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

Cierra, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I do often think of what or where my life would be if I wasn’t on an art path or just had a regular job. It reminds me that i am very lucky to be able to earn a living by being art & creating. I continue to turn my life into art in every aspect i can and i wouldn’t be whole without that freedom.

Cierra, 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?

As a kid I grew up in an artsy household. Always painting, drawing, doing makeup/face paint, painting on walls etc. Both of my parents are artists in different ways which fueled a lot of my obsession with art. I always wanted to create and express myself in creative artsy ways. I always watched my mom being crafty, she could create any vision you gave her, owns two of her own businesses including a yoga studio & a side gig face painting business. I would also watch my dad draw and create music, whether it was playing drums or sampling a horror movie clip to use in an electronic song he was producing. Throughout school I was in art & theater classes every year until I graduated. Once I graduated I started community college to become a therapist but quickly realized i was unsure of the path I was taking. My two friends at the time were doing a tattoo apprenticeship and we all shared the same love for creating art especially together. I just started getting tattooed at this time so I was familiar with the tattoo environment & really enjoyed it. My friends would constantly tell me I should join them in the tattoo apprenticeship journey, I did art all the time & we could have a chance to work together so I decided to take the risk and leave school to become a tattoo apprentice. It was not an easy apprenticeship, it took a lot of personal drive & dedication to the craft so i could build up the clientele that would later allow me to support myself. Now after being in the industry for 5 years I have learned a lot about the impact that tattooing creates for people. Tattooing is more than the art on skin, it represents personal journey. Tattooing is healing to many people, it allows you to purge your emotions positive or negative while going through the pain of the tattoo process. In a lot of ways I was the therapist for a lot of my clients and i feel so grateful to be able to create that kind of safe environment for my clients. My tattoo style can be described as dainty, fine line black & grey. The subjects I enjoy tattooing the most are anything floral, whimsical or abstract. I enjoy drawing original flash designs as well as taking on custom projects for clients. I am very personable with all of my clients to create a friendly, open, free space for everyone. Aside from tattooing I really enjoy modeling & creating photoshoot concepts. Myself & my group of artist friends create all of this together in our free time. Modeling I don’t monetize from however that is a goal of mine to reach that level with modeling in the future. I started modeling 3 years ago during the 2020 covid quarantine while helping my best friend model for her fashion brand Ace Octavo. After that we started creating together consistently & I was falling more in love with modeling, photoshoots & fashion. A lot of my inspiration comes from music, I am so inspired by a lot of musicians I consider muses in my life. Some examples include Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez & Grimes, to name a few. Modeling has helped me a lot with my journey of self growth & confidence. I hope that can inspire others to be themselves and just trust the process on your own journey through self growth. Since this modeling journey me & my friends have been published in multiple art magazines, I also had the pleasure of walking & modeling for two brands in my first fashion show with a small art organization in Philadelphia called Almost Famous (phl). I am proud of my journey so far in the art world & most importantly I am having fun while doing it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Over the years on a journey of self growth, love & creativity allowing myself to let go & just create art and express myself however I need to has helped me understand that my ultimate goal in all of this is just to create. Iv’e realized that is what makes me happiest in life. Life is art, life is creating, whatever that may be for people. My path is creating art. I want to inspire others to be free & create whatever you want to create in life and don’t let anyone try to change your mind or make you feel bad about it. At the end of the day it’s about your personal journey. Life imitates art.

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

I think a rewarding aspect of being an artist is reflecting back on your past artwork. Seeing the evolution of my work as well as reflecting back to tough times in my apprenticeship is a very rewarding feeling. You don’t realize in the moment but one day you look back on old artwork & you realized how much you evolved as an artist. It reminds we where I came from & that’s the most rewarding part.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xoerra_/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@xoerra_?_t=8i5C6XavvIM&_r=1

Image Credits
Fashion Designer: Ace Octavo Instagram: @acexoct Photographer/Cinematographer: Ray Delk Instagram: @ray_flix Photographer: Laura St. John Instagram: @picsbypixi