Natalia: Using Emotions to Guide Your Art
Who is Natalia?
Natalia is a tattoo artist, painter, and drawer from Inglewood, CA. Since she was a child, art has always been a part of her life. She “always carried sketchbooks…[and] would draw with anything [she] could get [her] hands-on,”. A mass driver of this art is emotion. Natalia’s creative process revolves heavily around the emotions she experiences and feels, whether positive or negative. She believes that art helps her process her emotions and can often serve as a healthy outlet.
Perhaps one of the coolest parts about Natalia is how she got her professional start in the industry. She claims her talent was unbeknownst to her until a tattoo artist praised her work. As stated, “I didn’t really know that my art was good until I started getting tattooed myself. A tattoo shop I would get tattooed at was looking for an apprentice and I applied with only my sketchbook…They told me my art was really good and cool, which completely changed the trajectory of my life since I had never shared any drawings of mine.” Natalia's journey goes to show that speaking up and complimenting someone's work can be life-changing for their career success.
A New Graduate:
Natalia recently graduated from her tattoo apprentice at Queen of Needles Tattoo Shop. Through hard work and much dedication, Natalia graduated her apprenticeship and specialized in emotional pieces inspired by pop culture.
Graduating for Natalia was not a typical experience. She not only completed her apprenticeship but also her bachelor's degree simultaneously. Although she doesn't technically utilize her degree, she pursued it to further develop her talents, and she is rightfully proud of it.
Another testament of Natalia's graduation is that she never gave up. Looking back at the very first time Natalia’s art was discovered, which resulted in her applying for an apprenticeship, she was actually denied. However, “From that interview, I basically just dedicated myself to getting a tattoo apprenticeship and becoming an artist, a dream I always had but never thought could be real,” says Natalia. Just as she did with her schooling, she used the challenges faced as a reason to keep going. Evidently, with hard work, Natalia made the once seemingly unattainable dream of becoming a tattoo artist very much graspable. Hence, perseverance will always pay off.
Where Natalia is Now and Where Natalia is Going:
Now, Natalia continues to tattoo clients and makes art in multiple mediums. Specifically fixating on oil paintings at the moment. “Of all the mediums I have tried, oil paintings have been my favorite.” With this love of oil paintings, she has embarked on a “koe piece, which is technically [her] first oil painting,” along with painting on a skateboard.
Natalia also spends her time creating flash art for her tattoo flash sheets. She does this in the form of watercolor, averaging about 2 a month. In the near future, Natalia is establishing a website to display her art and prints for sale, with the possibility of selling t-shirts as well.
Natalia's artistic passions are what fuel her future and current aspirations. With that said, she hopes to continue making art in these mediums, with an aim of “guest spotting in well-known tattoo parlors and having [her] art in many exhibitions.”
Channeling Your Emotions and Using Them:
Artists can use their emotions not just to make art, but as a way to make an impact on those viewing their art. This is one of Natalia's objectives with her art. “I hope people just feel something when they look at my art. I hope whatever they’re feeling, they can accept it and love the fact that they’re feeling feelings at all. [and] I hope that my art will carry this feeling throughout the world and aid people in accepting their emotions,”.
As mentioned by Natalia, emotion is a beautiful trait of the human experience. Furthermore, emotion impacts how we experience looking at an artwork, and the fact we as humans feel that is such an amazing characteristic that should be leveraged in art.
Although emotions are beautiful, they can also be hard to process and sometimes be your worst enemy. They can intensify your stress, and oftentimes be something negative that accompanies setbacks/failure. However, with negative emotions driving anger, embarrassment, etc., people should learn to accept these feelings and embrace them. “Setbacks are hard, especially as a really emotional person. I use all those emotions…(sadness, frustration, anger, literally everything) as fuel to make art…[do] not stop the creative process. Working through [your] emotions in the art will give you some raw and unique [work].”
Additionally, never let negative or fearful thoughts hinder your creativity and the possibilities you can achieve. Instead, use your discomfort and fear as a driver. “Don’t let comfort keep you from your dreams,” says Natalia. This powerful statement reinforces the belief that exclusively staying “comfortable” or “safe” prohibits you from achieving your full potential. So be bold, be scared, and be free to follow your passions, even if it means you will be uncomfortable for some time. It is better to be temporarily uncomfortable while facing a fear than to be eternally uncomfortable because of succumbing to fear.
Instagram: @ohnonats.tatts
Website: Coming Soon!
Where to get tattooed by Natalia: Queens of Needles Tattoo Shop (8821 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324)
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