TV: What tips do you have for people who want to break into nail polish collecting or restoration and don’t know where to start?

SE: Don’t be so willing to put random chemicals on your bare nails. [Laughs.] I started the Vintage Nail Polish Subreddit and I’ll see people come in hot, passionately because they’ve seen my content and I’ll see them put a 1940s polish on their bare fingernails and I’ll be like, “Oh, God.” I don’t say anything because it’s like I don’t want to crush people’s enthusiasm, but I’m secretly like, “Oh.”

TV: What tips do you have for people who want to start an online presence?

SE: Just be intentional, try not to overshare.

TV: Did you have to learn that the hard way or is that just from observing others?

SE: Observing others. Having an audience that’s so eager to listen. Try not to treat your audience like your therapist, like trauma dump[ing] on them. You don’t have to respond to everything people put out. You don’t have to respond to every comment or message. And in this journey, I’ve talked to other creators, so many people have been like, “Don’t respond to messages. Don’t even read the comments.”

I try to read all the comments, honestly, but it’s good to just remind yourself you don’t have to respond to everything. You don’t have to read everything. And whatever you put out there, you can never claw back, so be intentional.

TV: Do you have any goals for @vintage_dusties?

SE: I’m just riding the waves, seeing what happens. I don’t have a business plan. If I become irrelevant, I’ll be irrelevant and just do my thing. I think I’ll always collect and archive and do all that, and maybe it won’t always be public-facing. Not everything on the internet lasts forever, as much as we like to tell ourselves it does.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.