Just getting lucky

How this artist got lucky every step of the way…from her first apprenticeship with Justine Sererin of earth alter studio to working at outer limits tattoo—the oldest Home of the oldest tattoo shop in the U.S.A., Owned and operated by Kari Barba.

Photos courtesy of Melissa Martell.

Melissa Martell: I [studied art]. I did Art and International Studies [at the University of Iowa] because I thought I should. I studied Human Rights because I thought I wanted to be a lawyer for some reason, but I also did art. I'm glad I stuck with art instead. 

Lizzie Bromley: After graduated you worked for Artillery Magazine for a while doing graphic design; what led you to change from graphic design to tattooing? 

MM: Yeah, so I loved my job there, but I was working from home mostly and I was feeling kind of isolated from the rest of the world on my computer all day. And something just didn't seem quite right for me. It wasn't the right fit, but I didn't know what I wanted to do instead of that. Then I ended up getting my first tattoo with my two younger sisters. They already had a ton of tattoos, but I didn't have any. And my experience was so good the first time that I was like, "how can I do this as my job"? And it just clicked. It was one of those moments where I was like, "okay, this is what I'm supposed to do".

LB: Did you get hired by a shop to do an apprenticeship? 

MM: So I met Justine, who is the owner of Earth Altar [Studio in Eagle Rock, CA]. She was doing a watercolor painting workshop, a meetup. I went to it and ended up being the only person there. So we started talking and I told her about how I was thinking about learning to tattoo; I had already started to build up a portfolio by that time. She took a look at it and everything. And she said, “well, I've been looking for someone to teach”. So it was kind of this cool moment, I feel like it was just luck that I ended up there and showing up for that meetup. So I did an apprenticeship with her. At that time she had a private studio in Glendale and she was planning on opening a bigger studio, which was Earth Alter. So part of my apprenticeship was helping her to open that studio. 

LB: That was an all-female tattoo shop?

MM: At the time it was, but it's not anymore. I think that since [I left] they have had men work there. But yeah, in the beginning, it was just women. Now I think there's maybe two guys that work there. 

LB: How did you find yourself [at Outer Limits Tattoo]?

MM:  I loved Earth Altar and I still talk to everyone there. But I was trying to kind of find...it felt like I needed to go out and learn more because all tattoo artists do such different styles and the way that they run their shops is different, too, so you can learn a lot just by switching locations. So, I end up going to El Classico in Echo Park for a little while. And that was great. But something opened up here and a friend of mine told me about it and was like, "Hey, look, you should just try applying here just to see what happens". And I honestly, I didn't think that I had a chance of getting hired here because it is the oldest tattoo shop in the country and some of the best tattoo artists work here, which is crazy. But I applied for it and end up getting the job. It was kind of one of those opportunities where I was like, "I just have to team this". So, yeah. Kind of just by chance I gave it a try and I ended up here. 

LB: Do you consider being a tattoo artist a career?

MM: I consider it to be a career for sure. I think that as long as I'm able to do it, this is what I'll be doing. But I mean, tattooing is hard on your body. There are a lot of overuse injuries just because you're always in weird positions. But as long as I can keep doing it, I'll be doing this. 

LB: Do you do anything else? 

MM: Yeah, I do art and pet portraits. If I still have time to do it, I'll do that. Or if people ask me to do other commissioned pieces, I'm still open to doing it. But tattooing takes up a lot of your time because you're always drawing for the next appointment. It's a lot. It's not just the time that you put in while you're actually at the shop, but there's a lot of work at home, too. 

LB: Do you design a lot of pieces for people? 

MM: Yeah. Most of the stuff that we do here at the shop are people who just walk in and they want something that they kind of already have designed, like maybe a name or some kind of script that they already have a picture of. So we can do that on the spot. But most bigger pieces are things that I'll have to draw out and design myself. So all of that takes a lot of time to tattoo it, but there's a lot of time that goes into actually planning it and drawing it out. 

LB: Do you like the pieces you get to draw yourself more?

MM: I do. Yeah, I do. I mean, both are fun because if somebody just walks in and they have something that they've already got designed, it's still fun because it's a challenge. You're always trying to make it the best that you can. But it is satisfying to have somebody say, “oh, I'm gonna give you the freedom to do whatever you want” or, “I trust you enough to tattoo that on me forever”. That's always super fun because you can be creative. I feel like that's when you grow as an artist. You know, when you have that freedom. I still think about [the permanence] sometimes, I still think about it and it's so crazy. I can't believe that. I'm grateful that people trust me enough to let me do that. 

