We recently connected with Too Zen and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Too thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.
Over the course of my career the the most innovative thing that I have done is pivot! I tried so many different things until I figured out what I really enjoyed. I started off with painting, switched to custom clothes, then created my own merch and digital art, threw art shows, and then realized tattooing is where I want to be.
Too, 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?
My name is Too Zen and I am an Afro-Latina, queer, visual artist, and novice tattoo artist from South Los Angeles. In 2018, I was determined to create art full time. Since then I have been working on creating an art brand, Too Zen Galleries. I started off with oil painting, created art prints, and merch with my art work. I would also create content before content marketing became as popular as it is now. Further, I participated in many art shows to get my name and brand out there. During the pandemic I focused on creating content, social media marketing, and one day my merch blew up out of nowhere, and I had an influx of orders. During this time I also created custom anime clothing for folks and did commissioned paintings. When I moved back to LA from my college town during the pandemic I focused on growing my brand even further. I eventually started throwing art/edm shows to build community. After a few months I took a break from the scene and decided to focus on my art work and engage in local vending opportunities to get my brand name out there again. Throughout this time I really wanted to get into tattooing, however I was fearful, but luckily, I had some encouraging friends along the way who motivated me to finally take the leap and pivot. Now I am focusing on my tattoo business and improving my tattoo skills.
I think that my art style sets me apart from others. I do my best to create unique pieces that are illustrative and have an emphasis on open space so that my tattoos can look good on any skin tone. Because I am a POC myself, my goal is to create a comfortable tattoo experience, that I believe we are often excluded from.
I am most proud of my resilience and my ability to continue creating art despite life’s hardships. I strive to create an inclusive and safe space for poc, women, and the lgbtq+ community in my shared tattoo studio.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the feeling of being satisfied with my life every day. Whenever I create, I feel like I am in alignment with my life’s purpose. In that moment my worries and anxieties temporarily do not exist. When I create I feel as if I am connected to source energy.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I first started my business I had a 9-5, and although it was soul sucking, I was able to utilize the funds that I made from work to purchase art and tattoo supplies. When I had too, I also utilized credit until I was able to pay for business expenses with income generated from my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: toozengalleries.com
- Instagram: toozentattoos