I have been obsessed with art for as long as I can remember. From the time I was a young girl, I was filling page after page in my sketchbook trying to capture the world both around me and within me. This drive never ceased. It was never a phase. It was never something I fell out of love with. Through my schooling, I filled the margins of my notebooks with doodles and images until it became clear to me that I had no choice but to pursue my passion further.

 

I obtained my Bachelor’s in Fine Art with a concentration in Graphic Design from Colorado State University and then headed into the design world working on posters, playbills, logos, and brochures. However, the longer I sat behind a computer bending to each design need, the more I realized this world was not for me. I felt stifled. I was unable to get the creative outlet I needed in this environment, and I decided it was time to try out something new.

 

I had always been fascinated by the art of tattooing. I remember cutting my barbie’s hair and then decorating them with permanent markers that I snuck out of the kitchen when I was young. Eventually, I began to crop my own hair into interesting cuts and colors and decorated my skin with ink as well. I loved the way a piece of artwork could accentuate the body, while the body, in turn, accentuated the art. When I told my partner, Thom, that I wished to pursue tattooing instead of Graphic Design, he just smiled at me and said that I was made for that.

 

Thom helped support me while I spent a year apprenticing and working part-time as a paint and sip instructor, and I eventually became a hired artist for the same shop. Being a woman, I noticed that any female that walked through the shop doors gravitated toward me as their artist. To me, it made sense, as I was much less intimidating and had a style to my work that held a more feminine flare. I loved being able to help empower women by helping them reclaim their bodies in a new way.