Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Rose.
Hi Kat, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I first fell in love with tattooing when I was around 15 or 16 years old. My high school sweetheart would get tattooed by the family tattoo artist, even though it was totally underage and illegal, and I loved the process and the craft. I started tattooing a few friends even though I couldn’t find much on how to tattoo, but I wanted to learn more than anything, so I put it down until I could get an apprenticeship.
I first walked into a shop when I was 18, and at the time I was pursuing my fine arts degree at community college. The best advice that shop owner gave me was to continue my art degree, and it’s helped so much! I worked a lot of caregiving jobs at that time, but even with those jobs I was always creating art.
I finally pursued an apprenticeship at 21, and it didn’t go quite as expected. I was great at running errands, getting the coffee, and being forced to distract his wife while the he tattooed women he’d had affairs with, but I definitely didn’t learn a whole lot about tattooing. Sadly, some shops were just like that.
After quitting that shop, I spent 2 years in two different shops, picked up what I could from artists around me as well as the early years of YouTube, and after that I was welcomed at the shop I’ve been at for almost 7 years.
The shop I work for is definitely a home for me. The shop owner is my best friend, and we’ve traveled to all kinds of conventions and participated in art shows together. Because of those conventions and shows, I’ve met some amazing artists to learn from, and it’s truly inspired me to be the artist I am today.
I’ve spend almost a decade in this industry, and I’d say the reason why is because of a ton of hard work and sheer dumb luck. It’s an ever-adapting industry, and I never thought it’d be what it is today. But because I want to tattoo until the day I kick the bucket, I’m always learning and adapting. My fellow tattooers always inspire me to do better, and I’m always trying to give back to the craft as much as it’s given me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Tattooing has never been a smooth road. When I first started tattooing, I was totally thrown into it. My first tattoo I ever did in my apprenticeship was because the shop owner had no idea what the subject matter was, and because I know video games, he threw it at me to do it.
My apprenticeship wasn’t a real apprenticeship, even just a decade ago there were plenty of male artists that didn’t think women should be in this industry. So I was the shop slave, got broken down and overworked; I’m pretty sure he just wanted to push my limits so that one day I would quit. That shop owner had 14 apprentices over the years, and my friend and I were the only ones who even got to tattoo somebody. I’m the only girl who made it out.
There were also plenty of cases of women getting sexually assaulted in tattoo shops, so it was seriously a crazy place to be for girls. Some of us had to survive the predators in our trade, and there wasn’t much of anything we could do about it. Even still, I wanted to tattoo more than anything and be a safe place for clients, so I never let anybody stand in the way of that.
At one point a friend and I opened a tattoo shop where another one had closed, simply because we were both women and got tired of the shops we worked for. Unfortunately it didn’t work out, we had some disagreements about business, so I left pretty soon after. I had invested everything into that place, but unfortunately it just wasn’t worth the peace of mind.
Today my biggest struggles are keeping up with my artwork which is a great struggle to have. I’m usually working on several projects at once, on top of my usual drawings for tattoos I have to do each day.
Social media is also a struggle sometimes because it constantly changes, but I think as long as I’m trying my best to learn something new and be myself, I stay consistently busy. For sure there’s a time or two where I want to crash out over it, but then I just take breaks and reevaluate.
The hardest part of tattooing is a work/life balance. Tattooing really is a lifestyle, and if a tattooer isn’t prepared to accept that then they might get overwhelmed. I try my best to balance it as much as I can, but I have a family so it can be pretty difficult. I’m happy that my family is very supportive of my work, my son has grown up in tattoo shops since he was 3, so he’s been a huge part of my career as well. Thank goodness I’m great at multitasking!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been in the tattoo industry for almost a decade, and I mainly specialize in anime, cartoons, and bold color!
I’m really proud of how far I’ve come as far as color pieces, I love that I’m able to give my clients something beautiful and vibrant to last for a long time.
I think what sets me a part from other artists is that I really do want to convey someone’s story with a piece of art that will age beautifully. I love talking with my clients about their lives and their journeys, and giving them a great experience just as much as a great tattoo.
I’m also very picky about the way I tattoo and the materials being used, because it does make a difference in how tattoos age and stay in the long run. I don’t just want to give someone a tattoo that looks good in the moment, I want to give them one that still looks good years later.
Tattooing is a social thing to me, it’s a great place for my clients to take a break to sit down for a few hours, and not have to worry about life’s problems. Well I try to make it as easy-going for someone in pain, so I also think that it gives my clients the little reset they’re looking for. They don’t call it “tattoo therapy” for nothing, my clients and I love swapping stories and having a good time.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I think it’s important to say that anyone can be good at creating! Art is not mere talent but a pursued passion, and I truly think anyone could be an amazing artist if they love it enough. Even if you suck at it, it feels good to make art, I think it’s one of the most therapeutic subjects you can give your time to.
I also think it’s important to talk about how we as a society NEED to continue to support the creative industry more than ever right now.
There’s so many talented and amazing artists out there who are out of work. If I had pursued a different artistic path than tattooing, then I would’ve been easily replaced in lots of creative careers today.
If it weren’t for artists then our world would be so boring, so I’m very grateful that there are lots of people out there that support us creatives. Thank you to everyone who’s bought a piece of art from local artists, or continued to support the art community by any means that you can.
Creating art should be a hobby for everyone, so if you haven’t made something in a long time then here’s your sign!
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