Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Juarez.
Hi Stephanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story of how I became a tattoo artist starts during the summer of 2020.
At the beginning of that year I had wrote down some goals for myself – one of them being to draw more. I had bought an iPad and started creating digital artworks, but I was inconsistent. I knew I was slacking on my goal because I was choosing subjects mindlessly. I had no structure to my goal and I couldn’t figure out what to draw! In August I created a 30-day challenge to draw a subject based on traditional tattoo imagery. I’ve always loved tattoos and I admired the tattoo artists I had been following at the time. I thought they were some of the most creative and skilled artists in the world. They were the type of artist I was striving to be. As someone who got tattoos from the same shop for years, I saw my artist progress and get better. I had an epiphany that all the great artists start somewhere. They started at the basics. Maybe having some artistic capabilities but essentially starting over and learning the fundamentals. Learning how to draw a rose, dagger, etc,. I knew if I wanted to become a tattoo artist myself I had to start the same way! I finished the challenge I set out for myself and continued drawing. In the summer of 2021 I started painting because that was another thing I saw tattoo artists do! I painted and created and shared my progress online. In 2022, I got to paint split flash sheets with my tattoo artists friends! They saw my progress, believed in my dreams and wanted me to land an apprenticeship. I knew I was on my way but didn’t feel quite ready to bring my portfolio to tattoo shop. In January of 2023, I had a mutual reach out to me and informed me that her tattoo shop was looking for an apprentice! I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime and I couldn’t pass it up. Regardless of how I felt with my artistic abilities, I created a portfolio I was proud of and took it to the shop! They ended up loving it, saw my potential and hired me on! That’s where my journey started and since then I’ve just been creating and tattooing. Always striving to learn, grow, and get better. I’m currently a full-time resident artist at Honey Grove Studio and I couldn’t be happier!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Unfortunately, the path to achieving your dreams isn’t always a smooth one. Throughout my journey I struggled with time management, self-confidence, indecision and faith. When I decided to pursue my dream I was attending school virtually for Communication Design and working part-time as a Barber. It was a couple of months into the pandemic and I was navigating how to practice safe social distancing, juggling my responsibilities and wanting to hone in on my creative endeavors. Thankfully, I was home a lot so I had the time to put in hours towards my goals. While attending school I was also deciding if I even wanted to follow through with finishing. I knew I didn’t want to pursue a corporate job with my degree but I was also unsure if tattooing would be a possibility in my future. Ultimately, I decided to see it through with school. I figured if anything it would help me become a better artist and I could use it as a fallback if tattooing didn’t work out. While I was finishing up my last semester of school I landed my apprenticeship. I was juggling three responsibilities for 4 months – work, school and apprenticing! I was stretched thin, but I knew I couldn’t give. I pushed past the tiredness and got through everyday. After I graduated, I was working part time and apprenticing. I did this for close to a year. It came to a point where my tattoo boss wanted me to be at the shop more. I was so nervous to leave the security of my job and make the jump to be a full-time tattoo artist. I kept telling him I wasn’t ready and I was scared. The tattoo shop I was working at was closing its doors and all of the artists there were moving to another shop he owned. He told me I could go with them under one condition – I quit my barber job. He told me to have faith and if I wanted to be a tattooer it should be an easy decision. After much consideration of the ultimatum, I decided to quit! It took a lot of courage but I’m glad I followed through with my choice! I no longer had to split my time between cutting hair and tattooing! Through my journey I’ve realized I will always make it down the road, bumps and all.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a full time tattoo artist, specializing in colorful traditional tattoos. I’m known for artwork that is bright and bold with a tough edge. I like to use traditional tired-and-true imagery with a personal touch. I tend to make artwork that is cute but tough, hard but soft, dark but light. I like to incorporate flames with hearts, chains with flowers, tribal with stars, etc. The duality, uniqueness, creativity and color choices is what I believe sets me apart from others. Being able to use the historic imagery in my artwork while adding my own flair to it is what I’m most proud. The imagery is timeless and has worked for years. I feel like I’m honoring the artists that came before me by using the subject matter that they did. It’s worked then, it’s works now and it’ll continue to work. I just have my own special touch to it all!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see the industry expanding over the next years. There will be plenty of shops and studios with plenty of artists to choose from. There will be a person and a shop for everyone! It’ll be a time to hone in on your craft and produce the best artwork and experience possible. Artists will want to make sure they’re ever growing and evolving. Trying new things, going with the trends and making sure to pivot correctly if anything changes. It’s a rewarding career and gives back whatever you put into it.
Pricing:
- Tattoos from me start at $150 a hour!
- We run flash days every 1st and 3rd week that can be a flat-rate as low as $140!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadbabystephy?igsh=bzRibDN3cjhzdG9l&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sadbabystephy?_t=ZP-8xR3q5THQdT&_r=1
