EP:17 Sacred Art & Tattoos with Mari Kuroyama

In this episode, I sit down with Mari, a pioneering fine-line tattoo artist from Brazil whose creative journey now expands into painting, visionary art, and live performance. From her early days of breaking barriers as one of the first recognized women tattooers in her area, to painting alongside world-renowned artists at COSM and Burning Man, Mari’s story is one of devotion, reinvention, and deep connection.

She shares how tattooing opened a lifelong path of ritual and service, why painting became a healing force during the pandemic, and how prayer and daily practice continue to shape her work and her life. We talk about cultural bridges, reclaiming art as a human birthright, and what it looks like to create from a place of trust, reverence, and resilience.

In this episode we talk about:

✨ Growing up in Brazil and becoming a pioneer in the fine-line tattoo movement
✨ Building community with women tattooers in a male-dominated industry
✨ Discovering visionary art and how painting carried her through depression
✨ Studying with masters at COSM and being invited to live paint at Burning Man
✨ The sabbatical year that reshaped her relationship with art and tattooing
✨ Why prayer and ritual are at the center of her creative practice
✨ How she balances life between Brazil and the U.S., honoring both roots and expansion
✨ Creating a WhatsApp community for her clients and redefining connection beyond algorithms
✨ The sacred responsibility of art as devotion, not just commodity
✨ Why she believes everyone is born an artist and how practice opens the door back to creativity

Plus our collaborative painting workshop in Califronia on October 5th! Open for six lucky humans to join for free! Email [email protected] to RSVP. 

Mari reminds us that art is not reserved for the gifted but is woven into our very nature, waiting for us to remember. Her work invites us to slow down, reconnect with the sacredness of life, and let creativity become both prayer and bridge between worlds.

Connect with Mari 
Instagram: @marikuroyama

Connect with Me:
Instagram: @thejustinealmaraz
Website: www.justinealmaraz.com  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JustineArtStudio

Thank you for listening to Her Ink Empire. Your empire is already unfolding one aligned, intentional mark at a time. Stay tuned.