Meet Sofia Cunha | Small Business Owner & Tattoo Apprentice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sofia Cunha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sofia, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
One of my favorite quotes that I often keep in mind when I’m creating is, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” As someone who creates and self-advertises on social media, it’s very easy to fall into the false reality of it all. Whether it be comparing skill in certain mediums, the number of likes or even the number of followers, it always reminds me of my originality. When I think about this quote, it reminds me that my work is truly one of a kind and although many people are in the same medium, there isn’t another artist who can do exactly what I create.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am the artist behind “ONELINESOFIA” where I primarily focus in selling art and handmade jewelry that is all composed in one single line, meaning the pen does not lift until the composition is complete. OneLineSofia started in 2019 during my junior year at the University of West Georgia. During the completion of my Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts, I took several art courses: In a drawing class, one of the main warm-up exercises were continuous line drawings. They taught us that this exercise was similar to stretching for athletes. I simply never stopped practicing my one line drawings. After three years, I started to create adorable faces from basic shapes, than I progressed to people’s pets, and eventually mastering portraiture for custom client orders. Juggling the two [school and my Etsy store] were completely chaotic, but I learned the difficulties and the responsibilities of everything that goes on behind the screen. I’m a one-woman business in charge of advertising, product photos, shipping, customer service, etc. With time, the load of responsibilities haven’t lightened up, but its now a routine that I had to get adjusted to the routine. Along with my routine, my mindset has changed about my business. I was caught up in the materialistic side of the small business world; the followers, the number of likes/shares, and overall the world of social media. Today, I create to create, to spread happiness and joy, and overall to better my work. No matter our age, we can never run out of room in our minds for more knowledge. I’m also happy to include that my small business has opened many doors and opportunities that I would have never imagined. From selling art all over the globe, being published, interviewed, I’m finally working towards one of my life long goals; I have started a tattoo apprenticeship at a women owned and operated tattoo shop in Decatur, Georgia called “Witching Hour Art Collective”. Moral of my story: Say YES, take risks, and more importantly don’t run from growing!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some places I would recommend to friends are: Waffle House (of course!!!), the Botanical Gardens, Lotta Fruitta, Little 5 Points, Piedmont Park, and finish off any night in the city with a ride on the Ferris wheel!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom and closest friends deserve the biggest amount of gratitude in this shout-out, they [my friends] vary around the United States. When I was stuck in a dead-end job, visualizing so much more for myself, they challenged me to take risks and to stop saying “No”, After losing my 9-5, they were my backbone, supporting me financially, emotionally and mentally. For years, they were that broken record in every room reminding me that I was wasting so much talent and skill because I was afraid of rejection. Quickly, I realized my worth and my small business journey was not only to financially support myself but to sell my work as a symptom of bettering my skills.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/onelinesofia

Instagram: @withwhiskers @soapyshoots

Twitter: @onelinesofia