Dolce Guevara shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Dolce, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
One of the things that I’m most proud of building in my life is definitely my tattoo shop and the people that work there.
People only see the tattoos we post after hours of work. But all the things that need to happen behind the scenes, before I even get to tattoo, are what make everything possible. Seeing all the sacrifices you make when you start a small business pay off. When you create something from just a vision, when it’s yours alone so you know all your walls and corners, and it brings so much joy to see people walking into your studio and telling you they love it and feel great in that space.
So I am proud of my tattoo shop, but I am far more proud of all the hard work that went into building it from scratch, in the middle of a pandemic, with no one but my husband and nothing but the money we had in the bank. That’s what people don’t see and that’s what I remember the most at the end of the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dolce Guevara and I’ve been tattooing in Los Angeles, California, for almost 16 years now.
I specialize in black and gray realistic tattoos, focusing on large scale projects, like full arms, legs, backs, torsos (front panels), etc.
Most of my clients come to me for the originality of my designs and the quality of my work.
When I set out to learn the style, more than a decade ago, what I wanted was to create meaningful pieces that make people look elegant and cool, create art pieces on skin that can be as detailed as paintings, walking paintings, but still readable from a distance.
For the last 5 years I’ve been invested in growing my tattoo shop and developing my business, which now consists of me and my business partner, who I’m also married to. Together, we try to grow our talent and ideas so we can offer a great local tattoo shop that keeps growing within the community.
With our shop being located on what is considered a “nice” and quiet area, La Crescenta, on a busy main street, Foothill Blvd, and surrounded by other cool local small businesses, we strive to offer tattoos that are not just great to look at, but a great experience overall for our clients, whether they are locals from around the block or those who drive from far or travel to California for their appointments with me.
It’s really important to me to always be true to yourself before you share something with the public. With my shop, I wanted to create a place where my clients can come and feel a good vibe, where there’s a clean environment and great experience overall. And since I personally only do full day sessions, which can go from 8-14 hrs, or longer sometimes, defining what was important for my business, for myself as an artist, and for my clients, was a key point in both my career as a tattoo artist and as a business owner.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I felt very drawn to this question, but for some reason the more I thought about it, the more I doubted each answer I was coming up with. Because if the world means the people outside of my family, those who weren’t involved in raising me, then I have to look back to remind myself who I was as a child.
And I remember myself as I was then, my most pure and unfiltered self. Very brave, tomboyish, stubborn to the point of being called “mula” (Mule in Spanish) by almost everyone, always looking forward to the next challenge, whichever that may be.
And I don’t mean to say I was those things because I’m better than anyone else. I had to be brave because I was by myself most of the time as a kid and I didn’t want to miss out on anything, so I had to be brave in order to always ask “why?” every time someone said “no”. I was tomboyish because otherwise I would’ve been left truly alone, I wouldn’t have been included in the games or adventures that all children want to take part of. I was stubborn because I felt that if I gave an inch, then people around me, my parents included, would change the parts that they didn’t like of me. No matter how much I liked myself.
So thinking of this answer, I realized that even my parents tried to change me, even if just a little, to fit the idea that they have of who their daughter should be. Which meant that even at home, I had to stand firm on my beliefs and my self. That’s who I was, and who I’ve continued to be.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I don’t know if it’s a wound or not, but to me, the most defining struggle of my life has been to be both an immigrant in the United States and not having any family here. I don’t think it’s something you can really explain with words because it has many complicated feelings associated with the experience. I think this is something that everyone experiences differently.
Some kids see their parents struggle with what their idea of poverty is, while they’re trying to “make it” and have a better life than the one their parents had. Not knowing that for their parents, the life they currently have is better than the one their own parents had, or the lives that they themselves had before coming to this country,
Meanwhile, some others wish they could have a bed of their own to sleep in at night and a hot plate of food at least once a day. Some others just want to close their eyes for a little bit and get some sleep without their thoughts racing through their heads. Some others are trying to be famous, to “go big”, be known, no matter how, no matter what it takes, doesn’t even matter why you’re famous for, as long as you make it. It’s just so different for everyone out there, immigrant or not.
But, to most of us who have made the conscious decision to live in another country, it is something that will break us in so many ways, because after all it’s not easy leaving everything you know, all your loved ones, practically your whole life and then start all over from less than scratch, because you’re no longer a child so you have to make up for lost time.
To me that was huge. It definitely made me who I am today in so many ways. There are cracks that stayed in my heart and soul, there are experiences that changed the way I look at life and people.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am, and I have been, very committed to growing my business and my personal brand.
I firmly believe that commitments start with myself first, with my own personal growth. I think there’s not much good that you can do in the world, or in this life, period, if you don’t feel good within yourself, inside your head, inside your heart and body.
I really want my business to be a part of my community in the long term. I want not only the people that get our services to be happy, but I also want my employees to have good experiences and I want them to learn the right way, better than I did, so they can carry that knowledge with them wherever they go from here and throughout their careers.
I’d say I’m very committed to creating and growing a social circle that keeps us together in the tattoo culture.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I was definitely born to make art. It is who I’ve always been since I can remember.
I don’t function very well if I’m not creating something. It really doesn’t have to be drawing or painting, it can be cooking or even folding something. I think you can make art out of anything.
Just like turning a negative thought into a good thought. And then that thought becomes something else, and that’s how ideas are born.
I have a lot of those in my head, ideas, my mind is a very active place with lots of imagination and I can’t seem to ever turn it off or dial it down. Even in my dreams, when I go to sleep, they can be very vivid too. Sometimes too vivid.
So I think I was born this way, even if I try I could never be someone else. I’m very much me and very much aware of all of myself.
I don’t think I would change me for anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anewbydg.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dolce_guevara?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
