I have always been obsessed with body art ever since I was a young child. I loved getting temporary tattoos from the little coin machines, and the random water adhesive tattoos that came as cartoon characters, cars or my favorite roses and stars. Whenever I would see someone with tattoos, I would always want to be around them and ask questions about the artwork and why they got it. It wasn't long after high school that I received my first tattoo, in the basement of some shady house in San Antonino. I was dating this guy Blake at the time, and I wanted to prove how daring and wild I could be. I've now collected about six different tattoos and still wish to get more. Henna, however, was super elusive and mysterious and i wouldn't see that connection for a few years later.

What is is henna you might be asking? Henna is a plant found in Africa, India and the Middle East and is primarily used as temporary body art that marks weddings, births, rites of passage and the simple pleasure of adorning the body, with something beautiful, and temporary.

I remember the first time I ever saw henna on someone. I was in the fifth grade and sat next to a kind young Indian girl, who would draw Lisa Frank images with me in class. She came to school one day, with this beautiful filigree design in deep red on her hand, and told me she got it done at a festival at a temple she went to. She told me how it was a symbol of good luck and that the Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha would be present by wearing it. (Many people in different regions that use henna, have different myths and legends surrounding the plant.) I watched the stain slowly fade over the course of two weeks and was so captivated by the allure and mystery of having a magical art that disappeared. Me and the young girl kept in contact throughout the rest of elementary her always showing me the designs she got for festivals, and my fascination continued to grow. Sadly, by middle school, we were in different schools, and the magical friendship slowly faded.

Flash forward many years later, and I'm at a drum circle in Dallas, TX, my home state. I'd heard about this underground gathering of hippies, artist, free thinkers, and radicals for years, and finally was brought by my best friend Regan. I was amazed to see fire spinners, ariel rope dancers, and vendors who sold crystals and handmade jewelry. It was everything I'd experienced in my brief stay in Austin, which I never thought I'd experience in Dallas. As I walked around and looked at vendors jewelry and other products, I saw a sign that said, Henna in handwritten letters. A youngLatina woman, who would become a close friend, was joking in her magical heavy accent about the henna paste, and how it was handmade. She talked about henna with such love, that I knew I was going to have to get a small design done. It was strange, I never saw henna after my experience in elementary school, and here in my early 20's I was reunited with the mysterious art that is henna. As we talked while she gave me my design, and I told her my story. I then proceeded to say, "I really wish I knew how to do this," and a musical laugh, she led me to the sacred art.

It has been two years since that and I have steadily progressed and become a full-time henna artist and visual artist.

Henna to me is a sacred ritual. A connection with self and a gift of loving protection. It is an art. It is a way of life. I hope that my art will inspire you.!
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