We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jordyn Mariah a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jordyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?
for as long as i can remember, until the age of 23, i played soccer. it was my whole world, my identity. soccer was the expression of myself that was familiar & safe. as i transitioned out of competitive sports, i searched for a place, a space in which my expression could be received & shared in such a way that it inspired others. i was categorized as an athlete for the majority of my existence, & as that identity slipped away, i found tattooing as a way to share my heart with others. what started as a healing practice, quickly became my career. stepping into my role as a creative, i was able to free myself of what anyone else’s expectations or ideas of who i was, were. two years into my tattooing career i finally found my place & path into performance art, through the language of the clown. being misunderstood was simply all just part of the plot, a seemingly necessary evil, throughout the narrative of the artist. constantly being understood or placed into limiting creative categories & classifications of “artist”. our expression containing stories of the heart, being shared with consumers, for them to digest & dissect. to be misunderstood is also to be seen, it is not my responsibility in which i am received. my only responsibility is my authentic expression of self, which i will graciously share.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
yes of course! hi, i’m jordyn mariah, i go by riah mostly, although some know me as jordyn, jordo, & to many even george! as an artist, riah stardust, i consider myself a visual artist. specializing in the creative process of body adornments, through the medium of hand poked tattoos. & also studying & expressing through performance arts, via the clown. specifically, a soft clown (which i shall explain a bit later). i find myself balancing the line of two very different mediums, yet they have much in common. to start, both are very physical, utilizing the body in ways that are strenuous, repetitive & challenging. both have the aspect of flow & finding flow state. each medium also includes participation of others, as well as live & improvised interactions with strangers. both expressions also share the element of creative, decorative, aesthetics, & design. so much of my passion lies in living, breathing, interactive art! i am a muse! i am art, it can be as permanent as ink in my skin or as superficial as a full face of makeup. as a human, i believe i am a creative & complex masterpiece, here to ask others to play with me. as this all translates over to my intentions with these crafts, it’s this: that clients can come to me with creative dreams, ideas, wishes, even stories they want to tell. sharing as much or as little details as one could have. we then asses the possible mediums these expressions would be possible through. from here ideas begin to formulate & a creative game of collaboration is afoot! we could hop right in to story telling through ink adornments, or set a scene with a themed photo shoot. some may have a performance desire or perhaps a roaming clown character they’ve dreamt of interacting with at a party. if you’d like an extra tall character at an event, george is often spotted on stilts or dancing on a chair center stage. even crafting a costume or painting a wall could be provided, & there’s not much riah, george, or stardust wouldn’t love to at least try!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
with tattooing i think there is an automatic knowledge that it is an expression that does & will continue to ruffle many peoples feathers. weather it’s the older generation or simply people who have strong beliefs about permanent art on one’s skin, it’s been & will continue to be a controversial topic. within performance art though, i think i’ve learned some valuable things concerning not being understood by a certain audience. as a clown, i am now understanding, part of my purpose is to cause consumers to think or feel something. it is not up to be how they interpret or understand my expression. everyone is intaking & experiencing something different. i am becoming more familiar with the idea that i am not palatable for everyone, nor do i have to try to be. i will not always make everyone feel good or even understand what i’m doing. & that is okay. i’m not responsible for your interpretations of my expression!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
my main goal is to inspire others to live as true & authentic to themselves as they can. i want others to learn through my expressions, that everyone has their own journey, their own stories, & their own way of telling them. i want to tell my stories, using various mediums to translate them. it could be as simple as being a beautiful thing to look at, live art. or as complex as a choreographed dance routine. my mission is for radical inclusion, sacred play, aesthetic design, live art, movement, flow, & muse embodiment drive me to express my most authentic self. telling my stories, & the stories of other creatures on this human journey. other humans inspire me, i strive to always be curious & open to others & what they have to add, share or express. as my actions are my expression, i also hope others can observe me, my clown characters, stage performances, aerial routines, or my body art as intimate expressions of heART.
Contact Info:
- Website: work in progress!
- Instagram: @miss_ma.riah_ & @stardust_tattoos
- Facebook: jordyn mariah
- Twitter: @opal.the.unicorn
- Other: short documentary on my tattooing journey! https://vimeo.com/555313955
Image Credits
amy carr emma gaty abby tran emma laurion