12 Feb 2017

“Art is what the mind desires and what the heart loves.” These are the words that 19-year-old Natasha Letshabo lives by.
She believes body art is a skill that requires dedication and a lot of concentration for one to bring out a master piece and it is through art that some people find their inner peace.
“Art communicates with human beings in an interesting way and it has the potential to not only tell a story but also heal souls this is why I hold it dearly to my heart,” she said.
Letshabo has mastered Henna artistry, which is the type of tattooing that is mostly common among the Indian community.
“Henna is a small flowering shrub that has many uses. The fragrant flowers are used to create perfume, and the leaves are dried and then turned into a fine powder that’s used for dying clothes, hair and temporarily dying the skin and hence the use of it for tattooing,” she explained.
She said she fell in love with Henna tattooing after seeing it from her Indian friends. “It was fascinating to see a different type of art as opposed to what we are used to, this one caught my eye as with each tattoo it seemed like there was a story behind it,” she said.
From that day, Letshabo made a lot of research about the art and what drew so much attention to her was the fact that it was not a permanent tatto.
She started practicing on herself as a way of mastering doing it.
And when she was happy with what she saw, she decided to try it out on her friends who surprisingly loved it and encouraged her to keep doing it.  “It is something different, exciting and they could not stop gushing over it. Most people don’t want permanent tattoos but love the idea of having temporary tattoos,” she pointed out.
She added that what makes Henna art more interesting was its traditional use for celebrations and rites of passage. “Every culture and region of the world uses Henna tattoos in its own unique way. So for me, I do it on my clients on special occasions so that their day becomes even brighter,” she said.
Growing up, Letshabo had always loved drawing and everything that involved drawing. “I used to make drawings that attracted many and I would spend the whole day drawing on either my hands or my friends’ with a pen and when I discovered Henna I was over the moon because I love body art,” she said.
Letshabo’s clientele are people of all ages and races. She added that she finds her clients mostly at events gatherings where she was able to show her skills. In a day, Letshabo said she could do as much as 70 people. “I am a hard worker and I believe in my craft so much that I take pride in it and I always make sure that I do it to my absolute best,” she said. She added that the receptionshe got had been nothing short of phenomenal as the whole artistry was fascinating to Batswana.
“When I do these tattoos, most times the designs come from me unless if a client comes with their own design then I work on their specifications, but other than that my clients always let me to freestyle,” she said.
She explained that Henna tattoo normally lasts for two to three days or even weeks depending on the skin. “This is a temporary tattoo and it depends on the skin type as for some people it lasts to more than two weeks but in most cases it takes up to three days,” she said.
Letshabo is considered one of the best Henna artists around and this she said was her ability to think outside the box. “What sets me apart from other artist out there is that I do not necessary use basic Henna patterns, which were flowers and leaves, but rather I let my mind go far as I can even do an animal designs so it’s all about creativity,” she said.
So far, she noted that her main challenge was finding a studio where she would be based. At the moment she does house visits or events, but she has realised that this was not enough as her clientele keeps increasing and attracting even young ones who are interested in learning the skill. “My dream is to one day open a school and studio where many will come view my skills and hopefully I will be able to teach others how to do it as this is an interesting craft. At the moment I use social media to share my showcase my work,” she said. ENDS