Today we’d like to introduce you to Regina Viqueira.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I went to graduate school in NYC for Fine Art. It was expansive and inspiring, but also exhausting. By the end, I found myself questioning whether I wanted to stay in the city. When I had the opportunity to take a winter rental at the Jersey Shore, I followed the curiosity. I didn’t know much about the area beyond what I had seen on TV and hearing that an artist I admired had done a residency in Asbury Park. I made the call, packed up, and moved. I fell in love with the area almost immediately.
A friend of mine, Jonathan, was living there and attending meditations at a local studio. He invited me to join him, and I remember how special the space felt—grounded, creative, welcoming. Not long after, the owner asked Jonathan if he had ever considered opening a business. He brought the idea to me, and that conversation marked the beginning of our partnership.
At the time, I was teaching art at a grade school. I loved working with creativity, but I felt there was something more possible. I was interested in art not just as technique or curriculum, but as a mindful and healing practice. After school, Jonathan and I would meet—he would offer me reiki, and I would offer feedback on his artwork. Through those exchanges, we realized we had a shared vision. Taking over the studio and weaving the arts into a space centered on reflection, movement, and community felt aligned. We decided to move forward together as business partners.
Then the pandemic happened.
As I finished the school year virtually during lockdown, we had to seriously ask ourselves whether opening a business still made sense. I had to consider whether leaving a secure teaching job during so much uncertainty was worth the risk. In the end, we decided it was.
After months of planning and waiting, we opened the doors to With Intentions Holistic Studio in July 2020, with yoga mats six feet apart and masks required. It was not what we originally imagined, but it was magical nonetheless. People needed connection. They needed a place to release, to process, and to gather safely with intention.
Starting during that time shaped the foundation of the studio. It required patience, adaptability, and care. What began as a leap of faith became a space rooted in art, mindfulness, and community.
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?
It would be easy to assume that starting during the pandemic was the hardest part. In some ways, it was challenging. There were restrictions, uncertainty, and constant pivots. But because we knew it would be hard, we moved slowly and intentionally. There was almost a clarity in that season.
The bigger lessons came later.
We leapt into business like the Fool in the tarot, trusting that we would land on our feet. And we have. But trusting the leap did not mean everything was smooth. It meant recalibrating again and again.
There were hard conversations. Moments of financial stress. Times when we tried to do everything ourselves, including going without an accountant because we thought we could not afford one, only to realize later that we could not afford not to have one. There were growing pains around structure, boundaries, leadership, and sustainability.
I do not know that anyone who owns a business would call it smooth sailing. There are always waves. But weathering those storms has deepened us. It has strengthened our partnership, clarified our values, and expanded our capacity to hold space for others. The resilience we have built behind the scenes is the same steadiness people feel when they walk through the door.
I was delighted when someone described us as a “hidden gem,” because my studio, With Intentions, quite literally is one. People often tell us they’ve walked by dozens of times and never noticed us. Then one day, they feel called and finally step inside. We have signage. We’re on Google Maps, though GPS usually drops you behind the building. Somehow, our entrance feels like the door to Narnia.
Attracting community has not always been straightforward, but that hidden quality has made word of mouth our most powerful tool. The people who find us tend to really find us. And that organic, almost mystical unfolding feels perfectly aligned with who we are.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and space holder working at the intersection of art, ritual, and community. My visual work centers on texture, handmade paper, organic materials, and layered surfaces. I’m drawn to fragments, natural elements, and subtle marks that hold memory. Much of my work elevates humble or overlooked materials, transforming them into quiet, symbolic landscapes that feel intimate and devotional.
I’m known for creating pieces that feel tactile and reverent. There’s often a tension between fragility and resilience, erosion and repair. Whether through embedded objects, rough edges, transferred imagery, or spare thread-like lines, my work invites people to slow down and look closer. It asks viewers to reconsider what is sacred and what is dismissed.
Beyond my personal art practice, I teach art and yoga and co-run a gallery and studio space. I also walk dogs and care for pets on the side. Sometimes I tend bar. All of it is part of the same ecosystem. What sets me apart is that I don’t separate these roles. Whether I’m leading a class, curating an exhibition, pouring a drink, or walking someone’s dog, I approach it with presence and intention. My classes feel like ritual. My exhibitions feel like conversations. My studio is an extension of my artwork. Everything I do is rooted in reflection, care, and creating spaces—formal or informal—where people can feel more connected to themselves and to each other.
I’m most proud of staying committed to my own practice while building community. I’ve shown work in Miami, DC, and New York, and while I always want to grow, I’m proudest when I make something that feels honest. Continuing to create work that is true to my voice, while holding space for others to find theirs, feels like the heart of what I do.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Devotion.
Not in a grand or dramatic way, but in a steady, consistent one. I keep showing up. I stay committed to my practice, to the studio, to my partnerships and community, even when things feel uncertain or slow. I’m willing to recalibrate, to have hard conversations, to learn what I don’t know, and to begin again when needed.
I think that steadiness, paired with curiosity, has been essential to my success. I don’t separate vision from responsibility. I care about the details. I care about the energy of a space. I care about integrity in the work.
That ongoing devotion, to both my inner practice and the community I serve, is what sustains everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://withintentions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/with.intentions and https://www.instagram.com/realtime.reggie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/with.intentions
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-viqueira-b722b3a2/
- Other: https://reginaviqueira.com/
