Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending

Farewell, Savannah.

Ten years ago when I arrived in Savannah, if you told me that I would be a journalist at USA Today, I would have laughed. If you told me I was going to be a reporter at all, I probably would have called you crazy.

Ten years later, and here I am.

I arrived in Savannah in 2012 to attend Savannah State University, “the illustrious university by the sea.” I was naïve and gullible but also very driven. When I started classes, I was a business management major. That ended swiftly after my macro economics class.

I then switched my major to behavior analysis which also ended abruptly when I realized math was involved. Easy to say it was not my forte.

Someone close to me said that the mass communications program was easy and I figured that I liked to write so why not? I walked into my new advisor's office and proclaimed, “I am going to change the world through journalism.”

This is a true story; you can ask Jessica Sparks herself.

As I gained some wind under my wings in the online journalism concentration, I knew where I wanted to work as soon as I graduated – the Savannah Morning News.

I was going to walk through those doors on Chatham Parkway and make my goal come true. That did not happen, at least not how I planned it.

After graduation, I worked for the Coastal Courier in Hinesville until I got the call that SMN had an opening. I called the now Do Savannah Editor Zach Dennis every day for three weeks to see if I got the job.

Also a true story I am reminded of often.

Two months after interviewing, I finally got the job and my journey as a journalist really began. My fondest memories of working in a newsroom will always belong to the Savannah Morning News.

Even after joining USA TODAY as a trending reporter, I still poked my head in at the office that laid the groundwork for my future.

After a year at USA TODAY, I am driving to Houston to join the Houston Chronicle as an audience editor. This farewell isn’t an easy one, but it is needed for me to continue to grow.

Exactly a decade after arriving in Savannah, I get to continue my dreams that, in 2012, I couldn’t fathom.

Isn’t that crazy?

- Asha Gilbert, USA Today Now Reporter

Follow her on Twitter @CoastalAsha 

Pulse of the 912

Shae Thomas decided to become her own boss and use nails as her canvas. I chat with her about becoming a nail technician and what it takes to create all the stylish designs we see online and immediately take a picture of for our next nail appointment.

Follow her on Instagram: @clishae_nails

Laura Nwogu: What made you want to start your own business personally, especially as a nail tech? 

Shae Thomas: "I’ve always had a passion for nails. I use to always pay close attention to my nail tech while she did my nails. And one day, I woke up and decided to make it my career. I wanted my job to be something I loved doing. I was so tired of working a 9 to 5. So, I invested in myself, took multiple classes and made this my 9 to 5."

LN: There’s a lot that goes into being a good nail tech and a big part of it is visual. There are so many beautiful designs that you create that I would assume meant you were good at drawing? If so, what was that like for you moving from designing on paper to acrylics? 

ST: "The crazy thing is ... I’m not artistic at all. I’ve been told multiple times that I have pretty handwriting, but when it comes to drawing, I’m not good at all. YouTube and TikTok have become my best friend when it comes to tutorials. I may erase and retry because I am a perfectionist, but practice makes perfect."

LN: When a client comes in with a design they saw online, what’s the process of trying to recreate that? Is it easier or harder than freestyling? 

ST: "Most of the time when I have a client show me an inspo picture, the process is pretty smooth. Most of the clients send me pictures before their scheduled appointment so therefore I’m able to prep everything beforehand: getting the acrylic color out as well as the gel polishes needed for the artwork. I always have my table prepped and ready for my client."

LN: What has the support been like here in Savannah?

ST: "I’ve had amazing support from my city! More than I expected and I love it. I love getting to know my clients and building that bond with them."

LN: As a business owner, what have been the most challenging and rewarding parts? 

ST: "Well, I am a home-based nail tech so the most challenging part of this is having a steady clientele. There are days when I have a full day of nails and then there are days where I have zero clients. But I never get discouraged because one day I will be booked and busy."

LN: Do you have a favorite design you’ve ever done? If so, what was it?

ST: "I do have a favorite nail set. It was the first set of extra-long nails that I did for a client's birthday. She got the Sagittarius charm and blinged-out her nails. But my foundation was laid so perfectly, and I’ve never done extra long nails so I was proud of myself."

LN: Why do you love the 912?

ST: "I love the hospitality here. I’ve been in Savannah since a kid. I was born in California but moved here shortly afterward. So, when someone asks me 'am I from here' I in fact do say yes."

Stories of The 912

1: Hail to the King: Savannah rapper King Bogus, the Monarch holds court at UnderGo Fest

King Bogus, The Monarch has been hard at work earning his regal title. The Savannah rapper recently released his latest album, “Death of a Simp,” to great response, with the record producing over 20,000 streams its first day, and tracks appearing on Spotify curated playlists. King Bogus rode that wave when he took the stage at last weekend’s UnderGo Festival.

2: Fridam Ali is creating pottery and helping to take BIPOC artists 'back to their roots'

Ali naturally connected with the art form since her mother is from Mexico where creating pottery is a common and traditional practice. The artist shares that she intends to bring awareness to the tradition of pottery so that other BIPOC people –– those whose relatives and ancestors were also potters –– gain an interest and “go back to their roots” as it relates to the cultural art form.

3: Bryan County girls basketball coach helps players find places to play in college

It didn’t take Mario Mincey long to discover Bryan County High School was not on college coaches’ recruiting radar. Small Class A schools in out-of-the-way stops like Pembroke don’t, unfortunately, attract a lot of attention.

4: 'A magical time': A history of First Friday in Starland and how it shaped Savannah's hip district

The Starland District in Savannah has become one of the most exciting and interesting places for contemporary art and creativity in the Hostess City of the South, if not the entire region.

But what tourists and locals alike see today as a thriving creative hub is the result of the hard work of innumerable passionate art advocates who saw the area’s potential when boarded up buildings far outnumbered art galleries.

5: Charges filed in Memorial Day weekend boat crash on Wilmington River that left 5 dead

Four of the five boaters killed were members of the same Savannah family: Chris Leffler, 51, and his wife, Lori, 50, as well as their sons Nate, 17, and Zach, 23. Their daughter Katie and her friend were among the surviving passengers.

The fifth victim was 37-year-old Savannah resident Robert "Stephen" Chauncey.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The 912: Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending