We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Valentina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Emily, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
the short answer is no one else is going to do it for me. the long answer is that i come from a very dysfunctional family, and knew from a really young age that all i wanted was to become independent so i wouldn’t have to rely on my family. when i was younger my whole motivation for doing well in school was so i could go to a college far away. i thought being smart and getting a degree would be enough to get me to a place where i was happy and at peace, but it wasn’t. so i turned to my passions, which was art and tattooing. my mental health and art journey are almost one in the same. once i started tattooing i was able to save up enough to move out, but i still wasn’t healed or at peace because i hadn’t actually done the work to do that, just the work to get an apartment. tattooing sort of paved the way for me to start my healing journey because it gave me the freedom i needed to finally deal with the problems i had been ignoring. so that’s where the self-discipline used to come from, and now, it comes from a place of building community. i used to be motivated by spite, fear, and anger, and now i’m motivated by love and friendship. that’s the corniest thing i’ve ever said haha
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 co-own Nine Lives Tattoo with my good friend Michael and 7 of our other friends and fellow artists. We try really hard to build a space that feels safe, welcoming, and inclusive for people of all backgrounds and different tattoo styles. Our shop is in a really cool building in Chinatown, it has a lot of charm, color, and is 2 stories tall, so it feels like a big tattoo clubhouse. I think that kind of supportive environment paired with the unique physical space makes the shop really special.
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?
being humble, open minded, and understanding of the journey/craft and that its not all about you is most important i think. with tattooing, its so easy to get impatient, have a big ego, or feel entitled to money and success. especially in the beginning. im only 4-5 years into my tattoo journey so i still have a lot to learn, but sticking to those three qualities has never led me in the wrong direction. other than practicing those qualities i dont have much advice for new people trying to get into tattooing because its honestly so oversaturated at the moment.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
i have clients from so many different backgrounds. its honestly one of my favorite things about tattooing. getting to connect with and meet new people and learn new things from them is sick as hell. I do have a tendency to draw in other alternative Latinos from LA because I am also an alt Latina from LA. the crossover in tattooing and alt/punk culture is one of the coolest things about this life, and im so grateful for it, but the truth is my ideal client is anyone that’s kind and trusts me to execute their vision.
Contact Info:
- Website: emilystattoos.com
- Instagram: @emilystattoos
- Twitter: @emilystattoos
- Other: @emilystattoos on TikTok
