Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy Ramirez.
Hi Katy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Katy Ramirez I am a performer, makeup artist lead artist in the Nashville area for Stila Cosmetic’s, a 500 hr yoga instructor at Yogasix, a New Thought Trauma informed Spiritual Practitioner, I am a 3x best selling Author, and I am one of one hundred woman on the planet that can swallow swords in the circus sideshow arts, I am an international performer and artist and in that world I am known as La Reine The Thrill. I am the only Female Sword Swallower that lives in Nashville, and to my knowledge that lives in the state of Tennessee.
I was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, and lived in the city of Chicago before moving to Brooklyn, NY to focus on bodypainting makeup artistry, fashion, and to work in areas of makeup and performance I could have never imagined on my own or if I had stayed in Chicago.
I moved to Nashville in Sept. 2022 because I was ready for some change.
How did I get here you ask?
I have always been a creative person since childhood, when I was young it was mostly music I was interested in, I played a lot of instruments and loved to sing and would try to snag microphones even at a very young age. After high school I started studying wellness and energy work, and that introduced me to Yoga per suggestions of one of my teachers who was helping me process through growing pains at the age of 18.
I started working in nightlife, bars, and events around that time and my life was forever changed the first day I had my makeup done, I’ll never forget it, it changed how I felt inside, I felt pretty, out going, and confident, so my interest quickly changed towards the beauty world.
Into my early 20’s I started I started cocktail waitressing at a venue in Chicago that’s no longer there, Debonair Social Club in Chicago’s Wicker Park Neighborhood that ran weekly Burlesque show, and again, my world was turned upside down, and I found interest in Burlesque. I found my favorite performers and asked them how I could get started, they pointed me in the direction of the history of burlesque and pointed me in the direction on how and where to learn, soon enough I was performing, because of my exaggerated looks I was asked to do makeup and styles backstage for performers. It is also where I was first introduced to Circus Sideshow performers, and honestly, I thought they were performing the coolest thing I’d ever seen, I knew I wanted to be like them.
A lot of incredible relationships and opportunities sparked me to study makeup seriously and go to a professional theatrical and fashion makeup school which was where I met my NYC makeup mentors, at that time I was unable to find a sideshow mentor in Chicago willing to work with me, so I kept it in my back pocket.
NYC happened to me the way they say you know when you met “the one” the work was some of the hardest work I’d ever done, could barely afford any of it, and I loved all of it it, and I just kept going, I didn’t know how, but I knew I would get to NYC.
It took some time, it didn’t happen immediately and it did not come easy, but I made it to NY.
I studied in NYC with Dani Fonseca who ran a program for Body Painters, I got involved, changed, stripped myself of a lot, and continued to meet, work, and train under incredible artists like James Vincent, Trina Merry, Pat McGrath NYFW team, and so many more.
It all popped right open, again not easy, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, lots of tears.
Also finally, I found my circus sideshow mentor, who just so happened to be a world famous sword swallower, so aside from the history, and understanding the severity of what I was learning, she eventually trained me on her greatest skill, sword swallowing. Some people it takes them 5 years to swallow their first sword, for me personally I was swallowing in about 4 months and performing shortly after.
Again things popped for me very quickly, it DID NOT come easy, and to continue to get better at you art, you must expect a lot more from yourself.
It was incredible, I had even shifted down to being a part-time makeup artist and full-time performer, but as soon as the Pandemic hit in NYC in March of 2020 I did not have steady work for over a year in a half.
That was a challenging time for me as everything I studied for at that time over the past 10 years was non-exisitant in NY.
During my time in NYC my close friends I knew from there moved to Nashville and I visited enough to make a few friends and even performed in Nashville a handful of to understand my art could exist here in Nashville.
