We were lucky to catch up with Genesis Valenzuela recently and have shared our conversation below.

Genesis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve always wanted to pursue to creative/Artistic path. I remember being a child and at the age of 8 telling my parents that I wanted to be an Artist. My parents were first generation immigrants coming to the united states from the Dominican republic in search of a better life. At that time they didn’t really encourage my art career till they began to recognize that my mentors and teacher’s believed in mu dreams being tangible and encouraged my parents to enlist me in art programs.

Genesis, 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?

Well in 2016 I was attending City Tech college in Brooklyn New York. I dropped out of college my last semester after studying “communication design” for 4 years and decided to pursue a full-time career in tattooing. The reason I dropped out of college was because I felt uninspired by the major I had chosen, and college didn’t really feel like it was my choice . My mother encouraged me to pick “a safe route” in regards to my career, and so I was convinced into enrolling into college.

Once I dropped out of college, I decided to look for a way to utilize all the design skills I had already learned in college so that the time i had invested in to learning design wouldn’t go to waste. I entered the tattoo industry in 2016 as an apprentice. (Apprentice meaning free labor in a tattoo shop in exchange for free Tattoo lessons for a Mentor.) I had to learn the ins and outs of the industry, the culture, and the unspoken rules what makes a reputable Tattoo artist. It had its ups and its downs however it made me a better person and I grateful for the experiences (even the tumultuous ones). My work consists of mostly spiritual themed designs, activations symbols, ornamental tribal work, botanicals, calligraphy, basic line designs and occasionally culturally related designs that carry deep intention or meaning.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come as an artist, despite the obstacles, and I’m proud of how my knowledge and wisdom has aided in the evolution of my craft. I like to offer my clients a peaceful, transformative healing space, where we can connect through this sacred practice of body modification. I would like for people to know that I’m someone who takes pride in what they do and that I care about the quality of what I share regarding this sacred energetic exchange. Not just in what I provide visually, but I what I can also provide energetically.

In regards to my other Passions (Roller skating and modeling) I’ve been modeling since the age of 15 and I’ve been Rollerskating since 2021. At the age of 15 I became obsessed with taking pictures of not only myself but my friends as well. I enjoyed the collaborative process my friends and I would share regarding how we would creatively direct photoshoots together for one another. From the props, down to the makeup, we would use these mediums to create stories through our projects and as I got older, I began to be the one who was in front of the camera. I feel this sense of fulfillment in helping other creatives explore their own world of ideas and creating stories through the images they would capture. Like an actor for movie, but through images. Once I began rollerskating, my modeling career began taking off more, and I found a sense of belonging regarding creative expression. Seeing images of myself moving on my skates and seeing the translation of my energy regarding movement being captured on film; seeing my tattoos and piercings in these images not only helped my self esteem, but also granted me grace in understanding that life in itself is art, and that we are all masterpieces designed by a higher power.

Rollerskating has bridged me into many industries, (Modeling, preforming, teaching, and is also a meditative practice for me) I honestly can’t see my life without it) when I teach others how to skate, it allows me to reflect back to people all the ways in which they hold themselves back, all the ways they live in fear, and all the ways they try to control things. skating is the act of letting go and I believe in its healing abilities. I’m grateful for my creative passions because they not only support my monetary needs, they support my spiritual needs too.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is honestly just having the balls to do something most people are afraid to pursue because of fear. The fear that your monetary needs won’t be met, the fear that others won’t like what you create, the fear about how your actions will translate to others regarding the kind of life you want to live. To be a creative is to be fearless, because your happiness and fulfillment doesn’t rely on anyone else but yourself and I think thats a beautiful thing. It goes beyond career, and becomes something that aligns with you regarding your purpose. I believe purpose and career or distinctly different. I don’t create to live…I live to create.

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.

I think that non creatives struggle to understand that we aren’t creatives by choice. A life without creative endeavors is not a life at all in my opinion. I use to get sick from working regular jobs because my spirit was unhappy, and as a result that energy began to affect my physical body. my soul expresses what it is not what it chooses to be. Water understands its nature and its purpose but it’s design wasn’t constructed by itself it was created by higher plane of intelligence that gave it its purpose. whether its purpose is to put out a fire, to cook, or to simply drink, it purpose is fulfilled based on the environment’s needs. creativity is purposeful. we need color, we need music, we need visuals, we need art, its what makes life beautiful. what would life be without these things?

Contact Info:

• Website: brujadelbloquee.com
• Instagram: brujadelbloquee
• Youtube: @brujadelbloquee951
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Instagram: @crimsonrecluse_ Instagram (black and white flippers shirt) @ewenspencer