Where It All Began: A Journey Into the Start of My Tattoo Career

Welcome to Sumthing Inked’s first blog post! To start, I figured it was only appropriate to share the burning question: How the hell did I end up here in the first place?!

Art has always played a major role in my life. Growing up, I spent majority of my childhood living with my grandmother, her sister and her husband. My Uncle Alan worked in the graphic design industry, but had (and still does) a major talent for fine arts. I remember watching his watercolor and calligraphy process very fondly as a kid. He served as my main inspiration as a kid to pursue creative outlets like drawing.

As I got older and practiced my art nearly every day, I started finding interest in the tattoo world from observing others around me. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about tattoos or the industry, but I was in awe at the concept of being able to create wearable art. When I got the question “So what do you want to be when you grow up?”, I started to answer proudly, “A tattoo artist!”. That never played over well with others, especially my family. That’s when I first started understanding the stigmas behind the industry. I couldn’t help but wonder, what was so bad about being a tattoo artist? Why was it so frowned upon to want to pursue such an interesting career?

Over time, the more I got shot down, the less encouraged I became and I eventually set the dream to the side. I started going to college in the pursuit of Social Sciences and Communications from my love of being around people and understanding how society functions as a whole. Of course, living on my own at 18 and trying to support myself through a higher education, it became very necessary for me to have a job. My luck would have it one day I am sitting in bed, scrolling through Facebook and I stumble across an ad: “NOW HIRING! Shop Assistant and Ink or Dye Studio.”

Ink or Dye Studio? I wondered. I’d never even heard of the place. A quick google search showed the business listing as a tattoo shop located out of Centreville, MD. I shot out of bed with excitement and immediately hopped onto my computer to clean up my resume. I wanted to throw up when I got the call for an interview request. As anxious as I was for the interview, I clearly impressed and was offered the position. I still actually have the voicemail from five years ago from Keith, our shop owner, offering me the job.

My awesome Ink or Dye family and friends during our 2025 Tattoos for a Cause event.

What started as a simple position of answering messages and helping with cleanup around the shop turned into a passion of mine. I walked into a small business with two tattoo artists and a hairstylist, and a vision of what Ink or Dye Studio could be swarmed into my head. I spent years refining everything: our calendar, the way we booked appointments, digitizing our forms, social media, and more. Keith stood by my side through every step of the way, and the administrative aspect of the Studio as you know it today became my pride and joy. Eventually, I got promoted to shop manager as our shop grew in numbers by both artists, clientele, and square footage. I was honored, but I wanted more.

At some point I had the conversation with Keith that I wanted to learn to tattoo. Everyone at the shop knew I had a passion for art, and I had enough leverage in working here long enough to be able to secure that path for myself in knowledge and drive. We agreed for me to finish college, and I promptly got to work under the incredible Izzy Gore.

Now Izzy has always been quite the character to me. We’ve had our ups and downs, but she was by far one of the most talented tattoo artists I’ve ever met. When I was ready to tattoo, she offered to teach me and I couldn’t pass that offer. Going from her manager to her bottom bitch was…quite the experience, that I plan to discuss in a later post. However, she kept me humble, pushed me to my limits, and always strived for me to be better even through my tears. She became an idol to me in the tattoo world in terms of her talent, stories and experience. I wouldn’t be here today without her.

Eventually here we are, on the cusp of finishing off my tattooing apprenticeship with a grand vision of how my career can look a year, five years, even twenty years from now. While this industry could take me anywhere, I am so beyond excited to continue growing my craft, meeting other people, and working alongside some of the best artists and humans I’ve ever met. Ink or Dye has been my second home for five years now, and hopefully many more to come.