During the pandemic in NYC I went back to school, I wanted to go back to the studies I loved in wellness, I got re-certified to teach yoga, I did a 500 hour, and after that I started studying trauma recovery and how to help people redirect their thinking, and understand and learn how to not take that on, because as both a makeup artist, in entertainment, and a yoga instructor people open up to me, and I truly wanted to understand how I can assist someone through that. I completed a program within a school called New Thought Global and I completed as a New Thought Spiritual Practitioner which is a fancy name for I pray with people and assist them in learning how to forgive, accept, love themselves, and recover their soul.
My days consist of my beauty and wellness works and my night and evenings consist of my performance works, still having performance residencies in NYC Brooklyn hotspots like Slipper Room, Coney Island Circus, House of Yes, The Box, and with events, I can also be seen at my Residency with Rainbow Room Revue at Skulls Rainbow Room in Printers Alley Hosted and produced by Tessa Mendoza of Doza Dance, House of Lux, Suspended Gravity Circus, and I Host and Co-Produce Carnival of Love with Pyroglyphics. I travel pretty regularly to perform out of state mostly to NYC currently.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all smooth, I had many difficulties, the biggest one, being alone or away from my immediate family in some of your most “successful” times in my life.
The hard truth is no one ever talks about the struggle, and social media makes everything look so perfect, people as in performers and guests have bullied me in rooms and on socials for being me, I’ve gained some of the greatest friendships and dream like experiences, and gone through some of life’s most difficult times too but the show goes on and so do we, eventually you just keep showing up.
Being in entertainment I was around a lot of party favors too, and no one ever wants a hung over makeup artist in their face at 7am so I changed, becoming a professional Makeup Artist, and Performer acting helped me to chill stop partying and focus on creating an incredible experience and event. I had to ask for a lot of help to people who started off complete strangers and turned into family quickly.
From living in really small rooms in apartments, even a point I moved 10 times in a span of about 10 years so I learned to let go of things I cherished like objects, little and big, I also learned to freely give with out needing something back, because I know today it always comes back to me. I’ve had to learn what it takes to calm my nervous system and stay happy.
Financial is a given, if you are a creative, an artist, a non conventional thinking, you are willing to give all you have to your art.
A lot of people will expect you to work for free, but exposure doesn’t pay the bills, remain limited. Continuing to work for free undercuts everyone including ourselves, and no landlord or bill collector gets paid in exposure.
Balance has been a big thing, creating balance, my body is my tool and instrument so I have to take really good care of it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an American Artist, female sword swallower, the only one that lives in Nashville, TN. I specialize in Swords, human blockhead, Human Pincushion, I emcee shows, makeup artist, educator, yoga instructor body painter, a collaborator.
I am so proud of all of it, it was all a thought, an idea, a dream. I am also proud of my Book called “Feed Your Head ; A nonsensical, sensical life story” that is available on Amazon. I am currently planning my next one.
I design my costumes, my swords, my acts, and music, I love it, because it is all organized chaos intended to THRILL and excited everyone in the room I am proud of what I do.
What sets me apart? I am calculated, I care, I connect, I love to entertain, my looks and my art is motivated from all different ideas that inspire me.
Also I am 1 of 100 woman on the planet that swallow swords, and one of about 200 people male and females that swallow swords, out of 8 billion. So that sets me apart in many rooms, aside from my wellness and makeup work. I am a full out creative artist.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Mentorship is massive, it’s important to stay humble. Find the best out there, do your research on people, learn their work, ask for help and don’t be too cocky once you start working with the best.
If someone says no, keep searching.
Always remain teachable, coachable, and kind.
Don’t expect mentors to pay you, but depending on the skillset you will need be willing to pay them but it is an invest in yourself. They are exchanging their passed down and studied knowledge. Investment in yourself.
Again, stay humble, and be kind. Stay Kind.
Pricing:
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shraddhayogabeauty.com
- Instagram: @lareinethethrill @katy_ramirez_artistry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lareinethethrill
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrznjwqOzyfNwfaaYda_akQ
- Yelp: https://youtu.be/lMDaEpL7o0s?si=ugtBhav5PtneoHgi
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/Katyramirezspiritualpsych/
