four people, one
small studio, Shanghai.

It started with a broken nail, a tube of paint, and a Sunday.

Lin had chipped a nail before a Tuesday dinner. A salon appointment would have meant 90 minutes and 280 renminbi. Instead she painted a tip on her kitchen table, photographed it, and posted it. Three friends asked to buy a set within the hour.

Two years later we are four painters, one studio, and roughly 200 sets shipped every Wednesday — each one painted, sealed, and packed by a person whose name is on the kraft sleeve.

— Lin & the Firefly team