x Mariana Santos

x Mariana Santos

skin, tattoo and a nature bond

PT/EN

Mariana Hello! Could you tell us a bit about you and your background? 

I was born and raised in the city in a time you could still play outside more than the time you spent in front of a screen. Now I think that maybe I was lucky I had a grandpa who always had new ideas of things to do and places he wanted to show me. He inspired me the most growing up and a big part of who I am comes from him. But I had to try other things - I studied literature for a long time, until I was sure I wanted to create and confident enough to do it. I still love literature but more as an old friend you see from time to time. While creating something, whether it’s drawing, building, sculpting, tattooing, is what I want to do every day for the rest of my life.

Skin. You also work with it, but obviously in a different way, with a different approach. what are the first words that come to your mind once thinking about it? 

Skin is unpredictable. Which makes it so interesting and challenging to work with.

Do you believe that tattooing is a way of expressing feelings and emotions? 

For me it is. I put so much of myself out there during the whole process. It’s not only tattooing, it’s also being present, sharing a moment. You’re creating in someone else’s skin. There’s a bit of yourself there.

Have nature and people always been a source of inspiration in your art practice? 

Definitely. Nature has always been present in my life since I was a kid playing in my grandparent’s backyard in the countryside. It was my favorite place and some of my most cherished memories are from that time. Living in the city makes it harder to feel that connection with nature but I know it’s still there because every time I come back it’s like I never left. So I draw anything that reminds me of it - fruits, flowers, plants, animals. 

People inspire me in a different way. I love to talk to them and hear their stories as much as I love to see what they create. It motivates me to continue, to keep doing what I do. 

How much of yourself is imprinted in your artwork? 

For me it’s hard to separate the artist from their artwork. We create, we build, we imagine, so there’s always a part of us there. I like to think I’m like the art I make: soft, colorful and a bit naive, child-like.

Beauty, how would you define it? 

You can’t define it. Beauty is your puppy’s calm face while he sleeps, the brightness of your cat’s fur in the sun, it’s the eyes of someone you love. These silly clichés are the beauty in the world.

Have you always been comfortable with your body and your skin? 

Not at all. It’s a love-hate relationship and a work in progress. I love it because it allows me to be, to create. But we grow up surrounded by beauty standards in a society that gives too much importance to the way you look and that’s heavy. And for me that’s where tattoos come into play. Everyone that ever tattooed me contributed a little bit for my growth within my own skin, they help me to grow away from what society thinks is beautiful and closer to what I think it is.

What’s the importance of choosing vegan and organic products? 

I grew close to nature. Not always physically close, but in my heart always. I grew caring for nature and animals, respecting them, seeing how important they are. So I try the best I can to live accordingly - I follow a plant based diet, I’m careful with the source of the products I consume, I try to gather information and think carefully before I buy anything. It’s not always easy but as long as we try and do our best we’re ok.

What do you like most about miaskin’s products? 

First of all, the smell - lemon biscuits and tea, and how it reminds me of afternoons spent at my grandparent’s. I love how it makes my dry skin soft and hydrated, even when I forget to drink water. It’s hard to find products that don’t cause a reaction on my skin, especially my face which is prone to rosacea and allergies. Miaskin is a sweet surprise.

Lead us through the Julieta x Miaskin feature. What was the main source of inspiration for the drawings that you made? 

I went back to my childhood for these sets of drawings. The bright colors, the fruits I loved, the flowers from the garden of my grandparents’ house. I gave myself the time and freedom to draw and paint for hours on end as I had when I was a child, not thinking too much about the result but focusing solely on the process. I wanted to created something happy.

Photo credits: Jeniffer Lima Pais