Lee Anne finds joy in her art

EMERLINE GORDON

What started off as a hobby turned out to be a profession for Lee-Anne Jones, mother of two, who has been working as a nail artist for the past 11 years.

Since she was little, Jones was always drawing and painting. She would draw anything she would find in and outside the home. It was this love for art that inspired her to become the professional nail artist that she is today.

In an interview with Jones at Kings and Queens Beauty Palace in Lowlands she said, “I came from a family who is very artistic. My mother is a hair stylist and the other members of my family are also engaged in art. So, I am artistic naturally and genetically. I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember; maybe around age three or somewhere thereabout.

"I can proudly say that the ability to draw and paint is etched in my DNA. I started off drawing and painting as a hobby – I would draw everything that I saw. Drawing gave me a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind. If anything was disturbing me, I would start to draw and suddenly I will feel this peace come over me, giving me that feeling of relaxation and comfort. As I grew older, I started drawing and painting on fingernails. I would do my friends' nails for them and after I am finished, they would be very pleased with the finished work.”

Back then, Jones' aspiration was to become a gynaecologist. She pursued all her subjects in the sciences and her library at home was filled with books on the human anatomy and physiology. Her aim was that after she had completed her studies at the secondary level, she would pursue a degree in medicine. But after working at St Ann's Hospital in Trinidad for some time, all the thought about becoming a doctor suddenly changed as she focused her attention now on becoming a teacher.

But even after working as a teacher for four years and developing a special love and bond with the students, there was still this emptiness on the inside. Jones finally gave in to her gut feeling and found herself back home doing the thing that she loved most – nail art.

“In my desperate search to find fulfilment, I entered the teaching fraternity where I worked for four years. Even though I love children and was doing my best to ensure that they were treated fairly and justly, somehow inside of me there was this constant feeling of frustration. In other words, I felt unfulfilled and sad. It was only when I decided to quit teaching and return to my painting that I began to experience that joy, inner peace and happiness in my soul once again.”

Jones is thankful that she had been given this gift of being able to draw and paint. She claims that by operating in her gifting she feels that special sense of satisfaction and more so she gets the opportunity to reach out to people in a way that she would not have been able to otherwise.

She said the lesson she learnt is that you need to follow your heart. She believes that everyone is gifted with some form of hidden talent that is waiting to be explored.

As a spiritual person, Jones always starts her workday by praying and asking God for guidance. She said she always seeks to please Him in whatever she does.

“I am very passionate about what I do and of the firm belief that God has given me this special gift so that I can make a difference in the lives of people. Failure to do so will leave me feeling miserable and empty. This overwhelming joy and peace that I feel when I am engaged in my job are what make my life worthwhile.

“When clients come to my palace, they must leave here feeling satisfied and happy. As a matter of fact, many of my clients have expressed how refreshed they feel after visiting my establishment. I see my business not just as a profession where I make money, but as a place where persons can come in and leave feeling confident of themselves and at the same time have a desire to return.”

And like a good businesswoman, she also provides her clients with emotional therapy.

“I have clients who will come to my palace with personal problems to which I will render counselling to them. They would sometimes come in looking and feeling depressed but after I am finished with them, their spirits become uplifted. Success for me is seeing my customers happy and satisfied when they are leaving my presence.”

Jones specialises in all types of art on nails: from drawing to air brushing to acrylic painting. She also got the opportunity to enter a beauty pageant where she captured a special award for her outstanding work of art.

Jones is currently pursuing her master’s degree in psychology and has plans to incorporate her present business with psychological counselling. She believes in catering to the holistic needs of her clients. She said her clients must not just look good on the outside but feel that sense of confidence and security on the inside as well. She also does workshops with schools throughout the island.