We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Picara Clavel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Picara, 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?
Before I started tattooing I was working as a freelance designer for a couple of brands mainly in Colombia. Even though I had graduated with a major in design, my salary was terrible and I really felt like the people that I worked for didn’t really value neither me or my talent. They loved everything I did, but they still weren’t willing to pay full price for anything and also made me work extra hours without acknowledging the extra effort. Being tired of this situation I decided to start tattooing. This was something that had been in my mind ever since I was in high school but I was too scared to pursue it because it was a very uncommon career path. Feeling very unhappy with my current job situation I figured I’d give it a try and took the risk even tho I was very scared of failing.
From the first time I held the machine in my hand I knew this was my happy place. I knew I was going somewhere, and I was prepared for it to take some time. To my surprise it didn’t take long for me to start getting clients and start charging for my work. At that time I was still working my designer job and I started setting clearer limits as to my timetable and work hours for these clients, of course they didn’t really like it because they were used to me working 24/7. That’s why soon after I made the decision of going all in with tattooing. It was risky, but I knew that if I wanted to continue improving and to really succeed as a tattoo artist I had to stop treating it as a hobby or a side job and turn it into my priority. I took a leap of faith and it really paid off.
Soon after I quitted, I opened my instagram account and I got a lot of support. I went from tattooing once a week to three times a week and all of the sudden my bookings were almost full. At the time I was charging very little because I knew I was just starting, but I was still earning more than what I used to with my full time job as a designer. I started to increment prices progressively and I also got very good advice from some amazing tattoo artists that I meet in this journey. The fact people I used to see in instagram as references and whom I really looked up to were becoming my friends, admiring my art and guiding me through this journey was really inspiring. I wasn’t even a year into tattooing when one of them, who’s been tattooing for more than 10 years, told me that he didn’t understand why I wasn’t charging more. I told him I was just starting and I didn’t think it was fair because of my lack of experience. He laughed and told me that even if experience was a major factor to consider when charging for a tattoo, it surely wasn’t everything. He continued by telling me that my work spoke for itself and that its quality was not that of someone who had been tattooing for only a year. He told me that I had to value my work for what it was for others to do so. That helped me understand that I was the first person who had to believe in myself and my talent.
As of today, I’m fully dedicated to tattooing, traveling around the world and living a life that I never even imagine was possible. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have the time to anything else. The most exiting thing is that I still feel that it’s just the begging and that I’m getting better at what I do every single day. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s definitely worth it.
Picara, 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?
I have been interested in art from a very young age, for some reason it has always felt like a safe place for me. At some point in life I felt like it was the only thing I was good at, but I’ve come to understand that the reality is that it’s the only thing I’ve always been passionate about. When I was in high school I used to draw on peoples hands during class, it was mostly ornamental and intricate designs and fully freehand. My friends loved it and I did to. That was the reason why everyone started thinking that I could be a great tattoo artist. I started looking more into it and I kept it in the back of my mind for a long time until I decided to actually make it happen a couple of years later. It was not a surprise to me that many of my first clients where old friends from school.
My style as a tattoo artist is called microrealism, specifically focused on antique and ornate designs. I do mostly black and grey pieces but I also incorporate some blue and gold accents to my art sometimes. Having such a defined style has helped a lot because there are not many people in the industry who are wiling to do such intricate and detailed work, so when people are looking for these kind of tattoos they come to me and I love it. It’s very challenging but the look on clients’ faces when they see their grandma’s antique sewing machine, their mothers perfume bottle or even a memory enclosed in an ornate frame immortalized on their skin makes everything worth it.
I feel very passionate about what I do and I think that’s what my clients perceive when they get tattooed by me. Every design tells a story and I take every single idea with respect that it deserves. At the end of the day a tattoo represents a memory, a statement, a manifest that will always be with you.
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.
One of the first things I got to understand early on in my journey is to never lose my capacity of wonder. Remember when you were a kid and the world seemed so interesting and wonderful you felt amazed by every single thing you experienced? I think is very sad to let go of that as we grow up, and the fact is that even though the world is still the same, it’s also different every single day. Like a sunset, it happens every day, but it’s a different experience each time. No matter how familiar or mundane something seems, there’s always beauty in everything.
Another thing I’ve learnt mainly as a tattoo artist, both looking at other artists’ journeys and from my own experience, is that whether you have to really believe in yourself to be able to pursue your passion, getting overly confident about your work to the point that you feel there’s nothing left for you to learn is a huge mistake. No matter if you’ve been doing what you’re doing for just one year or for ten, there is always room to improve and become the best version of yourself every single day.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most common questions I ask my clients regularly is what they do for a living and if they enjoy it. It’s very sad but I’ve come to understand that most people are not happy in their current job situation. With every single one of these stories I feel more and more grateful for being able to make a living out of my passion and actually be very successful. I’ve gotten to know myself in a whole different way, learn how strong and talented I actually am, and that has shown me that I can get anywhere if I set my mind to it. I get to travel the world and I’ve visited places that, if it weren’t for my job, it would’ve taken me a much longer time to be able to experience. I get to meet artist that at some point were my idols and seemed unreachable, now I have the privilege of calling some of them friends. I get to meet new people every single day and make a positive impact in their day and in their lives with my art. And last but not least, I also get to inspire a lot of people, which was something I never imagined. For me it’s crazy to think that there are a lot of new and even experienced tattoo artist out there that look up to me and who take my work as reference.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @picaraclavel
- Other: Tiktok: picaraclavel
