We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hazel Geniza a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hazel, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
From the moment I decided to become a full-time artist, I definitely became a much happier person. I love that I get to create for a living because it truly doesn’t feel like work. I have the ability to create tattoo designs that are meaningful for my clients and that’s what keeps the journey exciting. I am grateful to be in the position to be able to be a more involved mother/wife, that I am able to dictate my own schedule, and work with clients that look forward to working with me.
The thought of going back to a regular job comes and goes just because, like any freelance work, the income is never steady. There was a particular moment in time not too long ago where I became pregnant with my third baby and the thought of not having maternity leave this time around had me feeling uneasy. Thankfully, my husband has a steady income, but for me, not having any income coming at all for the last couple of months before and after giving birth to her was unsettling. Luckily, we had a small maternity savings to dip into while I was out of commission, but having to see the numbers go down and not being able to replenish it right away made me anxious to go back to work that I only took a month and a half off until coming back to tattoo again lol.
With that being said, I still would choose to be a creative a thousand times over than having a regular job. I just feel like I really make my days count because no-one else owns them. Through this journey I had to realize that there will be moments where it can get scary, unsettling, and unpredictable.. but nothing ventured, nothing gained. And without risk, there’s no reward.
Hazel, 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?
Hello readers! My name is Hazel. I was born in Hawaii, raised as a child in Japan, and eventually moved to San Diego, California where my dad retired from the Navy. I’m 37 years old with 3 children and did a complete career switch at 30 years old. I was in the Dental Field for 8 years as a dental assistant and spent 2 of those years in Dental Hygiene school. Deep down I feel like I just always knew a creative path and life is what I was meant for because from a really young age I had a love for drawing and painting. Luckily, my brother was already in the tattoo industry so you can say I already had a shoe in for someone to guide me into the industry. He fully took me under his wing and taught me the logistics of what it takes to be a good tattoo artist.
When I started tattooing, it took me about two years to grow my clientele and tattoo as a side hustle until I was ready to leave my 9-5. During that time, I still was unsure how tattooing was going to pan out because I wasn’t as booked as I would have liked to be. But I kept producing work and constantly created content. Eventually in time new clients were booking, old clients continued to return, and word of mouth was spreading about my work that I began to be completely booked months out in advance. It was and still is wild to me that after 8 years work is consistent. And I strongly believe that faith is the reason and discipline to keep creating never faltered.
I specialize in floral tattoo work, but also love doing anime, Japanese style, geometric, fine line, mandala, and ornamental projects.
I am most proud of the space that my brother and I create in our tattoo studio. We have a very authentic, chill, familial energy to our studio, and I feel like that is what keeps drawing my clients back to continue to do work with me.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Seeing my clients happy when they see the end result, to be able to create a safe environment for them, when my clients trust me enough to vulnerable. Those elements are the most rewarding aspect of being their tattoo artist.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The mission on this creative journey is to always be learning something new. Whether it’s a new tattoo style, tattooing technique, I feel like with tattooing there’s always something new to learn that can better my craft and make me a better artist.
The goal and reason of choosing this path was to always be a present parent and spouse to my family. I am grateful to have a career where I can choose how and where I get to spend my time and energy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hazelgeniza.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: @thetattooedwahine
