Meet Celli Villarreal

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Celli Villarreal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Celli, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?

“I go to seek a great perhaps” is a quote I read in the book “Looking for Alaska” written by John Green back when I was in high school It is a quote that has stuck with me ever since. Ever since I was a young child I always sought adventure and was curious in nature. I believe remaining curious and being open to endless possibilities is crucial for personal growth. As a full time tattoo artist, it is important that I am always continuing my education and striving to push my artistic capabilities. Two of the best risks I have ever taken in life so far are trusting in myself to pursue tattooing and fully invest to become self employed. The second greatest risk was solo traveling to Bali for a month completing my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I would rather take infinite risks and fail each time than to allow fear or self doubt hold me back from continuing to pursue “a great perhaps.” This unique human experience is a life we get to only experience one time, so rather than question “What if this goes wrong? What if I fail?”; I prefer the narrative, “Why not?”

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a tattoo artist by trade, and a vinyasa yoga teacher. I truly love to blend these synergist ancient practices. Yoga has been such a crucial part of my healing journey and it is also the practice I rely on most to keep my body strong and healthy so that I can tattoo with much less chronic pain. I recently transitioned into Magic Rabbit Tattoo; a private women – LGBTQ owned, studio which has been truly a breath of fresh air and a much healthier work life balance. I am so excited to dive deeper into my studies as an artist and growing as a yoga teacher.

It’s been exciting to begin teaching yoga classes specifically for tattooers. My goal is teaching artists how we can honor our bodies and keep them healthy. Several tattooers struggle with chronic back, neck, hand, wrist, and hip discomfort due to the repetitive movements and sitting in same positions most days. I am eager to connect with tattoo conventions in the upcoming year and hopefully connect with more tattoo artists from all around the world. We deserve to tattoo with less pain! I just taught my first class for tattoo artists at North Mountain Tattoo. The studio has an incredible private classroom area where all types of portrait and figure classes take place.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The first three thoughts that come to my head after reading this question are: self-awareness, intentional communication, and prioritizing financial literacy. I think it’s extremely important to take a lot of time of self reflection and understanding what it is that you need most. For example, I know I feel best when I move my body daily, whether it be through yoga practice, lifting weights at the gym, going on a nice hike, practicing lyra, or simply dedicating a few hours of deep cleaning in my home. I’ve gone through chapters, where I prioritized my career over taking care of myself on a physical level, which ultimately lead to frequent illness and overall lower mental cognition. I believe that if you are someone who is on a journey of being self-employed, it’s vital that you take time to address and learn what you need personally each day so that you can show up best for your business. Journaling, slowing down listening to guided meditations, psychedelic medicines, and therapy have all been steps that deepened my self-awareness.

Intentional communication is another skill that I have taken years to understand its imperativeness. Owning the power of your voice and words is how we create healthy boundaries. As a tattoo artist, I need intentional communication so that I am delivering the best possible design for my client while also honoring styles and subjects that are within my realm. If I receive a request of a subject that is outside of my realm, it is necessary I communicate with my client that we can either steer in a slightly different direction or I can suggest perhaps another artist. When working as an independent artist with other studios, it’s extremely important to maintain healthy communication so that both sides are being honored for the highest good. As a yoga teacher, I must cue with intention so that students are not getting lost and are getting into the postures safely.

Lastly, financial literacy is equally as important as the previous two skills. For the longest time, I struggled with an internal conflict around the concept of money, especially given that money is a huge part of what leads to greed and other evils of this world. However, the truth of the matter is, especially if you live in the United States, it is a tool that you need to navigate this world. We are not taught enough in school as young children true financial literacy. There is a plethora of free financial podcasts and relatively inexpensive audiobooks that we can listen to and improve our understanding of how money works, and how we can make our money grow. I have an immigrant grandmother from Mexico, I cannot control I come from a bloodline of generational poverty. One of the toughest pills to swallow was that it was my choice to continue that same cycle or take it upon myself to spend quality time educating myself about how money works. Ultimately, when we take the time to become more of a master of managing our personal finances, it will then lead to creating healthier choices around our business investments, and a higher net profit from our business. I must admit I am only a few years into this financial literacy journey. I certainly don’t have everything completely the way I wish, however; it feels amazing to see the work paying off and at least being on the right path towards financial freedom. I always like to say, “Learn how to play Uncle Sam at his own game.”

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I actually have four books in particular that were definitely the most pivotal reads. I apologize. I couldn’t just give you one singular book. The first book that comes to mind is How to Change Your Mind written by Michael Pollan. It’s a book that goes super in depth regarding several different types of psychedelic medicines, and how they affect the body; more importantly, what parts of the brain they activate. I found that book extremely fascinating. It gave me the confidence to begin my psychedelic medicine journey as a tool for deepening my healing. A line that comes from this book that has stuck with me for life reads, “The wisdom gained in one profound psychedelic trip equates to the wisdom a human can gain living 50 years of their life.” After reading that sentence in particular, I remember thinking “Well I want to know what wisdom I can gain, I want to learn.”

The second book that comes to mind is The Body Keeps the Score written by Bessel van der Kolk. This book truly expanded my understanding of how trauma is stored in the body, it gave me a deeper understanding of how trauma develops the brain differently as a child, and it also went in depth with several other mental disorders, which gave me a deeper understanding of those as well; to be more more patient and understanding of others.

The third book that comes to mine as titled the Simple Path to Wealth written by J.L. Collins. I can’t say it was the most intriguing read, however, it definitely was a solid foundation for me to begin my financial literacy journey. I appreciate that this book was written in a way to be applicable to almost any condition that the economy might be in. He gave me a broad and concise general understanding of safe ways of investing, my money and making healthy financial choices. .

The fourth book that comes to mind is the Creative Act written by Rick Rubin. I truly appreciated this author’s view of approaching mindfulness through the artist lens. I believe when a person chooses to be an artist whether it is for their career full-time or as simply a hobby, there are a multitude of emotions that come with creating your art. I believe it’s heightened especially when you are a full-time artist relying on your art to provide a roof over your head and food on the table. I truly never anticipated the roller coaster of emotions that come with being an artist full-time and this book was a very refreshing lens. It reminded me to not compare myself art with others so much, to have more fun creating my art, to not take it too seriously and allow it to heal me, and honor my divine timing. It served as a reminder that in order to master new skills the way I want, I must put in the work; those talents don’t just come overnight. They require hours and hours of dedication and time.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Headshot: Mikayla Russell

Tattoo photos: Celli Villarreal

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Where does your self-discipline come from?

One of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. We asked some

Productivity
Working hard in 2024: Keeping Work Ethic Alive

While the media might often make it seem like hard work is dead and that

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move