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Welcome to Her Ink Empire. I'm Justine Almaraz and this is the podcast that redefines what's possible for you in the tattoo industry and in your tattoo education, not only in technical skills but in business. This show is for fine artists, creatives, visionaries, artists of all kinds, even doodlers who are ready to not just build a career but a legacy.
Here we merge mastery, freedom, and creative power to surpass the outdated industry norms, the outdated rules, and step fully into our creative power and roles as leaders in our communities. If you've ever felt like there has to be a better way, a better option to learn tattooing to earn in this industry and to lead in tattooing, you're in the right place. So let's build your empire one bold, daring step at a time.
Let's dive in. Jennifer, hello, welcome to the Her Ink Empire podcast. Thank you for having me.
Thank you for being here. Let's dive in to where you are, where you are today. What are you excited about today? Yeah, so I am excited for a lot of really cool things coming up for me.
So I am an integrated healing guide and I specialize in somatic modalities and we'll jump more into that but right now I'm currently in Colorado and I am going to be training to do some more somatic modalities to just kind of expand my offering. So I'm super excited for that and of course working with you to roll out a lot of somatic modalities for art students and just people who want to learn more. So yeah, just kind of getting the ball rolling on everything and taking more educational courses and getting that all started up since we lost each other.
Yeah, yeah. We've been doing some cool collaborative things. So just so you know, Jennifer's somatic work is powerful and I'd love to know if you could give us a little insight of like where did you get into doing somatic healing work? How did this all start for you? Yeah, yeah.
Of course. So before getting into the where, sometimes I get a lot of people asking like what even is somatic work? What does that even entail? And I kind of bring up this analogy of, I don't know if you remember the store Bed Bath & Beyond, if there's still any around, but for those who don't know Bed Bath & Beyond, it's a huge department store and you have stuff near Bed Bath & Beyond and everyone's always like, well what is the Beyond section? And you're like, you just have to go and experience it to know what's there. So you'll go into the store and look around and be like, okay, I see the bedding stuff, the bath, okay, what's beyond? And then you see these things that you need for your house and you're like, oh yeah, I do need these pots and pans for my house and these different little trinkets.
So I say somatic modalities is the beyond section of our body and the bed and bath, the bath is our mental health and the bed is our physical body. So we already know that we need to take care of our physical body and we already know that we need to take care of our mental health. But there's a third aspect that I think a lot of us are missing and it's that somatic work.
And that's what I teach. And how I got into somatic work is I have come through a lot of turmoil in my life. I've had to really learn a lot of different coping skills.
And as I started going to talk therapy, I noticed that while it was helpful, it didn't necessarily, is my dog making crazy sounds? Let me, let me, he's the cutest little pug. I know she is. Okay.
She sorry. No, she's fine. Okay.
Should we start over? No, don't even worry. Just keep going. So anyway, so the somatic modalities are going to be the beyond section of our home or store.
So that's going to include stuff like breath work, yoga, sound healing, and there's other different modalities in this as well. But this focuses on the energy in our body and how we can move with that energy, how we can process emotions and just work with ourselves rather than against ourselves. Because I think a lot of the times we'll feel these energies or emotions come up and we're like, no, no, no.
Like I need to get this out of here. Like I don't have time for this right now. But what if we taught ourselves coping mechanisms to help us feel, even if it's just a little bit at a time, because then over time, you know, it'll get easier.
Um, so I teach these different energetic modality work to help people access, um, whatever it needs to be that they're looking for. So whether they need to bring peace into their life, whether they need to work through trauma, whether they need to, um, get more creative, there's different ways that we can work with the energy that's already within us to get the results that we want. And I came into this because when I was doing talk therapy, like I mentioned before, well, I did find it helpful.
Um, I just never felt like anything happened. I felt like I was intellectualizing my therapy sessions of just kind of being like, okay, like have a good day. Like I know these things happen to me, but all right.
Like I didn't ever have the opportunity to feel what was happening. And something that's very unique in my perspective is I, um, learned through going through yoga teacher training, um, that I actually don't visualize at all. So I don't have a mind's eye.
I can't visualize faces or, um, you know, remember scenes. And so what was interesting is when I tried to do certain coping mechanisms, like traditional meditation, I was so antsy and I couldn't relax at all. So I was trying to figure out different things to do, um, to be able to work with myself, to be able to process trauma in a different way that wasn't talk therapy.
And I found, um, really great release, uh, through, um, sound healing. It really spoke to me and I was able to then understand through doing sound healing that I couldn't visualize and doing sound healing. What was really interesting about that for me is that allowed me to have a space to be able to feel those emotions without having someone be like, oh yeah, tell me about this time or, you know, have like some sort of a flashback.
