was always a plan. I always thought it was my plan, but turns out it was Gods; I was just making things harder. Now I will do everything I can to share God’s gift with the world, and make my mom proud.

Website: https://nailsbylina.as.me

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