Today we’d like to introduce you to Izabella Bastidas.
Izabella, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a first-generation Colombian-American artist raised in Austin, Tx. I always really enjoyed creating, but I found myself ignoring my passion out of fear. Growing up, I often heard “be careful, you don’t want to be a starving artist”. I know those words were meant to push me into working harder to become an artist that didn’t “starve”. But I think subconsciously, it scared me, so I stopped drawing pretty young. It wasn’t until junior year of high school that I picked it back up again. At that point, I was applying to art colleges as a photo major.
I was accepted to Pratt Institute and left Austin for Brooklyn, NYC. I pretty quickly realized that I preferred illustration so I switched majors, despite the head of the department saying I would make a better photographer. And at the time, I agreed with her because I knew I had been doing photography for much longer than I had been doing illustration, therefor my technical skill was more developed in photography. But I figured that if I was going to give my all at becoming an artist, I would become an artist that enjoyed what I created and I stopped enjoying photography quite sometime before I switched.
Once I switched people would tell me that my art would work really well as tattoos as opposed to traditional illustration. I had always really liked tattoos and knew that I wanted them, but I never thought that people would enjoy my art enough to actually get it tattooed on them! So it was never something I had genuinely considered.
When I graduated and moved back to Austin, I decided to get tattooed by David Poe. It was such a wonderfully different experience to the other tattoo sessions I have had. I think that session made me realize that I wanted to be a tattoo artist that created a similar comfortable environment and space for clients. At this point, I began putting a portfolio together and looking for apprenticeships.
After about six months of looking, I was lucky enough to find a shop that allowed me a lot of freedom and encouraged me to explore my art and style. Unfortunately, about six months later, the shop disbanded. However, this pushed me into opening a private studio where I worked for the next year and a half.
In the summer of 2020, I realized there were many unhappy people in the industry. I would keep hearing stories from both artists and clients about how unhappy they were with their tattoo experience. At that point, my partner and I decided to open up a studio where everyone enjoyed coming in. I truly believe that if your tattoo artist is happy, then that will create a better tattoo and experience for the client. This is when we started laying the groundwork for what would become Problem Child Tattoo, which began taking shape by November of that year. Now the shop employs four artists and an apprentice as well as hosting multiple out of town guest artists every month.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Finding the right space had been pretty stressful. I knew that whatever space we ended up in would be a long-term commitment, so we were very admit about being patient and finding a studio space that would work best for all of us. Covid definitely presented some challenges as well. For the first few months, it was very challenging having multiple artists since we were in a pretty small temporary space. I think the biggest stress was needing to mature so much in such a small amount of time.
We now four other artists and their clients are relying on the studio running smoothly and keeping everyone safe during covid. There have been plenty of times where I am still working as a full-time tattoo artist, working six days a week (because I tend to overwork myself) while also working on graphic design and branding for Problem Child, not to mention addressing any other issues that might come up. It all takes a lot of time and practice. Finding a balance and time to have a personal life, to see friends, and to see my partner are all things that have been challenging. No one can really prepare you for starting your own business, especially being 25. I honestly still feel like a kid and am wondering who’s idea was it to give me so much responsibility! However, I know I have an amazing partner I can count on and super understanding clients that are patient with me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a tattoo artist based in Austin, Tx specializing in fine line tattoos. I love doing anime panels and my original work, inspired by human anatomy and the duality of nature.
I think I’m most proud of my growth. Not just as an artist but also as a person. I think there is this misconception about artist’s inspiration coming from their internal despair and mental instability. I can see how some people thrive in that kind of environment, but for me, my mental health really affected my work negatively. So to be in a place where I can handle some responsibilities without breaking down is a massive improvement. I still get super stressed out, but now I have a wonderful support system and the tools to be able to handle whatever issues might arise. And because of this, I feel like I am more prepared for my clients and like my work has flourished.
What sets me apart — I don’t really know what sets me apart. I know that I really value communication and I always strive to provide a comfortable space for my clients to speak openly and freely with me. Often times I find that clients feel uncomfortable asking for changes with their tattoo. Whether it is to alter the design, make the size larger, or to replace the stencil, I want to make sure that they feel comfortable enough with me to express what they truly want. At the end of the day, this is their body and they will be the ones seeing their tattoo every day.
How do you define success?
There were many years where I was incredibly unhappy with my life. I would often fantasize about being a different person or lay in bed in the morning extra long to delay all responsibilities. There were many unhealthy coping mechanisms that I relied on in order to get through the day. I really feel that being successful, to me, is about feeling fulfilled. This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to strive to be better, it just means that I am actually really happy with the life I have right now, which is honestly something I didn’t think could ever happen.
Pricing:
- 150 an hour for the tattoo itself. Essentially from the time the appointment is scheduled to start to the finishing of the tattoo. I always advise my clients to show up at least ten minutes early to complete paperwork and get settled in before we begin.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @hot.goth.girlfriend and @problemchildtattoo
