Fifteen-year-old Nevaeh Garcia has already uncovered her passion. Having been interested in art since she was younger, a family friend gifted her a tattoo starter kit for her 12th birthday, and after a few attempts, she realized how much she loved bringing her art to life through tattooing.
She started practicing on fake skin until she got the hang of it. After a while, she decided to start practicing on some of her family. Her very first tattoo was on her mom’s hand– a simple smiley face paired with a dainty flower. Following her mom’s hand tattoos, her grandmothers and another close family friend volunteered as well, showing just how supportive her family has been of her passion.
She mentioned that her favorite design so far has been an angel she tattooed on her mother’s arm with Nevaeh’s birth year next to it. “…I love how it has a meaning. My mom got an angel because my middle name is Angel, so I think that was pretty sweet.” She recalled making a small error on one of her mom’s tattoos in the past, though luckily it wasn’t deep, so it faded, and she later went over the design to cover her mistake. The most important lesson she’s learned so far is to take tattooing seriously. She says, “…this ink isn’t just going to disappear on their skin, so I always have to take things seriously while doing a tattoo.”
For Nevaeh, the hardest part about learning tattooing has been shading and learning how to tattoo smoothly without repeatedly going over the same spot. To ensure she is practicing safely, she still uses her fake skin every once in a while to get the feeling of real skin before attempting to tattoo a human’s skin.
She shared that while her friends occasionally ask her for tattoos, she prefers to wait until she gains more experience before saying yes, not wanting to mess anything up. She chooses to be safe and smart rather than taking the risk of leaving permanent damage on someone’s skin, where there could be serious consequences.
Looking ahead, Nevaeh said she would love to own a calm, cozy tattoo studio filled with green plants, decorated in soft white tones, and designed to make her clients feel comfy and safe. She feels that her tattoo art is a huge reflection of her fun, creative personality, and although she sees tattooing as a hobby right now, she would love to have it as a career someday.
A piece of advice from Nevaeh to any other young entrepreneur is to “Go for what you want to, no matter how hard it is, do what you want to do, all you need is practice.”
