Meet Adajshia Thompkins | Entrepreneur & Nail Artist

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

Hi Adajshia, how do you think about risk?
I think taking risks plays a huge part in everyone’s lives. In my opinion, risk is the partner to faith. You have to have faith to take risks but you gotta take risks to build up your faith. In my life, I’ve taken many risks from not going straight to college after high school, to quitting my 9-5 to purse only nails and hair and to now expanding my business. Taking risks is definitely not easy but you won’t grow unless you take that first step. Whenever you’re feeling too comfortable, it’s time to take that risk to continue growing . We as people have so much potential but we let fear hold us back. Fear keeps us from taking those risks, but it’s the risks that we take that allows us to grow, and learn. We won’t learn whats meant to be or whats not meant to be unless we take those risks. I’ve definitely built my career on a step ladder of risks , and throughout my journey I’ve had a lot of failures but many successes. My failures have been a life lesson and my successes have been the fuel to my growth that pushes me forward to continue to take small risks without fear. I will encourage any and everyone to pray, have faith and take that risk!

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 believe my art is very unique, simply because for one, everybody in the world has their own uniqueness. There is no one in the world that can do what ‘Adajshia ‘ does. Like, there can be somebody out there that can draw and be just as creative as me or even better but it’s still always something that sets someone apart. Rather it’s the way I hold my brush, or the way I do my lining, or the way I mix my colors to customize something. Thats what makes me unique, just the way I do things with my skill. I love being creative and I can proudly say I can recreate 90% of things shown to me. I’ve always been creative my whole life since I was in elementary school. I’ve won multiple Art awards, and I’ve done big  projects for schools and the district. Everything in my life I feel as though is based on being creative and being able to do art with my career, makes my job more exciting. So right now I am a full license cosmetologist but I specialize in nail enhancements. I was doing hair, make up and nails but down the line I decided to focus on one niche which was nails. Growing up, it was not a goal of mine to be a nail artist or to have my own business. I actually wanted to be a family court lawyer. That had been my goal since middle school and I was gonna go to law school and just do hair and stuff on the side for extra income. But my family encouraged me to go ahead and get my cosmetology license and while I was attending beauty school, I really felt a passion for what I was doing. So I took the risk of just aiming for that as a full career, because originally I just wanted to go to law school because society made it seem like such a great job to have but it wasn’t my passion. So , I finish cosmetology school , ended up working at different shops and honestly lost my motivation at one point and tried to pursue different careers but throughout it all, I ended up always falling back to doing what I loved, which was nails. I struggled a lot with dealing with the public. Learning that you can’t please everyone, not all money is good money, and you will have failures and successes throughout the process. But I’m proud of all my ups and downs because it made me and continues to make me a successful black women. I want the world to know that what I’m doing for myself isn’t a trend of being able to say ‘I have my own business’ . It’s a platform of building the life that I dream for myself and I hope my story can motivate others to take that leap of faith and do what they love.

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.
When my home girl comes into Myrtle Beach the first thing we do is head over to ‘Rioz Steak House’ . We love a good steak and they have yet to disappoint me. But if we’re feeling fancy then we make reservations to ‘The Melting Pot’ . I absolutely love the environment and experience. Then, we like to go out to Duplin Winery for a wonderful wine tasting because who doesn’t like wine tasting! And then we like to walk around Broadway and explore all the shops and parks. We’re very chilled but Myrtle beach has so much to offer from the cool bars at Broadway like, Wet Willies, and Fat Tuesday. Theres plenty of amusement parks like, Wonder Works, Family Kingdom, and Soar & Explore, etc. But the most amazing thing you can do when visiting Myrtle Beach, is have a picnic on the sandy beaches. It’s best during the evening times, but the relaxing waters and cooling breezes really does ease the mind and soul.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out my amazing grandmother, Althea! I would not be where I am in life if it wasn’t for her. My grandmother has played a major part in my life and I’m beyond thankful for her and all she’s done for me. She’s the reason I was able to pursue what I love and I work hard to continue to make her proud!

Website: https://linktr.ee/aluxebeautystudio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aluxebeautystudio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawntel.thompkins

Other: Aluxebeautystudio@gmail.com