What inspired you & why?

Since I was a child, I’ve always felt a pull towards tattoos or body art in general. From the studio environment, the type of people who enjoy collecting tattoos, and those who make them. I remember in art class of elementary school drawing on my friends & myself with markers and pens pretending to be a tattooer. 

Over the course of my life I have developed a love/hate relationship with my own skills or the work I produce, from paintings to tattooing. I am incredibly self critical, as are most artists or creatives, and my self worth or how I provide for myself and my livelihood being so closely intertwined is a balance. I very much feel vulnerable while putting my work out into the universe, open to critique or judgement, with a sense of imposters syndrome. 

Taking a step back the last few years from social media has helped me readjust my overall attitude of “who is this intended for”, or is this “consumable”. The tattoos I make are for the clients I specifically make them for, if I decide to share or post publicly, and it’s deemed digestible for the general public to enjoy that’s nice, but not my goal
at the end of the day. I have realized that after a decade of building my clientele, I’ve attracted very similarly minded people to myself. Making what I produce something we’re both proud of and can enjoy.

Difficulties you've overcome?

Part of the ebb and flow of my confidence or enjoyment in my work is closely tied to my lifelong depression, and the state of my mental health. At times, sadness or heartbreak has been a motivator for being
more productive (as a means of distraction), or themes I’ll be focusing on. But at the end of the day, It’s hard to enjoy anything when you feel like you’re drowning in pain, so keeping an even balance of work and home life, and surrounding myself with people who lift me up is key. “Sadgirl” didn’t just appear out of no reason.

Goals achieved:

I recently opened my own private studio, which is the only one in the
town of Tiverton RI. This smashed the career goal that I set for myself a few years ago. Overall, it has been a TWO year process since finding the location. I actively rented the space and renovated for 7 months before I was legally able to open, while balancing an existing studio in Providence that I had licensed back in 2021. Someone once told me a few years ago when I was looking tirelessly for a space to rent and felt defeated, that “you will never get out of
my own way, and your attitude will be the demise to any future success”. In a way I should thank him for providing the voice that ruminated in my mind as a source of self doubt, which ultimately pushed me to continue and prove it wrong. Manifesting and wishful thinking, a positive attitude, is a good start for achieving a goal. But nothing will replace persistence, handwork, showing up, and being stubborn when you’re initially told NO. 

I’m very proud of myself, those who helped me along the way, and the beautiful space I’ve created for my clients who’ve trusted me to make their tattoos for over a decade now. It’s all possible because of them.