Cause I don't have stuff like that. What sound healing was able to do for me was able to access emotions that were stored subconsciously that can be accessed through talk therapy that can be accessed in different modalities, but I couldn't because I couldn't visualize, or at least I think that's part of the reason that it wasn't super helpful for me. So that was pretty fascinating.
Uh, so going through yoga teacher training, definitely opened my eyes, uh, to the fact that they don't visualize. And that inspired me to really dive into these somatic modalities to be able to teach them because growing up, I definitely did not have someone to teach me emotional regulation. I definitely, you know, kind of handled things on my own and also just survived a traumatic childhood with a mother who faced a very serious addiction problem.
Um, and we also lived in very intense poverty. And so there was just not really any resource for me to, to learn about these things. I also think that, you know, as we learn more about mental health, this is going to be, um, more talked about.
So it's exciting to be able to kind of be, I wouldn't say a pioneer of this work because there's definitely a lot of people who have done way more than I have and ever will in my life. But, um, I'm very honored and excited to be able to share what I know with people. Um, so I get to coach and, um, just really show up with people and help them process these emotions and trauma that sometimes we don't even know is, is in us.
And it comes out at random times and we're like, where did that come from? So yeah, that's what I, too. And what I love in my passion. Absolutely.
Yes. Something that is really unique about the way you do the sound healing is you actually use your voice. Yeah.
And that feels I've experienced, I got, I had the honor to experience one of your sound baths. And I think that that really was a unique aspect to it. Like when do, when have we ever been sung to like maybe by our mom for a second when we were babies? Like, so there's something really, really powerful about that and that you have a beautiful voice and that it, and it melts into the other instruments that you use too.
And I think that, that sound healing is, is one of my favorite modalities for, I would say like healing, but, but also for activating creative ideas. And I use sound personally to get into a meditative state so that I can see. And that's kind of the cool thing is like what you offer, what we've noticed is that we're so different.
You and I in how I can see, I can see, I can feel, and I can see. And with, with my eyes closed, you know what I mean? Very clearly. And you have a very different experience when you are feeling.
And we are using and amplifying those differences to communicate the same things and, and help the intuitive artists that I teach to, to help them activate more of their sense of self, sense of confidence, self-worth. And, and we're doing that in this series of your somatic healing, just so you all know how that's kind of like coming together. And yeah, I just, I just would love to go like a little more into tell us about what that, what that feels like, how do you perceive and experience the unseen world? Because you are playing in that realm a lot and how are you experiencing it? Because for me, it's so visual.
So what does that feel like for you? It's so cool to hear you talk about it because I just, it's funny. I can say, I can't imagine that it literally physically can't even imagine that, but no, I think it's so powerful. And what's so beautiful about this partnership that we have is getting to learn more about humanity by, by talking to you about how you experience different things and how I experience different things.
So I'm excited about this, but going back to your question, yeah, I think it's very unique because of kind of something that I didn't know that I didn't have access to, if that makes sense. So I'm sure until you found out that people couldn't visualize, you know, you just kind of been going through what you believe is normal. Yeah.
Yeah. That's why I was like, Hey, Jennifer, I think, I think we need your help here because not everyone is experiencing the unseen visual world that I am. And that's, that's what I try to help artists go to activate, but before they can even get there, some can't.
And so there we go. Okay. Yeah.
And so I know exactly what that feels like because I've had a lot of experiences in my life where, so I love to paint. I'm an artist as well. Painting, especially the acrylic painting is very important to me in my creative process.
And so something that's always been interesting is people would ask me, how did you have this idea? And I go, I just did it. What do you mean? I was like, I just painted. I don't understand what you mean.
And people are like, okay, that's wild or whatever. And so what's really unique is, I guess for me, what my experience is, I'm, I have to be so fully in the present. There's nowhere for me to be.
And so when I feel things, I have to get it out. Like I cannot let it sit because I don't have anywhere for my brain to go of where is this coming from? Why is it here? I have to just be able to move that energy, which is so fascinating for what I do and teach now, because that's, that's my whole thing. So what's, what's really beautiful and what I get to do is express to people that while it is a gift that you're able to see and visualize the creations that you create, it's also a gift that I have to not be able to see it and to be able to feel so deeply.
And it's also the point to say, if you're an artist, what makes an artist? What does that mean? You can see You can do something properly. It's not about that. It's about the feeling of the creation and the energy that you and I both collectively have, as well as any artist who creates.
It's an inherent right within us. So no matter if you hyper visualize or no matter if you don't visualize at all, creation is a part of you just inherently. And so that's really a blessing for me to be able to teach and to show my perspective of, hey, I don't have a mind's eye.
I still paint. How does that happen? It's because of the energy. And it's because I'm working through those little voices in my head that say, you can't do this.
