Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edna Herrera. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Edna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Tattoos have been around almost as long as humans have, and their use has always revolved around meaningful rituals. Even though our culture and technology has evolved, the use of tattoos is no different. A lot of people now do collect tattoos as art pieces, but the vast majority of folks actually have a personal meaning to the tattoos they get. Reclaiming of their own body after religious trauma, getting closure after a long battle with cancer and getting breast reconstruction, living their life to the fullest after receiving a terminal diagnosis, paying homage to a lost loved one, a life changing event, or something they are passionate about.
The meaning of a tattoo is often the most important part of it. It is the desire to honor, immortalize or tell their stories that bring people to my chair. I in turn, consider myself very fortunate to have the honor of being a small part of people’s journey. Just one of the reasons why tattooing is very meaningful to me.

Edna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Edna Herrera. I’m a professional tattoo artist based out of Dallas, Texas. I specialize in large tattoos that incorporate a mix of styles. These styles include a heavy use of geometric and ornamental elements, as well as some heavy blackwork, surealism and some neotraditional elements. All of this is mostly black and grey with an occasional a pop of color.
I started tattooing after my first serious relationship came to an end. I found myself lost, with no direction in life and what I felt to be a lot of time wasted. I was 23, with no degree, and no real plan for the near or far future. I moved to Mexico and I lived in Guadalajara with some friends for a few months while I searched for myself and my new direction.
While I was there, I painted a couple murals that a lot of people liked. Often, people would meet me and say “oh! You’re the artist who made that mural!”
It seems silly now, but that’s the first time I realized I was an artist. That comment I often got, made me realize how present art was in my childhood and how my whole life had always pointed me in the direction of art.
I decided to pursue tattooing because it seemed like the best fit for me. I had 3 main criteria for this decision: I wanted to make a living creating meaningful art, I wanted the ability to travel anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I wanted to connect with people in a meaningful way. So I decided to pursue tattooing because it seemed like the best fit.
I came back to the States with a newfound purpose and great impetus. After trying many times with no success, I found an apprenticeship and eventually started tattooing at a place that was conducive to my growth. I tried everything I felt would help my career, including going to conventions, passing out cards in the street, going to all kinds of art classes, and working long hours, including my days off. I started realizing that tattooing was perfect for me.
And it is. So far, tattooing has given me so much more than I originally anticipated. It has filled my life with great possibilities and opportunities, a deeper passion for art, a tight knit community, and endless travel opportunities. I am deeply grateful for the life I have been gifted and I try to honor those who make it possible: my clients.

It is because of people who put their trust in me that I can be so fulfilled, so I take people’s projects very seriously, and I pour my heart into every single one of them. I always make sure to make my best effort and provide my clients with the best quality tattoos and a great experience at the studio.
I work hard to provide a very clean, professional service. I am careful to have a streamlined process for booking so that my clients don’t have to worry about finding me or their appointment information. I pay very close attention to detail while working on their tattoo, and I try to make them as comfortable as possible during this painful process. I have a range of commodities available to them, such as access to free drinks and snacks at all times, a respectful environment, plenty of pillows, and tv with streaming services.

I would like for people to remember their experience getting tattooed by me as heavily positive, happy and exciting for them. And I would like for my clients to love their tattoos for the rest of their lives. So here I am, continually trying to do my best for all of you.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

First of all, I don’t believe that there is such a thing as a “non-creative” Life is a process of constant creation and destruction, and as humans are contained within this process, we are no exception. Everyone has their own way of creating, and the fact that it doesn’t include what we typically see as art, doesn’t meant that what they do doesn’t have an art to it. Also, I would argue that art is more about discipline and constant practice than it is about talent, so in theory, anyone can be an artist.

Now, there’s definitely a difference between the art of living and making a living through art, or what we might call “being a creative”
If I were to describe some of the things that “non-creatives” might not quite understand, it would be a few things.

One of the main things that are obvious right as you immerse yourself in the world of an art career is that there is no clear path forward, no road map, no clear institutional structure for you to move through and up. It is all up to you to figure out. I think this can represent a definite freedom as well as uncertainty. And I think it’s harder to thrive in this environment if you’re more inclined towards a stable structure. I believe the main challenge is to create your own individual structure and to adhere to it, but also to allow it to evolve with the constantly changing needs of your career. Not to mention the ever evolving market and marketing strategies to be learned and implemented.
Speaking of which, marketing is personally one of my biggest challenges, I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I believe a lot of creatives will agree that marketing ourselves, like a business would have to market itself, is not something we are necessarily passionate about or have the natural inclination for. While marketing is absolutely necessary, it subtracts from your time and available mental energy, which is necessary to create. So there is a hard balance to be kept between doing what makes you a creative and telling people about it so you can continue to do it. Some people are better at this than others, but personally, this is my biggest struggle, I definitely would love to delegate this aspect of my business as soon as I can.

Another challenge that creatives face is their own inner critic. This is a big one for a lot of people. A lot of us have a constant battle in our minds between our desire to be better and our inner critic telling us that what we create is never good enough. My theory is that this originates somewhat from people’s self worth, and self comparison to endless other amazing artists. A lot of us struggle with imposter syndrome for a long time, if not for our whole life. I believe this concept, taken and transformed in the right way, can become your drive to keep educating yourself and constantly growing and improving. But taken the wrong way, I believe it can be detrimental to your creativity and how much joy you get from creating.
I hope this brings some insight into a good part of what an art career involves, but you might not expect. I personally had no idea that all of this was waiting for me when I started tattooing. But I’ve worked through a lot of it, and I hope this helps anyone who is thinking of starting their creative career journey.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Some of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist for me are the process of creating and seeing a finished piece. To go into more detail, the process of creating feels very, very good to me. When I’m immersed in creating a new piece, I feel a sense of pursuing something very exciting, similar to playing tag as a kid, running after someone and being just inches always from catching them. You’re running, laughing in joy and there is one thing in your mind and vision, the action of reaching with your whole being. There is also a sense of a mental challenge that comes with each piece I create, as if I’m solving a puzzle. When I start drawing, I don’t ever know how a piece should look when it’s finished because it’s created before my eyes. I will only get to the final result once I feel like everything is where it makes the most sense. I decide this by looking at the piece I’m working on and feeling with my eyes if it all “looks right” if there is anything on there that I don’t absolutely like without question, it’s not done yet. Sometimes, when I try to force a drawing in a certain direction, but when I do, it doesn’t look right. With this, I get the sense that the final result is not all up to me. If I try to force the piece to look a certain way that doesn’t naturally flow out of my mind, my creativity gets “stuck” and I can’t finish it. I suppose it’s something similar to writer’s block. Navigating this invisible road map to the end result is a very fun and exciting thing.
Correspondingly, seeing the end result of a drawing is often fascinating to me. Partly due to having followed this process I spoke about. Sometimes I look back at the process and I feel as though I’m not quite sure how I did it. And partly due to seeing that the end result is a piece that seems to tell a story or transmit a message. I’m not always sure what the message is, but there is definitely something to be perceived, and people’s interpretations of my work are always fascinating to hear.

Contact Info:

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