Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Valencia.
Hi Karen, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a tattoo artist here in Brickell, Miami. Growing up, I had no art background which caught a lot of people off guard when I started to tattoo. In 2019, I graduated high school in New Jersey and went off to college to pursue my career as a med student in New York. Around the same time I started my first semester in college, I had also bought a tattoo machine to just tattoo myself and that’s when things started to get interesting. I found myself enjoying the whole tattoo process that I decided to take a risk of dropping out of my bio major and find an apprenticeship. Thanks to my mentor @Narniaink, in a matter of 6 months of hard work and consistent practice, I was able to do my first black and grey realism piece. After tattooing for ten months in New Jersey, I decided to expand and have more exposure for my art so I moved to Miami. Moving to Miami was another risk I took because I have no family or friends there but I didn’t let that stop me. I am now a resident artist in the first tattoo shop here in Brickell, Miami called Uplift Tattoos. I’m glad I didn’t fear taking the risks I did for someone who’s still young but if you don’t start young, then when?
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road was pretty bumpy, I mean what parents wants to hear that their kid is dropping out of college and going off the track? I come from a very traditional Hispanic household so when my parents heard I wanted to tattoo rather than stay in college, the support wasn’t as its best. There was a lot of doubt and rejection throughout the process but I only used that to push me even more.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in black and grey, fine line, realism and portrait tattoos. Most of the people that come to get tattoos done by me are always looking for intricate details and clean line work. I have been tattooing for a year now and my goal for every piece I do is to make sure the tattoo not only looks good when it’s first done but when it’s been healed for five years. I like to build clarity between the design and the client meaning if something isn’t going to last, I will let the client know and warn them before proceeding.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned that us humans don’t realize how important it is to have a balance between work life and personal life. We get so caught up on a routine that we miss out on spending time with our family or even going out on a hike and connect with nature. Another lesson that I learned too is that it takes to be bored and being still that you discover what your true potentials are. A lot of people started their own businesses after covid because they had the time to find their potential.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: valen.ink
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valen.inked/
- Other: upliftbodyart.as.me/Valen
