Dark to Light; one tech’s journey to salvation

ANNA’S STORY as told to Alex Fox by Anna Lou AKA The Real Nail Addict

“To fully comprehend the magnitude of what I am and have today, I must go back to the very beginning…

“Going back to 13 years of age, I had an amazing mother that did everything she could to raise me correctly. She provided everything I needed. Yet inside me, there was a war. My dad left me at a young age. I didn’t realise until later in life, just how much damage that did to me. I felt abandoned, unloved and alone. Mental health problems run in my family and depression crept into me at a young age. I went off the rails quickly, and by the time I was 13, I’d been to four secondary schools. I ran away from home so many times that I was in the local papers for being missing. Yes, I was that kid on the front page of The Daily Star. My mum tried everything she could to hold on to me, to love me, but I’d already pressed the self-destruct button. I was off the rails; lost, confused and vulnerable; not that I knew it back then. I was put on anti-depressants at 13 and placed into a loving foster family, which I adored, and still do to this day. I managed for a while there, but soon started meeting older men and running away, this time hundreds of miles from home. I was placed in a secure unit to ‘keep me safe’, however, things happened there that should never have been possible – it was an abuse of power. I was released six months later, when I carried on down my destructive road. Now I was 14 and, when looking back, I now see I was being groomed by a paedophile. A 28-year-old man took an interest in me. He saw a vulnerable young girl with a naive mum that knew nothing of the world of drugs. He starting injecting me with heroin. When the authorities got involved I became one of the youngest in the country to be put on the Methadone programme, the replacement medicine for those coming off heroin, however I used drugs on top and got caught up in a cycle of heavy addiction.

BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY

“I had no idea how low that drug would take me. I was offered chance after chance by every youth service, offending probation team and court in the land. I’d become a persistent young offender – all of it drug related. I lost my moral compass, my self-respect and myself! The old saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’, is so true. I didn’t want help, I wanted to forget the pain, the hurt and the trauma by masking it in a haze of drugs. This horrendous lifestyle finally got me sent to prison. I was placed in a notorious prison for women where I served three months. When I came out, I was assigned a rehabilitation centre, but still I ran. I wasn’t yet ready to change. I was still running from myself, so I ran and ended up in Birmingham. Being from a small town, the big city was new territory for me.

“This was the moment I hit the lowest place I feel any human can go. I’d used every obvious vein in my body and they’d all become useless, so by 18 years old I was injecting drugs into the most dangerous place, my neck, just to feel better. I no longer felt the withdrawals of heroin, I was low and sick of being arrested, so I began selling The Big Issue. I moved around squats, slept in doorways and relied on a soup kitchen to eat. I saw things that no one should in their lifetime. I experienced things that even until now, I’ve locked away deep inside me. That’s my coping mechanism; to lock my issues away.

LIFE LESSONS

“My story doesn’t end here as many others do. I was at rock bottom, on my knees and so desperate that I got signed up to a drug service on a Methadone programme and this time it was for real. I’d had enough of ‘life’ at 18 years old. I was tired, weak and my manic depression was active and hanging over me. I got a flat on the outskirts of the city and found a doctor that never judged and gave me hope, she was the start of my recovery. I stabilised my mental health and took my medication regularly. I started a councillor course and met a man. I became pregnant and my life began to fall into place.  “I had the drive and determination to get off the Methadone. I had everything I’d been searching for; the unconditional love I felt for my son.

“I took control of my life and moved back to my home town where I started a VTCT in manicure/pedicure. I next signed up for acrylic nails and went onto do my Level 3 Beauty Therapy while my son was small. I qualified in 2007, however, my son’s fragile health left me no choice but to become his full-time carer. Eventually, I got him into a specialist school and settled; that was three years ago when my nail journey began.

