Laurel Maha (they/she) is the founder and human behind Pizza Perfect Nails.

My journey to nail art began in college as a fine arts student, where I fell in love with drawing, painting, and printmaking. But I found myself frustrated by the the reality that my creations would sit static once completed. When I started creating nail art on myself and friends, something clicked—here was a way to make art that lived and moved with people, that evolved as they did. Our nails became living canvases.

The moment I knew this was my calling came during a cross-country bike trip, where I started doing nail art pop-ups in different cities. I discovered that nails weren't just my medium—they were my bridge to meeting new people and collaborating with them in an intimate way. When I returned home, I enrolled in manicuring school and haven't looked back since.

Now, with over ten years as a licensed nail technician, my style continues to evolve, but one thing remains constant: it's never basic. I find inspiration everywhere—in other crafts, in nature, in fine art—and I love creating homages in what moves me. Sometimes it's literal, like cartoon characters; sometimes it's natural, like stone textures; sometimes it's completely abstract. What excites me most is taking inspiration a client brings and riffing off it, whether it's a material, color, texture, or theme, then layering elements to create something multidimensional.

My philosophy is simple: I want every person who wears my art to feel like an expanded version of themselves. They have their style, and we've just added a layer of depth. When they look down at their nails, I want them to feel good—like they're taking care of an important part of themselves. Our hands do so much for us; getting to care for them is a way of loving them back.