About
Hey! My name is Jessica and I am an Artist. Born and raised in Memphis, TN, I grew into what I would now call, a free spirited person. Throughout my years as a child, I always had a creative curve identity, developing the talent of drawing. To me, it was a way to escape reality and be in a reality created by my mind. In time, I realized it was a way for me to express myself and release pint up energy, giving me a healing experience. My lovely mom, Angela, always says this is a gift given to me. Given that, I believe we as humans, are really spirits coming here to become the best version of this SELF and reach our highest potential in alignment with the Creator. So, it’s really cool that I was blessed with the ability to mold shades of colors and create an illusion of a person or object on a canvas. It makes me feel closer to who I’m meant to be, through a gift given to me, to be closer to God.
Drawing, Painting and Creating wasn’t always as easy as it is for me now. Around the age of 10, when I first started drawing portraits, I used to erase SO MUCH, ball up and throw away each attempt until I was satisfied. Now, I can literally just draw what I see without thinking. It is complete muscle memory, and believe it or not, its harder to create when I try to put thought into it versus when I don’t. (Click Portfolio below to see some of my first drawings and art pieces).
After I graduated from high school, art was no longer just a hobby, but a source to make a living. I started by drawing portraits for people throughout college until I sought out a tattoo apprenticeship, earning my tattoo license. I didn’t know it then, but I was up for a new challenge. I began attending art shows around the U.S. to get my artwork out there, while also creating new art pieces and tattooing all at once. It became a hassle for me to balance all of these Art avenues at once while also managing myself. So, I focused on one, allowing tattoos to absolutely TAKE OVER. It became my everyday life, bringing drawing to a halt. Tattoos brung me so much exposure in my city, with up to 21+ clients a week, I’ve met and reached SO many people. This makes me wonder how many people have art by me on them? And honestly, I have no idea. The thought of it though is exhilarating, pretty cool and a blessing.
Given, although tattooing is still an expression of art, it was more of an expression of art for the clients than it was for me. I realized I was no longer expressing myself as much as I needed to. I felt limited, and I closed myself off more to the world. It didn’t seem that way at first because it is my nature to be to myself, but the silence started getting louder, loud enough for me to hear. So, because of this, I took the initiative to mentally develop a plan to balance my life where I can give to myself and my clients equally. The solution being, to get back to what I know, my art world, Universa Jess.
You may wonder, where did this name came from? Well, the name Universa, derived from Universe, was chosen to drive me to express myself by tapping into all that I am: REACH the bounds of the Universe, which are unlimited. It was chosen to show myself that I am more than one creative expression. The “A” was added to make Universe feminine, “UniversA”, kind of how some words in Spanish have a gender. All in all, as I explore this new found journey, I will use this platform to challenge me, to help me to stop doubting myself and reach my highest self. Also, to “Step out of my estimate, step into my essence and know that I’m excellent.” - Beyoncé. I don’t understand entirely what my presence/purpose on Earth is, but I will work my hardest to touch as many people as I can. I hope that you all enjoy everything I have to offer, and be motivated and grow with me as I strive to be motivated and grow myself. Always Peace, Love and Wealth. ~714
Remember to Check out my work by clicking PORTFOLIO below.