Today we’d like to introduce you to Shara Kenworthey
Shara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in San Antonio, on the Northeast side, graduating from Churchill as both of my parents had. An early love of the French language motivated me to study French in high school, graduate early and travel to southern France from 2006-2007 on an exchange with Rotary International. It was a life-changing experience, pushing me to desire to view the wider world, even after returning to San Antonio. I revived my degree from UTSA in French with a minor in linguistics with no real clue of who I was or what I wanted to do, other than knowing I loved learning languages.
After my degree I decided to get a TEFL certification- teaching English could be a valiant and useful way to explore the wider world and figure out what I wanted to do next. After a 7-month stint in Thailand in early 2013, full of absurd events and mysterious illnesses, my contract completed, I decided to apply to other TEFL jobs around the globe.
I found a job posting teaching adults in Kurdistan- an area of Northern Iraq that I hadn’t heard of before but an opportunity that fascinated me. I accepted the job and within four days of finishing my position teaching high school students in Thailand, I was starting my new post teaching adults in Iraq.
My first glimpse of the Middle East was of a place that felt very much like the wild Wild West- the language barrier was such that us Westerners went under the radar, and had the privilege of exploiting it. Without any processes of CVs or interviews, after teaching I ran a cafe for a year, worked at a Kurdish newspaper editing the English portion, writing for a lifestyle magazine, and finally, falling into tattooing.
At the time, I was renting a room in a villa with a couple of British former special forces soldiers who had the crazy idea to open a tattoo studio in the safer part of Iraq that we were in. I was always drawing- art had been something I had always loved and participated in, but had the silly idea that as I wasn’t some sort of artistic prodigy that perhaps I was not worthy of being an artist. But these soldiers, seeing me draw all the time, saw my potential and asked if I wanted to apprentice to become a tattooist.
This is rather rare in the realm of tattooing, as usually it takes years of sacrifice to even be considered to hold a tattoo machine- but, with the wild ways fully in effect, they fast-tracked me to my new career.
I was trained by a Lithuanian artist from our sister shop in the UK for a mere three months before he returned to the Old Continent, and as the owners couldn’t find another artist willing to work in Iraq, the shop was mine to support.
I was still apprenticing when ISIS came through in August of 2014, and stayed through keeping my shop alive till I left in 2017. I moved on to Beirut, Lebanon, where I knew no one but was sure the environment would be cohesive to creating more meaningful art. I started out tattooing at an art residency before opening a private studio out of my flat, which I maintained until COVID hit in 2020.
I already worried I would have to leave my precious Lebanon- the revolution that started in October of 2019 brought business down, and with the economy people were understandably unable to pay for the luxury item I offered. I briefly traveled to Paris in February of 2020 hoping I might find a new life path there, but in my return to Lebanon we went into lockdown and I was trapped.
One month after Covid lockdown, I lost my flat, my business, everything all at once, and while I stored my meager belongings in a friends place I tried to figure out what was next for me.
In July 2020 I accepted that I had to return back to my hometown of San Antonio, on a repatriation flight (thrice as much as a regular commercial flight of the day). I was lucky to have secured a job at a frequented tattoo studio in San Antonio, and worked there from August 2020 till August 2022. After a brief stint at another, well respected shop, I decided I wanted to open my own space in order to separate myself from the unreasonable politics of shop-work.
I opened Bottlefly Studio in March of 2023 in the Atley B Ayer’s building in downtown San Antonio- only the most storied and special location could work for my business, if I would have to be working in my hometown again.
Since returning to and working in San Antonio, my business has boomed- the art that people desire is so special and pushed me to new levels that my work abroad could never have touched, so I have grown as an artist incredibly, I’m honored to own my own business in San Antonio and hope to be a constant participant of the community!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a female in the tattoo industry has had its challenges, especially starting out in the Middle East. I wasn’t taken seriously, or people would laugh at me when I told them what I did, or I would be assaulted. Returning to the US brought me difficulties, more within myself, of imposter syndrome thinking I wasn’t enough because I hadn’t gone through the arduous apprenticeship that most people have to go through, so feeling like I didn’t deserve the success. The joys of being a business owner is balanced with all the stresses we put on ourselves, these thoughts that no one says aloud, but we ponder within ourselves-do they really like my art? Should I feel bad that I’m asking for so much money? Am I navigating my time correctly? The questioning we barrage ourselves with never end, and while it can be too intense sometimes I believe these are the thoughts that keep us going.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am proud to be a black and grey tattoo artist that was arguably the first female tattooist in Iraq. I am a sensitive soul and revel in creating the perfect piece of art to represent a clients desires. It means so much to me to render perfectly the meaningful reason they want a permanent piece of art.
I’m most proud of my resilience through my tattoo career- I’m in my tenth year and it has been such a roller coaster. But so so satisfying because the difficulties have made me stronger.
While I am insanely proud of the art I produce, I also find so special the way I connect with my clients. They love the quiet, intimate setting I provide, away from the common loud busy shop, and with the care I provide I know they will come back.
I’m set apart because of my experience, my story, and I enjoy meeting clients at their amazing stories and collecting them as gems.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Even after ten years of tattooing, I stress and prepare with such care as if it’s my very first one! I am grateful that my work is loved by my clients, and that I play it off very professionally, but internally I’m always freaking out how lucky I am to be tattooing. It’s not as effortless as it may seem!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bottleflystudio.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/fulcrum_lever
