Welcome to the Blog: “Field Notes”
Here it is, the place where you can find all of my creative notes, stories, and inspirations in one place. I hope this space can be a refuge for your soul- a place to rest in stories from tattoos created, where I gather inspiration from- whether it’s the garden, books, photographs other artists, nature, the stars- what makes me feel alive. Maybe even a poem or two from my ever-growing collection. I want this space to feel nourishing, as grounding as a walk in nature or a cold swim. I’ve always loved writing (I may even have an unpublished children’s book I’m sitting on from grad school) so I hope I can channel my love for writing in this space. This is not just about tattoos- it’s an ode to earth, a manifesto for waking up to wonder. Welcome to Field Notes.
I thought it would be good to add a little bit of info on my garden. Right now she is fully resting, ready for the long sleep. I am ashamed (but also not) to say when the garden begins to die I can’t bring myself to go visit it. I think it’s a grieving of sorts- I don’t want to admit to myself it’s gone, all of the abundance, the bees and fruits - all of it. I used to think it made me a bad gardener that I couldn’t tend it when it dies but I realize that I’m not alone- other gardeners I talk to do the same. It also gives me something to look forward to when the first tiny hints of spring come back- I have all that dead stuff to go cut down and get ready for new growth.
The Journey (the short version)
My journey as a tattoo apprentice has been a challenging one- I’ve lived a lot of lives to get to this place to be brave enough to finally go after art full time. I have been an artist since I was very young, cherishing every new sketchpad and pencil set as truly sacred. I would get extra passes to get out of classes to go to the art studio and work on these giant canvas paintings of portraits that I would hand stretch. I was a portrait artist in college in my spare time between earning two bachelor’s degrees in the sciences, and then forgot about art all together as I entered the medical field. It came back around though when I married Ben- he bought me an oil paint set. He knew I couldn’t be done with art, it was in my bones, it was what I would talk about with him and dream about on my way to work every day, what I would work on in my free time. I worked up a great clientele in Denver, displaying my art at wonderful establishments and selling a lot of paintings and commission work. My style was a lot bolder back then, and reflecting on it I guess I was trying to say HEY IM HERE with it all. Subject matter is still the same today- flowers, animals, portraits, but as I get older I refine my taste and what inspires me and this is how I found tattooing. Did I know that was where I’d end up all those years ago? No. But did I always love tattoos? YES. Getting them since the day I turned 18. I had this hole in my art, the hole of not being able to find a tattoo artist that could do the work that I envisioned in my head, apart from ones so distant or so overly booked it was not a reality. So I sought out to make moves in our personal life to be able to afford living off nothing for a year as I built a portfolio of drawings that represented how I wanted tattoos to look and feel. And here we are- nearly 8 months in and still going strong. I feel very lucky to be on this journey and don’t take it for granted for a second.
This life is not for the faint of heart- the life of a creative. You have to put your entire soul on display and hope no one steps directly on it ( and they still do). I just knew I couldn’t stand to live another day dreaming of this life and not living it.
Thanks for being here.
As for painting updates- I have a large blank canvas staring back at me that I’ll begin during winter break. I have some ideas but need to piece together the vision more clearly- you can be sure it will include flowers!
A few inspirational photos for the end. Happy Holidays everyone.