“Wearing a veil of depression and having developed anxiety disorders, I had no life outside of my son, before I stumbled across the Naio YouTube channel (featuring Kirsty Meakin). Lighting a fire inside me like never before, I got out my acrylic brush and practiced. I practiced all the hours I could. I had been bitten by the nail bug and was about to find a whole wonderful nail community. My life changed beyond recognition, I formed relationships and supported everyone I could and in return, I was rewarded with my own network of incredible people, who became a lifeline to me. The difficult days shrouded in depression still came, as they’re never far away, however, nails and my nail family were giving me a reason to focus elsewhere. I now had a purpose, independence and strength, my confidence was building up; brick by brick; step by step. I began to see a bright future ahead.

NAIL ARMY

“Facebook became and still is my lifeline. It’s where I found an army of nail artists that advises, supports me, genuinely loves me and I give all this back as we build each other up. I realised, after being asked many times, that I should create The Nail Family FB group page. It’s a group where I communicate and give back all the support I’ve been shown. It’s group with no negativity, only support and encouragement with constructive criticism where invited. The Nail Family has grown quickly and sits at 11k members.

“I absolutely love creating extreme artwork on nails, I’ve found my life’s purpose, my people and my career. Now that it’s all falling into place, I wanted to share some of my story in the hope it might just help another person who may be struggling; I want to give hope. My vision for the future is to offer scholarship programmes to addicts in recovery. I want to show them a new way of life, one that can be a healthy addiction. I want to give back

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

“I can’t wait to start teaching, coaching and building a positive movement that supports second chances. One that’s accepting of mental health problems, never judgemental and I want those in pain, to understand that it’s ok to be different. I’ve never fitted into society’s boxes and it’s taken me 33 years to realise it’s ok – in fact my differences are my strength.

“These nails were created as a symbol of my life story so far. The needles represent the darkest part of my life and the flowers showcase the abundance and growth nails have allowed me to take. I thank the whole nail industry for making me the woman I am today and I’m excited to see where life takes me next. One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a lot better from here on in.

“I’ll close with a special mention to my mum, because that woman held on to me by the skin of her teeth, she never, ever let me go and I will never be able to thank her enough; she’s my everything.

“Thank you for reading my story, thank you Scratch for supporting and encouraging me to speak my truth. This has been on my vision board and today it’s finally happened!”

Follow Anna Lou on Instagram and Facebook.

MEET ANNA LOU THOMAS

 Age: 33 years

Location: Shropshire

Salon Name: The Real Nail Addict

Years in Nails: 14 years

Trained: VCTC in Manicure/Pedicure, Acrylic Nails and Level 3 in Beauty Therapy at local college

Why nails: The creative outlet

Inspired by: Bojana Kostka, Krista Paulitti for their extreme styles and execution of skill. Kirsty Meakin and Annabel Maginnis have also been a big inspiration to me and I’ve learnt a lot from them. Mino Vo is another I follow, as well as just about every one of the amazing women that stand with me in this industry; there are far too many to name, but they all inspire me daily.

Achievement: Getting into last season’s top 24 for Nails Next Top Nail Artist (NTNA). It gave me a massive fire in my belly and was a great learning experience that propelled me into wanting to further practice my craft and go on to competing professionally.

Professional goals: To open a training academy that offers the best in education and support that gets them industry ready to step out and slay their business. The end goal is to help as many as I can to make it to where they want to be in life. To help them reach their dreams, to support and encourage positive mental health and well-being and to build an all-round positive uplifting vibe where we all support each other.

How has 2020 affected you: 2020 has given me much needed time to reassess how I move forward in nails with my current health conditions. I’ve had the opportunity to sit back and find a path that suits me. The wonderful thing about this industry is there’s so many directions one can take. I chose to focus furthering my training by doing online courses. By doing so, I noticed a gap in the market for my own online classes in the future.

Vision for the future: For The Nail Family Facebook group to grow and continue to be a loving, uplifting safe nail space to post. To build an empire of strong nail artists that support collaborate and help each other daily and to run a successful academy that provides support and training for people down on their luck. A place that gives second chances and is well-trained in mental health and well-being and one that never judges!

Mission & Mantra: To help as many people in this world as possible reach their full potential, to always support and encourage everyone. Be kind, never judge and always, positive vibes.