hello, i'm mariah
Some might know me as Riah, the Tattoo Artist at Aura IV Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery.
Thank you for being here.
The Return Project lays very close to my heart, and before anything else, I want to take a moment to introduce myself and share the heart behind this project with you.
the story behind the return
Hi, I’m Mariah — a Fine Artist and Tattoo Artist based in Austin, Texas.
"The Return" began as a painting. It started as a concept for the Apparitions Art Exhibition at Aura IV Art Gallery here in Austin, inspired by Psalm 32:
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away…”
That verse struck something deep within me. It speaks to the silent weight we carry, the unspoken things that slowly erode us from the inside.
In my own life, I went through a season where I kept silent about the pain I was holding. I thought burying it would make it disappear, but instead, it deteriorated me. The turning point came when I began owning what I had hidden for years— facing the grief, the shame, and the parts of myself I had abandoned.
Taking responsibility didn’t just lighten the weight, it brought me back to life. Quite honestly, it saved me.
That experience revealed something I deeply believe:
Healing begins the moment we choose courage, the moment we take the first step toward facing what we’ve been carrying. That’s where transformation starts.
I knew I wanted to create something bigger than myself; something that could hold space for all of us.
A place where we can take that first step together: to bring our hidden burdens into the light, to release what no longer serves us, and to reconnect with who we truly are.
That vision became "The Return".
From that came the idea of a virtual, anonymous mailbox, a space where anyone can submit a letter containing the truths they’ve held in silence. By participating, we don’t just take the first step to free ourselves; we inspire others to take that same step and inspire courage.
These letters will eventually become part of a book called "Letters from Humanity" — a living testament to our shared experiences, our courage, and our collective capacity to heal.
The Return is not just a project.
It’s a movement of becoming alive again.
A reminder that we are not alone and that there is power in bringing our stories back into the light.
Welcome to "The Return".
Much loves, Mariah