Get to Know the Team Behind the Experience

Growing up, I was always an artsy kid, but I never had much thought about how to turn that into a career until I got my first tattoo at 16 years old. I was hooked, and something finally clicked.

After graduating from State College High School in 2010, I worked various jobs ranging from housekeeping, kitchen jobs, and delivery driving - you name it - all while continuing to practice my drawing skills and learn as much as I could about tattooing with the resources that were available at the time. I spoke a lot about how I'd love to be a tattoo artist, but truthfully, I didn’t even know the first step to reaching that goal, and I convinced myself it was more of a pipe dream. I couldn't wrap my head around how I'd be able to find an apprenticeship while also working a full-time job. Then, on Christmas 2013, my boyfriend gifted me a tattoo machine and told me to "stop talking about it and just do it."

Over the next year and a half, I never touched needles to skin. I told myself if I was going to go this route, I was going to take my time, learn the craft, learn the basics, and do it to the best of my ability and not rush things. During that time, I was also working full-time as an office assistant at my aunt & uncle's chiropractic office. By August 2015, I felt comfortable enough to finally give it a try and did my very first tattoo on myself. I was my only practice dummy and still wear those tattoos proudly to this day.

I was very insecure about being a self-taught tattooer. Afraid of being judged by those who went through traditional apprenticeships. Afraid of not being taken seriously, but tattoos on myself transitioned to tattoos on friends and family, and eventually reached a point where I had a scheduled tattoo every day after work.

By 2018, I was ready and prepared to quit my day job to pursue tattooing full-time. I had applied for an artist position in a local shop, and got the job! I was elated to think I was actually going to be living my dream and getting to work in a shop alongside other tattooers. This dream was short-lived, as it ended up not being the experience I had envisioned in my head. There was very little camaraderie, nor was it the fun, creative environment I thought it would be. I ended up leaving after 2 weeks to return to doing my own thing, and here we are 10 years later, and I couldn't be more grateful to all the people who gave me their trust and support. Without them, I don't think I'd be where I am today in my career.

In Jan 2024, I got the keys to my studio space, and that's where Earth and Bone Tattoo was born. I just hit 10 years of tattooing, and I couldn't be more grateful to everyone who has supported my journey up to this point. It's crazy to think I'm truly living my dream.