We recently connected with Vanesa Reeves and have shared our conversation below.
Vanesa, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
For the longest time I didn’t know what imposter syndrome was, let alone that I was struggling with it! When I researched the different types of imposter syndrome, I was able to find affirmations to counter the negative thoughts. Slowly but surely I felt the negative mindset slipping away and being replaced by feelings of self assurance.
It’s so easy to compare and despair: to look at someone else and convince yourself that you aren’t as successful or as talented as they are. You can’t compare your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. Taking a step back to acknowledge that I’m always booked and busy, that I’m constantly creating art for clients, really contradicts any imposter syndrome that tries to creep up on me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a tattoo artist that incorporates tarot readings into the design process! During these tarot reading tattoos, we start by reading the cards and then draw inspiration from their meanings or imagery to create a tattoo design.
I love taking a collaborative approach to tattooing because the person getting tattooed is just as important as the tattoo artist! I find it really exciting going to work, not knowing what tattoo I’m doing that day, but trusting that the cards and my client will guide me to create a wonderful, unique art! I really enjoy creating a space where clients feel comfortable communicating their wants or preferences to me and seeing how a design always falls into place.
Recently I moved to a private studio space at Sanctuary Beauty Collective in Durham!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Perseverance is the first quality that comes to mind! When starting any creative career, you’re going to have a period of time where what you create won’t be as good as you want it to be. You have to keep going, persevere through any failures, learn as much as you can along the way. It takes time to begin to get good at something, especially if it’s new to you.
Learning how to better communicate has had a huge impact on my work and how I interact with clients. Fortunately having customer service experience helped me start on the right foot, but I still had to adapt my approach to fit the tattoo industry. I find it best to keep everything straightforward, and be transparent about my policies or booking process, to avoid misunderstandings.
Trauma informed care is an area of knowledge I highly recommend researching to anyone in any form of service industry! It’s most often applied to healthcare situations but I think it is relevant in any situation where you have a client trusting someone else with their body. The five main principles are safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment. I’ve had so many clients share previous negative experiences with me, and if the other tattoo artist had taken a trauma informed approach the negative experience would have been avoided.
If you’re early in your journey, and struggling with any skill or quality, give yourself time and be gracious when you’re still learning. Take the time to do a little research if you’re struggling and remember to step back to look at the bigger picture. Don’t let small obstacles make you feel like you have to change course entirely.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
With tattooing, it’s so important to have a well rounded foundation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain when improving areas you aren’t as strong in! Even if certain drawing skills seem irrelevant to the style of art you want to specialize in, there are always lessons to be learned. You can always apply different skills or techniques to further improve your strengths.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vreevestattoo.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vreevestattoo/
