We were lucky to catch up with Lexx Marie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lexx, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I think one of the main reasons I am drawn to mentoring young people when it comes to tattoos, henna and photography is because I wish I would have started my creative career much sooner than I did. The thing is, I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. It has always been some thing that I’ve been drawn to and have had talent in. However, even as a child, I had this realism block, and really believed that being an artist as a career was a one in a lifetime opportunity. The crazy part about it is that I have full-time professional professional artists in my family. But always hearing about how well I accelerated in my academics pushed me to believe that taking the traditional route was my only option. I was so positive that I was going to be an accountant for a large fortune 500 firm. I think that mental block started to break down as soon as I graduated high school and realized that the traditional route didn’t make me happy at all. Even though I knew this, it still took me years for that full block to be broken down enough for me to take that leave and do what I love for time, which is creating art for others. Every time somebody mentions that they have always wanted to learn a trade that I do, or if I notice a clients child very interested in the process, I immediately jumped into mentor mode and stress the fact that it is so possible for them to do this as a career no matter who they are or what stage of life they are in.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As I grew up, I was always artistic across the board. From being in plays, to winning art contests, and just drawing on my friends for nothing but fun and gel pens, I was always comfortable in the arts. I even started writing songs and poems as I got into my late teens and early 20s, for again, just the sake of making art. In addition, I was smart. I definitely took pride in being academically solid, going as far as being student body president in high school and even going to accounting camp (yes, this is the career path I was so sure I was goin in as a kid). After trying college and realizing that being a student in a classroom and accounting just didn’t fulfill me, I left Sacramento state and immediately got a job and signed up for a couple community college classes. It’s crazy to think that at that point in my life, I never saw art as a career choice. I looked at it as a once in a blue moon situation if someone could be an artist as a living. On top of it feeling like an anointed career choice, I didn’t have role models to look to. What black female tattoo artist or even photographer from the Bay Area did I have to look to? The answer was none, at least that was of access to me. As I hopped from job to job from 2006-2013, I felt lost. I felt no passion for any position I was hired to do. Yet even though I was sketching up designs for people at work so they could get them tattoos, or being asked to design the community board every month since I’m the “artsy” one in the office, I still didn’t even flinch at the thought of being an artist as a career. It just didn’t seem real to me (which I later found out is a huge part of my imposter syndrome). I mean, I was spending my lunch hour walking around Oakland taking photos of random things, then coming back to my desk to edit them, and didn’t even consider trying to work in photography! I look back at myself during that time slightly annoyed at that young lady who just couldn’t see herself as more than being good with numbers. Like being an artist was a lucky fluke. But eventually something just clicked. A thought came to my head out of nowhere saying “I feel like I can do the tattoos and not just sketch them up.” And from there, in 2014 I finally decided to quit my job to do henna and photography full time while starting my tattoo apprentice journey. When I remove myself from my entire journey to this point, I can say that I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished. I am also so extremely grateful for the connections I have made through collaborations with other entrepreneurs and clients throughout the years. One of the best things that has come out of choosing to be a creative as a full-time career is being a part of the artist community. It is not perfect at all, but it is so fulfilling to my soul, and I’m so glad that I took the leap in order to share that feeling with others.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Photography and body art (tattoos and henna) have a much deeper connection for me than just providing an artistic service. I am very big on energy exchange because I myself have gone through experiences that made me consider it deeply. There have been times where even though the product or service was done correctly, the provider left their energy in that product, and that is what I am reminded of when I see it, which was negativity and unsettling vibes. So when I became fully committed to putting myself out there as a photographer and body artist, I knew that I had to be backed with a mission statement that focused on positive energy exchange as an intentional aspect of my services. I want nothing more than my clients to not only feel like they have received the product or service they paid for, but to also have felt extremely safe, heard, and seen throughout the process. With art forms that are as permanent as tattoos and photography, I feel that this is something that should be implemented much more than it currently is in these industries. At my body art studio and when I provide photography services, my mission always includes that the energy exchange I am guaranteeing will be nothing but positive and empathetic. Art can be a very emotional thing for not just the artist, but for the one who is requesting the artwork. Being sensitive to everybody who has chosen you to be the provider should require some amount of empathy between artist and client. When people step foot into my studio, I want them to feel comfortable and at ease even before speaking to me, and I do that by being intentional in keeping Energy Ink Body Art Studio a safe space for everyone.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first tried to get into the tattoo industry I was completely oblivious to what I was entering into. From going to so many shops that had me wait for hours to just show my portfolio, trying to get an apprenticeship literally anywhere, to being hired and fired a day later because “I can’t be a committed apprentice, if I’m a mom”, being told I need to show more “ass and tits“ and to get more tattoos. I was even being told my artwork was basic, and would never look good on skin, just paper, and stick to henna. I honestly felt like this might have been a huge mistake on my end. On top of that, trying to find other black female tattoo artists locally was essentially nonexistent. But, I’m so thankful that years of dealing with gatekeepers and misogynists and power-hungry people in this industry, didn’t stop me from saying fuck it and taking steps on my own to learn what I needed to know. This is a big reason why I love mentoring hungry people in this industry, so they can avoid some of the crazy roadblocks that I had to go through to be where I’m at today. Eventually I would love to only mentor and train tattoo artists so that I can implement the necessity of empathy into this industry. Body art is deeper than the art and definitely deeper than the industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lexxmariearts.GlossGenius.com
• Instagram: Lexxmariearts
• Yelp: Lexx Marie Arts & Photography
• Other: Instagram.com/shotby_lexx