00:00Thuy and I met back in 2019 on a brand shoot.
00:04Within two hours, I was sitting in her lap and she was cuddling with me.
00:08That day, over the course of several hours, I learned all about Thuy's life and she learned all about mine.
00:15She's the kind of person that inspires me on my darkest days.
00:19And she doesn't idle in jumping in headfirst into moments that to some may seem scary, but to her represent
00:25opportunity.
00:25She does all this while raising a beautiful family, being a backbone of her community, and being the best goddamn
00:33nail artist I've ever met.
00:35By the time this seven-hour shoot was over, I had an invitation to her wedding and a friendship that
00:41I knew wasn't going anywhere for the rest of my life.
00:44And how lucky am I that by the time we finish gabbing every time we get together to do nails,
00:49that I'm left with a piece of art on my hands by my friend that makes me feel like she's
00:54always with me.
00:55And I could not be prouder to present her with this award.
00:59I'm going to bring this all the way down.
01:01To stand here among so many incredible artists and visionaries is truly humbling.
01:07As a nail artist, I believe that beauty lives in the smallest details.
01:12As I accept this award, I can't help but think about the generations of Vietnamese nail artists who came before
01:18me.
01:20For many Vietnamese families, the nail industry represents so much more than beauty.
01:25It represents opportunity.
01:26It represents resilience.
01:28It represents the courage to begin again in a new country, often with very little.
01:33I am so proud to be a part of that story.
01:36Nails aren't just accessories.
01:38They're art.
01:39They are identity.
01:40They are culture.
01:41They are storytelling.
01:43And today, to receive this award for being an image maker as a nail artist feels especially meaningful
01:50because this recognition reaches far beyond me.
01:54I hope the next generation of nail artists see this and knows that there is no limit to where their
01:59creativity can take them.
02:00So, you don't have to abandon where you came from to become something extraordinary.
02:06Sometimes, it is precisely where you come from that makes your story so powerful.
02:11Thank you, InStyle, for seeing the artistries in our hands.