You shouldn't do this. This looks silly, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So somatic work is working with your mind and body to be able to just let go of that resistance.
It's all about working with what's coming up, not about how to distract and push away. And unfortunately, I feel like our society is very much a distract and push away society. And I definitely understand that.
But unfortunately, if you get into this pattern of distract and push away, you are the opposite of creating because you are controlling so hard. You're holding on so hard to an expectation, to a result, to being perfect. But that's not what creativity is about.
It's about being deeply human, feeling the process of creating. It's a deeply human process. And when we add in such logistics and perfectionism and I have to do it this way, we take away that energy completely.
We stomp on it. And I'm sure that a lot of us who are creative have had this experience where we've created something and maybe it was when we were kids, but creating something and it's wild or crazy or not like what it seems like classically good. And we show someone and they're like, oh, what is this? It's like, oh yeah, this is my spaghetti monster.
And we just kind of get put down or someone doesn't understand our perspective or art style. And it becomes this whole, you know, trying to defend and be intense when really you're just allowing what you are feeling to come up through whatever you're creating. So if that's on canvas, if that's tattooing, if that's music, then you just allow it.
And what's cool about somatic work is you're bringing awareness into the energy that you feel rather than having you be like tsunami tidal wave by emotions and then you don't know what to do. So we're bringing this slowly of, hey, let's bring, you know, your present self into this present moment to be able to check in with yourself. I think a lot of us, especially creatives get caught in this.
I have to be in the right mindset or I have to be in the right mindset and I have to know exactly what I'm going to do. And it's like, yeah, you can do that. But I think you and I both know as people who create things, a lot of the times, even that process can get derailed completely and you end up with something completely different.
So it just kind of goes to show that the energy of creation is one that is something that we have access to all the time. But we have to be aware of where, like we have to meet that energy where it's at to be able to harness it. And I think that's where people get worried is they might feel fear, feelings of fear or anxiety or stress when they sit down to create and they go, I can't do this.
But sometimes that's the best place for you to be is to sit down and create in that mindset. It might not be the beautiful thing that you have in your mind. It could be something completely different, but you're allowing yourself to access that energy and be aware of it so that when you do want to make something that is in your mind's eye or an idea that you have, you can get to it easier, if that makes sense.
Yeah. So, okay. So let's say the person who's listening to this right now is feeling so locked in on perfectionism that it's with their creativity and that they're staring at the blank page and they're like, they're feeling, I want to be an artist so bad.
Like either they've invested in learning or they're considering going down this path, but they're holding, something is holding them back and they don't know how to move forward. What would you say to help them break free? Because if they have, I believe they have the desire to get to the other end of that and to be the artist they came to be. So what do they do in the moment? I would first ask them, what does it, what does it even mean to be an artist? And also what would that look like for you? That point when you make it, when you finally get deemed to be an artist.
And I would say, would you tell Justine, would you tell me you have to wait? You're not an artist yet. No. And I think what happens is, is we are waiting to get a huge check from someone that has bought our art to go, okay, I'm not an artist.
I think we are waiting until we've mastered a certain technique to say, okay, I'm an artist. But what is really unique and what I'm trying to bring forward is everything that we have is inside of us already. And to be told, now I'm here because I'm an artist.
I've gotten to the point where I can say I'm an artist is counter intuitive of what an artist is, because becoming an artist is something that you accept. That is something that you have to say, yes, I am an artist. And then you create from that place of intention and energy, regardless of if you get the check, regardless of if someone says this is art, regardless of that external validation.
The perfectionism comes from the need to feel validation from an external source. It's not coming from in here, because this is already ready to go. That anxiety and perfectionism is solely because we want someone to say you're doing good.
We want the outside validation on that. Yeah, yeah. Which of course we do.
It feels really good when someone connects with your work, but that's not what this is about. This is about being authentic and true to yourself and your medium, because when you are authentic and true to yourself and your medium, beautiful things happen. And I know that you've seen that.
I know that you know that with people that you've worked with who've said, you know, once I finally just kind of accepted my style or really, you know, dove into my personal work and just kind of express this differently, oftentimes we find that we create something that's bigger than ourselves. For example, I never thought that I would be able to do the work that I'm doing. When I grew up, I was very much told, you know, you're going to be a wife and mom, education's not very important for you, like your needs are not first ever, ever, like very clearly that was for me to just go, okay, everything else depends on someone else's life for me.
And I kind of put myself in the space of, okay, you know, my mom is not doing well. Let me, you know, try to go to medical school because I want to become a doctor to help my mom and save her. So that's what I started to do is I got into the medical field and I really worked hard.
Um, I was pre-med and then unfortunately my mom passed away and it kind of shifted something for me where I was like, oh man, like people have to decide to change. And so therefore I need to just completely focus on what I'm doing. Uh, and you know, the rest will fall in place.
