Sushannah Smith | Contributor
Featured image: Jay shares her tattoo designs, sketches and paintings as she discusses her journey towards becoming a tattoo artist and the struggles she has overcome along the way. | Courtesy of Jay
Tattooing has been a major contribution of art throughout history and can even be traced back to as early as the ancient Egyptian era. Throughout time, captivating and meaningful pieces have been permanently etched into the skin of many, ranging from pharaohs to people of Indigenous tribes, to everyday people, including students. Maria Del Tatuaje, or Jay, as she prefers to be called, is a visual arts student at York, as well as a talented tattoo artist and painter. Her fascination for art started at the tender age of four, when she witnessed her father drawing. From that moment, she was hooked.
“I couldn’t help but stop to look at what he was doing,” says Jay. “I saw continuous images of horses within the napkins and just couldn’t turn away from them. It baffled me as a child realizing that images and breathing subjects could be created like that. I was so stunned, I tried to copy his images. My creativity never stopped growing from that point on.”
Jay’s inspiration grew from arts to tattooing when she witnessed the tattoo vixen and fellow Latina, Kat Von D, on Miami Ink. From the moment she got her first tattoo, Jay knew there was no turning back. “I went home motivated after seeing and experiencing the process myself; to become a part of this world, knowing I would be working intensively in drawing and creating memorable and special pieces for others as well as myself.”
But tattooing is no easy job. Jay has been studying and practicing the art since she was 16.
Fortunately for her, she had the acceptance from the same person who sparked her passion — her own father. “After receiving my first tattoo and seeing my determination, [my dad] bought me my own tattoo machine, tattoo set with practice skin and ink included, as a surprise during Christmas,” says Jay.
The road to success is never a clear one for artists, and this may be even truer for tattoo artists. Though Jay has been an apprentice since she was 16 and tattooing professionally since she was 18, she has faced some backlash. In general, tattoos are seen as taboo and unprofessional in many jobs, making it hard for people who choose to sport this decorative art on their bodies or practice it as a profession.
“I received very negative feedback from family members back home because of these social constructs about tattoos, and the people who wore them and did them, to the point where they stopped talking to me and even stopped considering me to be family,” adds Jay. Instead of being deterred by the negative feedback around her, Jay continues to make the art that she and her clients love.
Millennials are opening new doors and bringing the art of tattooing back into its original light by challenging negative connotations surrounding the art. “These views were never an issue for me or my goals,” says Jay. “We live in a different time now. If they refuse to see how happy and successful I have become from following my dream, then so be it. It does not affect me in any way.” Unlike her needle and ink, she doesn’t allow negativity under her skin.
As a result, Jay is currently a talented and successful tattoo artist who specializes in black and grey tattoos and is also working to specialize in script and new school tattoos. She is working to perfect her craft even further by being mentored by one of the best script artists in Nicaragua.
“Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you can’t do something. It takes time and practice to be great in anything that you do, it’s all a matter or trying. If you don’t at least try, you will never know what you can truly be capable of.”
