A Trip Down Memory Lane: How I Became a Tattoo Artist
Late 2019 — Came across a tattoo shop on instagram (Karma House, Bali) where they were doing ceremonial tattoos. I thought it was so beautiful and sacred, and it really opened my mind to a different kind of tattoo experience + how healing and transformative tattoos could be. I immediately grabbed my sketchbook and wrote down that I wanted to become an intentional tattoo artist + any steps I could think of to start.
2020 — I started doing research on becoming a tattoo artist so I started getting ads on Instagram for stick & poke kits. I bought one, did one on my toe, then all my friends started asking for them so I started handpoking out of my apartment (having absolutely no idea what I was doing). For the next year and a half, I tattooed out of my apartments, my parents basement, outside, in tents, really anywhere I could and then…
2021 — Bought a van to travel in and started tattooing out of there! I went mostly between St Pete/Tampa Florida and Buffalo NY, always parking in peaceful + calming nature-spots, usually near water. This is really where I started to build myself as an experience-based tattoo artist.
May 2023 — Went traveling with my friend Jess and met my now-husband in Morocco. We got engaged after spending two weeks together and I ended up moving to Morocco for about 7 months. Just before moving there, I had switched to machine tattooing and was ready to take the next step in my career. However, tattooing isn’t very widely accepted in Morocco so we decided we would come back to the states and I started working on opening my own studio.
Oct 2024 — Got the keys to the studio! I spent a month searching for a space in St Pete, FL but ended up back in Buffalo. I designed it as a multi-concept space for artistry, wellness, and community. Every aspect was curated for a sense of warmth, well-being, and a beautiful + peaceful tattoo experience.
2025 — The studio officially opened! We house a collective of mindful tattoo + beauty artists, have weekly yoga + pilates classes, and host events. I also started teaching others how to tattoo! I knew how frustrating it was for me at times to be self-taught and I truly love teaching and sharing my journey. I started teaching courses in-person and am now getting to launch a digital course, Fineline Foundations :)
++ we’re also growing our family, expecting a baby boy in February 2026!!
