We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mia Marrero a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mia, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

While I truly believe I started tattooing at the best time, something I wish I would have done sooner would be to give myself understanding and grace concerning my dream sooner. Even though I was so intrigued by the tattooing industry, I was so held back by things like “what would other people think?” or “how would this relate back to your college degree?” I would always think back to who I “should have” been or what was a typical path for someone my age. It took a lot in me to follow my dreams for the reasons I wanted to. I had just graduated college with an English degree and while I loved my major, it wasn’t “clicking” for me – I realized later on that this was because tattooing is what I’m meant to be doing, but I wish I could have understood this sooner and let myself chase that dream sooner. It would have saved a lot of conflict within myself and others. This is a huge lesson I’ve learned since – to trust yourself and what you’re drawn to!

Mia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a 26-year-old tattoo artist living in Orlando, and I’m coming up on my two year tattooing anniversary this March 2024. I love my story because I feel like it differs from a lot of them – while I was always an artist, I never imagined myself as a tattoo artist. I didn’t have any tattoos until I was 21 years old, and it was never a career that interested me. This was until I found a market for a different kind of tattooing – pop culture, video games, and anime. These things were all such a big part of my life growing up, but I never knew tattooing could be something so approachable. Once I found that niche, I started drawing my own tattoo designs for fun, which turned into a portfolio of tattoo designs.

I found an anime tattoo artist in my hometown in Indiana, booked a tattoo with him, and arrived at the studio with portfolio in hand. I basically asked him, “hey, do I have a shot at this?” He gave me pointers, said I had potential, and at that point, I was hooked. I loved the idea of creating art for someone that is so personal and special to every single customer that meets me. There’s something very intimate between the tattooer and client, creating this permanent piece of art, that can’t really be replicated with any other art medium. I find it amazing that I can meet a complete stranger at the beginning of an appointment, and come out of this appointment hours later sharing this special, once in a lifetime experience and knowing so much more about them and their story. It’s a very vulnerable, special moment for myself and my clients both.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

One thing I didn’t anticipate about tattooing is the importance of social media. It’s a tattooer’s main pathway to exposure and helping potential clients see you and your art. This can be tough, especially since we’re primarily artists, not advertisers or photographers. The biggest thing I’ve learned since starting tattooing is the importance of being authentic. It makes sense: people want to choose the right person to entrust with a permanent art piece that is likely very personal and special to them. I’ve found that being as true to myself as I can and showing the most authentic side of myself in what I post can sometimes be even more effective than the most flawless, professional photo. I’ve actually found a lot of my most cherished clients this way; by being vocal about my own likes and interests, and them relating to that.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For a long time, one of my biggest dreams was to work for Disney. I wanted to be an artist, in fact – an animator or story artist. I actually worked a few different jobs at Disney World, working so hard to practice meeting people, talking to people, listening to their stories. When I graduated college, though, it was the height of the 2020 pandemic, and getting hired was tough. Jobs at Disney were slim, and this is one of the ways I was steered toward tattooing. However, I’ve found that the customer service I learned at Disney and the love I developed for talking to people and hearing people’s stories really helps tattooing in a way I never thought – tattooing is much more of a people-oriented career than most people realize.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Chuuyainks