So I kind of had that realization of like, okay, so I need to just kind of like, life is way too short. Like I need to figure out what I'm going to do at this point. And then a couple of years later, my dad passed away.
And for me, that's when this realization was even bigger of like, life is so short, so fragile that I cannot waste my time doing stuff that doesn't feel authentic to me. So fast forward a little bit later is actually where I met you. Um, Jennifer, how old were you when they passed? Um, so my mom passed away in 2018.
I believe I was 26 then. And then my dad, a couple of years later. So both my parents passed away in my late twenties and I'm 32 now.
So it's been within the last few years, it's been pretty intense. And something that was really important to me was I looked at my parents and saw what amazing intuitive and creative people they were, but they weren't doing anything for that. Like they, they completely dropped anything creative in their life before they passed away.
And I was thinking, what can I do to honor myself and them? And I was kind of like, I just need to be my most authentic version of myself. How, how am I going to do that? I'm not sure. And so that's when you met me.
Um, I came in to get this arm piece that we did to activate this, this part of me to go, Hey, I'm going to be unapologetic and authentic in everything that I do. Um, so that's when I started doing yoga teacher training and really getting into sound feeling at that time. And it, it just was a really beautiful way for me to open up and just kind of be like, okay, I can make a future, but I have to be the one that accepts and decides that I'm an artist.
I can, you know, when you, when you and I met each other, um, there was just no thought in my mind that I could do the things that I'm doing today. Um, and so that's why I say, I think it's very important that yes, technically we can do a bunch of things, um, and make it look gorgeous and amazing and perfect. But I think the most important thing is accepting of, of our ourselves as artists and that's okay.
We don't need an external source to tell us like, this is perfect. You did great. And it feels great.
I won't lie. We love a validation moment, but once you're able to just kind of understand it's about the creation, not, not the product. I think that's super important because we can get really caught up in, in the end result, but really it's, it's just, it's everything that's coming together.
And I think that, I think that people who really dive into the creative process can understand the beauty behind how chaotic it can be sometimes. Um, the creative process, it doesn't usually go so meticulously. There are times where something just crazy happens.
So it's a lot, it's a lot of just acceptance of yourself and just realizing that you're inherently an artist because, you know, that's, that's what we were, we were born to do. And, um, something that I bring up when I, um, talk about somatic work that I think is really fascinating is, um, if we look at, uh, someone like Ray Charles, you know, he's one of the most talented musicians ever, but of course, because he's blind, he can't read sheet music, but does that mean that he's not an artist? Does that mean that because he can't perfectly see the sheet music in front of him, that he's not making music or is an artist or creative? That's crazy. So a lot of the times we push ourselves into these little spaces of saying like, okay, like I'll be an artist once I do X, Y, and Z, but it's like, you, you're already there.
And you would never tell me, um, I don't think you ever would cause you're very calm, but you would never tell me, oh, Jen, you're not an artist because you don't visualize it. You can't see like, that would be so insane. Yeah.
And so that would be wild. And I think it's just really, uh, just important for us to embody like this, this energy of creation. And so what I do with somatic modality and somatic work is we, we kind of work through these self-limiting beliefs that will come up, um, because they cause us to feel anxious or shame, or just like, we don't, I don't want to do X, Y, Z. So I work with people to access these energies to be able to work with them and not against them.
Um, and when I say energies, I'm talking about, you know, sometimes we'll have like self-limiting beliefs when we sit down to create like, oh, I don't know how to do this, or this might look weird when I do this, or I'm not feeling right. Um, and it's like, okay, what's the next best thing then? So, um, my work is really cool because I just get to help people move past these blocks. Um, but yeah, perfectionism is definitely one that I've struggled with too.
And, um, it does take some, some, what I, what mainstream is called like shadow work, but it does take some kind of introspection and self-reflection, but you know, you're given tools to work through that during the process. So yeah, it's so, so, so beautiful. Do you feel that I, oh, I wonder how you felt when you got tattooed? Like we just did a big back piece for you.
Yes. We meaning I tattooed your back. Haha.
So with your knowledge and understanding of somatic work, healing work and integrative therapies, did you, do you sense a connection between the two? Because I know there's some connection, very real connection to tattooing and acupuncture. And I wonder about how that felt for you with your brain and knowledge about your specialty on that. Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. My back piece is super, um, special and sacred to me. It's a memorial piece for my late husband and it's a beautiful Phoenix.
That's all my back and going on the shoulders. Um, and yeah, that piece for me energetically was super important to, to get, um, I wanted to really have a physical reminder for me, um, of energy optimization because to be honest, after I lost my husband, especially with the loss of my parents, it was just like, so.
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