For nearly two decades, Noemi Rios has built a career rooted in creativity and care, giving each client the chance to heal through the storytelling power of tattoos. For many, the experience of getting tattooed is deeply personal, possibly even sacred. From her early years of childhood, art and the creative world has been a constant source of expression for Noemi and expanded to the world of tattooing upon finishing high school. Along with being a mother and a tattoo artist, she is also a graduate student in design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she is in the process of her masters, with the intention of becoming a professor in illustration.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Noemi Rios.
Hi Noemi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Anaheim, California, about five minutes away from Disneyland. I think it was so close that you could hear the fireworks at night. And then as far as my family goes, growing up I was raised by my grandma and three siblings, because my mom was fighting breast cancer. So my dad would come home with stacks of coloring books and the newest Disney movies. I ended up watching so many movies and working on coloring books because my parents couldn’t spend time with me because my dad was taking care of my mom while she was sick.
I think it might’ve been five or six, but my interests in art started in Kindergarten when I grew up with my grandma. She would entertain me by playing Loteria and the card, “La Sirena” shows a topless mermaid and I ended up taking that with me to school, where my teacher essentially embarrassed me in front of the class for bringing it.
When someone takes away the power of you being able to create something, it makes you get more into it, and in a sense, rebel.
I continued to express my creativity and when I was in high school, I dated a guy who lived across the street from a tattoo artist. At the time I was working at Disney doing portraits and caricatures, which the artist knew, and asked if I would be interested in tattooing. I ended up finding an apprenticeship at the shop I work at now, The Original Goodfellas Tattoo and Piercing, and then another tattoo shop in Los Angeles.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t call it luck, but I was fortunate enough to do online classes and graduate during the pandemic. I am so grateful for online learning and the school I attend, I’ve learned so much since starting the program. Having remote learning so accessible has been amazing, as I don’t need to fight for parking on college campuses and I can be attentive with my daughter.
I can turn off my camera and change diapers, or even cook breakfast on my break during classes.
In the mornings, I wake up super early and go to class, then go to work after I finish, while my husband takes over to watch her. At first it was scary, but I decided to go back to school when she was born. I had to decide to either go back and complete my degree or continue to struggle with life and tattooing. After she was born I had seen the print on her onesie, which gave me the idea that I could probably try to do that art.
I had to think about other options to make extra income to support my family and because I feel like tattooing, it’s just been a struggle. The industry is different now but the stubbornness in me is like okay, I am going to just run it until the wheels fall off, you know?
I do want to tattoo, but I also want to provide stability for my family as well.
What has been an experience that has helped you grow as an artist?
I remember when I started drawing the fluffy cute cats, everyone had a positive reaction instead of an angry one, like when I drew “La Sirena” in school. As a kid you don’t really understand things but you grow by the reactions of people. I think that has been part of how developed as an artist I am, because you want a reaction from the people. I began to understand the storytelling aspect behind tattooing and the healing it can do for the client.
What is it about tattooing that grabs your attention or piques your interest?
Tattooing is just one of those interpretations of art, there’s artworks, and then there’s the action of creating art. For tattooing, there’s that separation for me, but it just depends on what you draw or what you are doing. I feel like tattooing, you’re giving the people to tell their own story or experience, we’re creating the service for them.
I think for me it’s helping people heal. Many people have gotten tattooed to get past a death, to help with the loss of their child or the loss of a family member, and it helps them heal or to honor them on themselves. I also like doing cover-ups because some people just don’t feel confident and they hate it, or maybe their loved ones hate it because it reminds them of someone else.
So just when they cover it up and seeing them smile after, especially big masculine guys coming in all tough to then laugh after and comment how cool it is, is rewarding. Just that feeling of renewing them and helping them move on from their past if they didn’t want that or like it originally, so it’s just a healing type of work.
What does the future hold?
Short-term would be working for an in-hour design company, either commercial in-house like advertising or a creative agency or apparel. Overall just design. Long-term would be being able to become a professor and teach at a college or university, so more intermediate classes. I like bigger drawings and illustrations, so anything related to that.
But right now, I’m still focusing on building my career as an artist. I feel like I’ve been in this industry for so long, but I haven’t focused on myself or my own art because I am always trying to cover my bills. I just want the financial security to be able to create my own art. But who knows, I could be tattooing in the evenings and be a professor in the mornings.
Written by Deanna Palafox.
Pricing:
- $200/hour
- $150 shop minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.noemitattoos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noemitattoos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoemiBarajasTattoos/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noemitattoos/
- Other: https://www.behance.net/noemibarajas
Image Credits
Michael P. Rios
