Jules Gutierrez: 'Art crosses cultures and languages and unites people through the beauty of images, colours, and movement'
The early years of Jules Gutierrez’s life were disrupted by several traumatic events. In the late 1990’s, when just four years old, they were traveling in a car with their father in their native Colombia when they were attacked. Her parents were active dissenters of the armed conflict in Colombia, and as a result, they were forced to flee seeking asylum in the USA. A few years later, the 9/11 attacks affected immigrants adversely, and once again they had to move. In 2003 they settled in Canada, choosing to stay in London, where there were resources to help families new to Canada.
After finishing school, Jules pursued a career in law, finishing their law studies and taking up work as a paralegal. They struggled with feeling like they did not belong, and it was during the Covid lockdown that they decided to focus on their art. They say, “I was done with making myself insignificant - making my immigrant identity small, making my Latin identity small, making my nonbinary identity small, my queer identity small. I wanted to live loud and proud for all my identities!”
After finishing school, Jules pursued a career in law, finishing their law studies and taking up work as a paralegal. They struggled with feeling like they did not belong, and it was during the Covid lockdown that they decided to focus on their art. They say, “I was done with making myself insignificant - making my immigrant identity small, making my Latin identity small, making my nonbinary identity small, my queer identity small. I wanted to live loud and proud for all my identities!”
Leaving their law career was not without angst, but they are incredibly proud of themself for making the leap with nothing but blind faith and a passion for art to pursue a tattoo apprenticeship. “Your art is an extension of your voice,” says Jules, “it carries words that you have not yet expressed. It holds your culture, your upbringing, your years of life on this earth.”
Today Jules is a highly sought-after professional tattoo artist in London. “I am equal parts awe-struck and grateful that so many people come to me,” they say, “they share their stories with me, and trust me to turn their ideas, their love, into an art piece that will be on their skin for the rest of their lives.” They have never regretted pursuing their creative dream and has been vindicated many times, whether it was as a tattoo artist at an international tattoo convention in Toronto or being invited to be a guest artist at shops in different cities and provinces in Canada. “However, there are key moments that do stand out,” says Jules, “every memorial tattoo, commemorative tattoo, scar coverup/decoration tattoo, and family tattoo I have done has allowed me to connect and hold space for the individual in my chair to share the stories of their loved ones, their adventures, their accomplishments, their grief, and their resounding joy”. |
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Jules got their first tattoo as a young seventeen-year-old, and today sports a plethora of beautiful tattoos all over their skin. They describe each tattoo as an expression of their heart. They feel that each tattoo gives them healing. They say, “It is cathartic to be able to affirm yourself and say with every new tattoo, I feel more myself. I am honoring myself and my stories.” When asked which one means the most to them, Jules reflects on a very special moment with their mother, who helped their overcome anxiety, and restore their mental health bringing their to this point where they are now one of the most respected tattoo artists in London. “I think my knuckles,” says Jules, “I'm choosing the one on my knuckles which speaks to tiny joys.” Jules describes a time when they felt consumed with worry and anxiety, and everybody was telling them to look for the silver lining. “I had my eyes open looking for something huge, waiting for things to magically get better.” One day their mother told them not to worry about the adult that they were trying to become, and instead, they played a hilarious game of jacks. Jules describes that seminal moment, “My mother is with me. And they are holding space for me, and I realize. It is the tiny joys. It is the tiny joys that I must look for, not the big moments.”
Today Jules finds solace and joy in their art, “My art draws heavily from nature and the peace I have found in it. I pull inspiration from my own life, my poetry, my relationship with community, with myself, my culture, and with the natural world around me.” It is their Latin culture that informs a lot of their work. “Whatever I make is influenced by generations of ancestral work,” says Jules as they take inspiration from Frida Kalo whose story of resilience, of not caring what people thought, of using bold bright colors inspires their and gives them that drive to create.
Jules is grateful to have found their passion, but they say it was not easy. “I will always advocate for finding a great therapist. Therapy made me realize that I can thrive. That I can give myself the best chance every day.” Community too has played a part in helping their find their way. Today Jules has a community that makes space for them, allowing them to take up the entire room if they want.
“The instinct to survive is in all of us,” says Jules, “but when you realize that as an immigrant you do not need to sacrifice who you are, it can be incredibly life-affirming.” Just remind yourself, “You did it. You immigrated. You survived.”