Living on the same block as a famous tattoo shop, and simply having been born and raised in New York, Cinthia, a Japanese female tattoo artist has been surrounded by influences of her passions from the beginning.

Currently a tattoo artist at Live by the Sword, located at 218 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY, Cinthia has grown tremendously, and has experimented with her style throughout her time tattooing there, and just in her journey of the last two years. She had said, “I had always been surrounded by tattoos, my mother has tattoos, and she got them during the 90s, which at the time were very traditional tattoos.” With such inspiration from her mother and those she was surrounded by, Cinthia decided to ditch her pharmaceutical and biology degree in college in order to pursue her passion for art and tattooing. She had always been exposed, but she did not get into tattooing until she was twenty years old! She said, “Sooo, basically, it’s kind of weird, I was in school for pharmacy, biology major, science degree, and then I was a pharmacist. I hated it. It was no fun! I… quit… took some time off… and that’s when I got into apprenticeships. I finally got one in 2022!” That’s what started it all.

After apprenticing at a shop in Queens, NY, Cinthia had started to find her style and what interested her the most. Cinthia grew into herself as an anime artist beginning as someone who practices fineline anime. Mixing in two cultures and traditional ideas from both, Cinthia works to create her own style, one that is constantly evolving. As her career continues on, she is finding that she is meshing together styles, incorporating anime, practicing newer, bolder, colorful stuff. She strives to bring out Japanese inspired / kawaii culture, American traditional, an intriguing and amazing take. As it may sound, traditional tattoos held everyone to quite the standard, until the emergence of diversity and creativity in the tattoo world that is slowly taking over. Unique aspects of being a tattoo artist in the city compared to other places lies in the styles, such as realism and fine line, and any style can be found in New York, as Cinthia mentioned, most shops stick to traditional style tattoos. However, this does not stop her from drawing inspiration from anime and the cute looking kawaii aesthetic. Cinthia had mentioned that, “In NY, there are so many amazing artists, so it is harder to stand out,” being a difficulty that does not interfere with her passion for it. Focusing on her designs, Cinthia says that she draws inspiration and influence from her friends who are artists, for those who tattoo her, and female Asian artists. She is currently working on her neck piece, collaborating with an artist who focuses on Japanese traditional, which is one that also has a heavy influence on her, alongside her art. Her motivation comes from clients who look at and pick her flash, only encouraging her to produce more! Although, a big challenge when it comes to this industry is getting art out, especially work that is not traditional being a little harder to sell. But, that does not stop Cinthia from continuing onto her path of creating “something new and cute”!

Being a female tattoo artist is not something that should be taken lightly, as the tattooing industry is ROUGH. “Especially in NY, there are a lot more female tattoo artists compared to a long time ago, but in heavy traditional states, it is harder to get female artists,” “For me, it’s been a good and bad experience…I think that girls feel comfortable with me, and I can relate to them,” And that’s on being a girl’s girl. But, in all seriousness, there’s nothing better than having the ability to reach someone on another level, and show them comfort and relatability to who they are, their traditions, heritage, and interests. But she did say not all things are great… Some studios are not welcoming environments for women, or do not take female tattoo artists seriously. Some male counterparts may not treat their female coworkers fairly. Cinthia also had shared that male clients are not always appropriate. As a female tattoo artist, she has faced harassment and has been hit on during sessions, specifically because she is an asian woman. This unfortunately is a fate met by women all across the board, and becomes one of the difficulties of being a female tattoo artist, not only in the city. However, Cinthia looked to her woman mentor, and maintained a tough shell in order to be where she has made it today. Working at a welcoming, positive, and supportive studio she has the ability to work in a safe and creative environment, surrounded by people with the same goals and interests, while also uplifting each other. To those starting out, don’t let hard apprenticeships discourage you, this is not a soft community, but find those who are soft to you, and don’t let others bring you down.

Check out her work and instagram @hafutattoo!!

— CINTHIA —

— GWEN —