Hi! My name is Jio!
(My birth name is Julia)

I’m a bit of an introvert – with some lovely exceptions in the right settings. 😇 I’m completely obsessed with dogs and cats, I love dancing at conscious dance events, writing in my diary (or recording voice notes when I’m too lazy to write), and going on long walks.

I’ve been pretty nomadic most of my life. I was born in Russia, moved to Portugal with my mum when I was 9 years old, spent my teenage years in Algarve, and then studied in Lisbon for four years.

 

I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember. After finishing Art School, I began studying Architecture – the first year was exciting, but soon it became too technical and rigid for me. So I switched to a Painting Bachelor’s Degree at the Fine Arts University of Lisbon, where I immersed myself in oil painting and figure drawing for three years.

Then I discovered tattooing – and it completely changed my life. I fell in love instantly, left university, and devoted myself entirely to this craft.
I started tattooing in 2012, and it became my main artistic expression ever since.

I tattooed in Portugal for a while and then moved to Berlin, Germany, in 2014. The winters there turned out to be too gray for my soul, so I began spending winters in warmer places – India, Hawaii, California, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador.

In the end of 2021, I became a mother to a sweet and beautiful little boy. After many years in Berlin, I’ve now settled in Barcelona, though my heart still loves to travel whenever possible.

MY TATTOO STYLE AND APPROACH  

 

There’s something sacred about creating a piece of art that lives on a human body – something that hurts to receive and yet feels so good to wear. I’m deeply touched when people tell me my work speaks to something within them they didn’t have words for. 🥰

 

In the past 7-8 years, I’ve developed a distinct style often described as linework, line art, or chaotic/minimal blackwork – though none of those fully capture it. It merges my background in figure drawing and realism with an expressive, intuitive, and emotional approach to lines.

 

The themes I explore are deeply personal to me: self-love, spiritual awakening, emotional intelligence, and human connection. I love moving between the delicate and the chaotic – minimalism and madness – always mindful of how each design flows with the body and its natural curves.

 

I work in two main ways:

  • Custom Tattoos – created in collaboration with my clients. You share ideas, references, and direction, and I create a one-of-a-kind design exclusively for you.

  • Flash Tattoos – my own spontaneous creations, drawn purely from inspiration. I post them online, and when someone truly resonates with one, it finds its home.

 

If you have more questions, there is more info at the FAQ page.  

 

SELF-EXPLORATION JOURNEY

To avoid burnout and keep my creativity alive, I take intentional breaks from tattooing. Beyond art, I dedicate a lot of my life to personal and spiritual growth.

Over the past decade, I’ve attended numerous retreats, trainings, and workshops on meditation, yoga, tantra, self-realization, self-empowerment, and conscious sexuality. I’ve studied with teachers such as Mooji, Sadhguru, Bentinho Massaro, Layla Martin, ISTA, Embodied Intimacy, Sofia Sundari, Alpha Femme and many more.

I’ve also spent time living and learning in intentional communities around the world, exploring new ways of being and relating. One that has inspired me deeply is Tamera in Portugal – a pioneering community focused on love, ecology, and truth.