The Entrepreneurial Inspiration of Joyce Marie

Today (1/7) is a special day at OMandP. It’s Joyce “Marie” of Odelia, Marie, & Patrice’s birthday! 🎊

In celebration of her today, I’d like to share an excerpt from the beginnings of a memoir I began writing a year or so back. The excerpt below is particularly special to me because it expands on my early life experiences with my mother’s entrepreneurial pursuits as a Nail Technician. Please enjoy:

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November 2021

Journal Excerpt from Candace Parrish, Ph.D.

Growing-up, I was immersed in the world of nail care. My mother was an aspiring nail technician and was even licensed--she actually keeps her license renewed until this day. I can remember my mother designed a set of ten artificial nails with different designs and glued them to a display board where they could be viewed by clients who would come over to get their nails done. I would watch my mom in the distance, doing nails for her clients, watching how committed she was to every detail. I would pretend to be playing nearby but I would be actually watching her process. When finished, the client was always thoroughly pleased and happy about their new set. I can also remember playing in my mother’s closet, loving her shoes, clothes and all--she was such a beautiful fly girl!

One day while playing in her closet, I found her box of business cards. This was so fascinating to me. I remember looking at one and thinking, “wow, that’s my mom’s name on there.” I guess I was impressed by the professionalism and attention to detail. There aren’t all happy memories related to my mother’s nail technician experience, however. Once, I glued all of her display nails to mine. I thought I would impress my mom by showing her I could do nails also. I can remember my mother being exhausted and disappointed when she got home, seeing all her hard work glued to her 7 year old’s hands. Still, she handled me with care. She gently cut each nail short with a nail clipper so as not to ruin my young nail beds. Lucky me, I went to school with all different nail colors on my hands and all the other students thought it was so cool. They had no idea that I had probably spawned the end of my mother’s entrepreneurial nail career. Or at least, that’s what I thought for my entire life after that.

I carried the weight of feeling like I was the straw that broke the camel’s back, because after that there were no more women that came to visit mother to get their nails done. In my head, this was because there were no more display nails to showcase to them and it would take so much to re-do all of them that it wasn’t worth it to try and recreate them. I felt like such a huge burden and disappointment to my mom. Although I felt the burden of what I thought was the ending of my mother’s nail tech career, I was still somehow connected to nail care and style. When I went to middle school, I began collecting nail polish. I had over a hundred different colors. In high school I made sure to always get my nails done with nice and unique designs. When I got to college, I linked up with a crew of girls (Courtney & Lanee) who also had favorite pastimes of keeping their nails painted and cute. We would literally hang out, listen to music, and paint our nails together.

In current times, I have managed to keep my nail appointments going, sometimes with breaks and gaps in between, but I always get back to it. My favorite thing to do is to get one design, a cow print design, on my ring finger and bedazzle it with rhinestones. Which I believe is an unconscious ode to my mother’s former nail tech career. It’s a lovely blend of her and me. Cows are my spirit animal, because of their beauty, how big they are, and how they gracefully take up space while eating a vegan diet. This is what I believe is a representation of my body and spirit. Paying tribute to them via a bedazzled nail is where the essence of me meets the connection to paying tribute to my mother’s nail tech career--the simple nail design somehow keeps it all connected in my mind. 

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Thank you for reading this excerpt in celebration of Joyce Marie's birthday! Since initially writing this, she shared that I did not influence the re-routing of her career as a nail technician, rather life raising two children and working full-time--which I know was tough but was great for my inner child to hear. 🖤

Recently, I moved closer to my mom and family. As a result, my mom and I have been able to reconnect in nail care and make a bi-weekly routine of getting our nails done together. Watch the cutest reel of our first nail salon trip here: Mother-Daughter Nails. 

Fresh Manicured Hands of Candace Patrice and Joyce Marie

 

Odelia, Marie, & Patrice would not be possible without her love & support on this journey! Not only was she our first sale ( ☺️ ) but she also lent her kitchen to me during the early stages of soap and body butter formation for OMandP. My mom's essence and drive are a huge inspiration to me and a large part of how far OMandP has progressed today!  

🎊Happy Birthday Joyce Marie! 🎊

About the Author

Candace Parrish, Ph.D. is the founder of Odelia, Marie, & Patrice–a vegan and sustainable self-care brand–and a Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Relations at the University of North Carolina–Wilmington.

Contact Information

Email: Candace@OMandPatrice.com