We were lucky to catch up with Melanie Borjas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Melanie, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

My path as an artist has been a slow, soulful evolution — shaped by curiosity, passion, and the need to create.

I began in fashion, drawn to the way beauty can express what words can’t. Later, tattooing came into my life as a powerful and unexpected calling.

I didn’t follow a traditional roadmap. I just followed what made me feel alive.

Now, I spend my days creating — tattooing, painting, designing — and using art to connect with others in honest, meaningful ways.

Melanie, 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?

I’m Melanie Borjas — a Venezuelan artist who tells stories through skin, fabric, and emotion.

Art has always been my way of feeling the world. I started with fashion — my first love, my first language. Through design, I learned to express emotions I didn’t yet know how to name. It taught me how to see beauty in detail, silence, and movement.

Then tattooing found me. It came into my life like a calling — intimate, raw, and full of soul. That’s when everything shifted.

Now, I work with American Traditional, neo-traditional, and microrealism — styles that let me balance strength and softness, boldness and vulnerability. But what truly defines my work is the emotional connection behind every piece.

I don’t just tattoo — I hold space for people’s stories. Every mark has a reason, a memory, a feeling that wants to stay.

Beyond skin, I also create fashion pieces that carry that same energy — wearable art that speaks without words.

What I’m most proud of is the trust people place in me. To be chosen to mark someone’s body — that’s sacred.

My work isn’t just about ink or fabric — it’s about transformation. It’s about turning what we feel into something we can carry forever.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I moved to the U.S. from Venezuela, I came alone — with a suitcase full of dreams and the kind of hope that makes you brave, even when everything feels uncertain.

I was studying fashion design, building a life from scratch, finding my voice in a new language and culture. Art became my anchor — fashion gave me structure, and later, tattooing gave me connection. Through ink, I found a way to mark stories, not just express them.

A few years later, I fractured my left hand in an accident. Even though I’m right-handed, I couldn’t tattoo for months. That stillness was painful — not just physically, but emotionally. I felt disconnected from myself and everything I had built.

But in that silence, something shifted. I learned that creativity doesn’t live in the hands — it lives in the heart.

Now, I create from a deeper place. With more softness. With intention. With love. Every piece I make carries that truth.

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

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is the connection.
There’s something deeply sacred about turning someone’s feeling, story, or memory into something they’ll carry on their skin forever. It’s not just ink — it’s emotion made visible. And being chosen to create that for someone… that’s an honor I never take lightly.

I’ve had people cry in my chair. People who’ve told me they finally feel seen. Others who come in nervous and leave smiling, standing taller.
Those moments remind me that my work is not just about aesthetics — it’s about healing, celebration, release, identity.

Art has always saved me in quiet ways — and now I get to use it to give something back. To offer softness, strength, beauty… whatever someone needs in that moment.

And that’s the most rewarding thing: knowing that what I create comes from love — and leaves love behind.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @melanina.ink
• Other: TikTok : @melanina.inkk

Image Credits

Jeff Cardenas @soyjeffc
Andreina Rodríguez @imninarts
Noxo studios @noxostudios