Inspirational nail tech, Maya Velkova tells of her will to succeed while living with a lifelong disability that could have held her back
By Alex Fox | 04 May 2021 | Feature, Health & wellbeing, Tech Talk
‘Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons’. That sounds great doesn’t it! Yet how does, ‘be a pigeon in a flock of flamingos‘, sound?
From my perspective, when being a pigeon one can create great inner strength. In each and every one of us there is some weakness, which might lead us to stop our journey. My feeling is we must never stop jumping, no matter how high, in order to grab opportunities when they arise and not leave our goals repressed or hidden.
I would like to share a short excerpt from my life story so far.
My name is Maya Velkova. I am 38 years old, a nail tech and educator. As a toddler I fell seriously ill and was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Since then, I’ve learned to cope with pain, obstacles and challenges. Severe deformities of my joints rendered me bedridden for several years of my life. Nonetheless, after a series of surgeries, I managed to get back to some normality. I was able to regain control of my life and keep my dreams alive. Although I’ve encountered many disappointments and setbacks as well as rising and falling, I’ve followed and held onto my dream of becoming a part of the beauty and nail industry.
With a clear vision and reasonable aims in mind of what I wanted to accomplish, I’ve found with time, it’s become easier to achieve more and become successful. My dreams are being realised with special thanks to the constant support from my beloved ones, my husband, daughter and son.
I started my career in my homeland Macedonia. My adventure into the industry began in 2006 when I opened a nail and beauty salon. I found being a disabled person in society with plenty of physical and psychological barriers was quite challenging for me. I faced and overcame various obstacles from my personal health issues to institutional ignorance, but I remained focused and determined to accomplish my dream. Thankfully, with my family and friends’ support, I was continuously advancing my competence in nail techniques and growing my skillset. I’ve worked with a plethora of techniques, everything from gel polish, sculpting UV hard gel, acrygel, and my favourite, acrylic L&P. My newest and latest challenge is sculpting extreme shapes, which I was given a huge insight into and guidance from Bojana Kostka after attending her seminar a few years ago.
Nails by Maya Velkova
I’ve put a lot of effort into my nail work over the years and it’s been greatly acknowledged by my clients and industry colleagues.
My endurance has often been tested. I’ve worked many days in chronic pain as my disability strongly affects my everyday life. However, I always stand by my professionalism and have put all my passion into learning about the nail profession and staying focused on my goals.
The nail and beauty industry is highly innovative and constantly changing and upgrading. As a dedicated professional I make sure I’m always following the latest trends. Since I entered the industry, I’ve religiously attended workshops, seminars, presentations and classes. I’ve also had the honour and opportunity to learn from some of the best in the industry.
For a long while, I was working with the Astonishing Nails brand and trained with Wim Umans, followed by the amazing Tracey Lee. After moving with my family to the UK a few years ago, I continued to work with the Astonishing brand and trained with the inspirational, David Fowler. Under his mentorship in 2019 I became an approved Astonishing nail brand educator.
In the meantime, I’ve also successfully completed an AET Level 3 course, which helped me on my journey to open a nail and beauty education centre in London. With that purpose and vision, I’ve founded the Majestic Beauty & Nail Academy, with my sister, Yasmina. I’m pleased to now say that the Majestic Academy Ltd has become an official representative of the Nails2000 brand in the UK. We also promote our Majestic Professional Nail Tools Range. Unfortunately, this new phase in my career has been somewhat suppressed by the global pandemic and has had to be on standby for a while. However, I’m optimistic and ready to head back to the top of my game once everyday life is back to normal. I’m truly enthusiastic to continue educating people who want to engage in this exciting industry.
I hope that sharing my story may inspire others to stay focused and follow their dreams come what may.
And now …I look ahead as myself and Yasmina open up our businesses and move forward through 2021.