No matter how talented you are, everyone has to start somewhere. In Mei’s case, the nail artist began her career by doing nail art in Kyoto, Japan.

Mei’s childhood love of drawing grew into a passion for nails that prompted the start of her training at 18. Mei worked in several salons in Japan and even owned her own salon for a short time.

“I learned a lot of detailed work and the importance of being patient in Japan,” Mei exclusively told Distractify. “And after putting in the work and coming to New York in 2012, I decided to take things to the next level.”

Mei explained that upon moving to New York, she realized just how trendy the nail world could be.

“I realized how everyone's vision in America is more dynamic than Japan,” Mei told us. “I used to do my own nails so much shorter, but coming to New York showed me that long nails are in fashion. So, the decision to combine long nails with my nail art to showcase on a bigger scale made sense.”