LB: What inspires your art? 

MM: Yeah. So actually, a lot of kawaii culture, like cute stuff. It sounds lame, but dog and cat Instagram accounts, they're just cute. It inspires a lot of my artwork because it just makes me feel happy. And even books from my childhood. I like to bring that into tattoo art, too, because I used to think of tattoos as being more gritty. The imagery is kind of tough, like daggers, eagles, stuff like that. But then when I kind of look realized that you can make them super girly and cute, that kind of opened up a new world for me of possibilities of what a tattoo could be. 

LB: Walk me through a tattoo appointment, when does it begin and when does it end for you? 

MM: Well, usually we do a lot of stuff by email now. So people will send me an email with images of ideas of what they want. And then usually I have a drawing prepared for them at the appointment and we have time to make changes to the design if they want to. And then the beginning part of the appointment is just us discussing whether or not we want to adjust the size or change anything and then I’ll redraw it if I need to. But usually, we get started pretty quickly after that, just get started tattooing. 

LB:  What are your favorite types of reactions [once you're finished]? 

MM: I always like when people look in the mirror and they're like, “oh, I'm so happy with it”. Or “it's better than I imagined”. That always makes me feel really good. You want people to be happy with what they get and it’s very satisfying to see that. 

LB: Are there any projects that excite you more than others?

MM: I mean, kind of like what I said before, I like if people are open to me bring in my style. When they're just like, "Hey, I have this general idea. I want my dog eating Cheetos or something, but you can draw however you want". That's always the most fun thing.

LB: Are there any milestones that you want to achieve during your career?

MM: I think it would be cool to be able to plan out someone's entire back piece or a bigger sleeve plus a back piece together. I have done and worked on sleeves before. But I think it would be cool if somebody would give you the freedom and say, "Hey, I have all this space for you to design whatever you want". I feel like that's kind of a big accomplishment to be able to finish something like that. I haven't done anything like that yet. 

LB: Have you experienced any discrimination or have you ever really felt like a woman in this environment? 

MM: Not really. I feel like I had an interesting way in because I ended up at an all-female tattoo shop. I know for sure that other women have struggled in the tattoo industry and to get to where they are because it's been very male-dominated. But I haven't felt that because I've always been around mostly women, like where I learned, it was all women and here, the shop is owned by a woman, which is cool. But, yeah, I never really felt that. I think that in the beginning when I was looking for an apprenticeship, walking into shops was super intimidating as a woman. But other than that, I'm just really lucky because I didn't have to go through all that stuff. Other women kind of paved the way for me. 

LB: Are there any standout, female artists that you are inspired by? 

MM: Yeah, well, the owner of The Shot, Kari Barba. She's one of the most famous female tattoo artists, but she is one of the people that had to go through all that, where men were like, “I'll never get tattooed by a woman” or “women can't tattoo”. She was still in that era where it was really hard to do. But it's cool being able to work for her because her whole career was leading up to this; creating a space where anyone could tattoo. 

LB: Does being a female tattoo artist mean anything to you?

MM: I think it's cool being a female tattoo artist and bringing that perspective into tattooing. Like I said before, I feel like a lot of tattoo imagery and stuff traditionally is a lot more masculine and it's cool to have other people's perspectives informing the designs now. There are a lot more feminine elements to designs now and that makes it more welcoming for women and makes them feel like they could get tattooed as well. Even just for the clients themselves, it used to be uncomfortable having to go get tattooed by a guy or being in a space where you're super vulnerable and you're just surrounded by men. It's not the safest feeling. But now there are places where women can go in and feel comfortable when they're having their first tattoo experience. 

LB: Do you feel like women tattoo differently than men?

MM: I think there might be some truth to the rumor that women have lighter hands. I think that there is a mix of both because I know there are some women who are just as heavy-handed as men, but I think as women, we are raised to be more considerate of people's needs and stuff. So I think being a tattooer and a woman, you kinda keep that in mind. Like how your client feels and everything. It does make a difference for them. 

LB: When you get tattooed, what do you look for in an artist?

MM: I've mostly been tattooed by women, but usually when I'm getting tattooed, I look for designs that people have already done that somehow speak to me. So I'll just choose it based mostly on that and their artwork. 

LB: What advice would you give to a young aspiring female tattoo artist? What do you wish you would have known when you started? 

MM: It would be just to keep trying and developing your style of tattooing. That's the most important thing, I think. That's the biggest part of the job. I think if you want to be good and have your voice, you have to keep working on your art, even outside of tattooing.