We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kiki Burghardt. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kiki below.

Kiki, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I do make a living off tattooing although it has slowed some since 2023 but I started off making a living pretty much as soon as I started. It was a little slow doable but tattooing and learning the craft takes time, every tattoo you do you learn something and you take that and apply it to the next tattoo. I drew a lot and still do as its the best way to keep fresh, push yourself to try new ideas and draws more clients in. I started tattooing during a time when there wasnt a ton of folks doing the style in the area that I was doing so it made it a little easier to make a living when the work I produced was what people were wanting and not seeing from other artists in the area.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my apprenticeship a little later in life, I was almost thirty at the time. My apprenticeship was like many in the industry, lacking in discipline and direction but I did what I needed to do while at a shop in Hayward, Ca and when I felt like I needed to move on I did and that is where I blossomed. I grew up with a Mom who is also an artist so being creative was something that I always enjoyed and brought me lots of happiness. I went to art school for Interior Design at CCAC and didnt really feel it was the right fit for me. I absolutely love textiles and fabric and was on a path to do textile designs but switched course when I myself started to get tattooed and really loved the transformation it gave me, I felt home in my body. I started drawing my own tattoos as I wasnt seeing anything from other artists that I wanted on my body. Friends and others started to really enjoy what I was designing for myself so people started asking me to draw them designs to get tattooed, I had a blog at the time and was sharing my personal tattoo journey there and thats where folks inquired about custom tattoo designs. It wasnt until someone asked why I just didnt learn how to tattoo so I could tattoo my own designs that a realized that it could possibly be a good avenue for me to go down, so i did and I think it turned out to be a good idea.

Tattooing is so special and magical. It can make you love parts of yourself that you never thought you could and I think that is what I love most about tattooing. Helping people on their journey to love themselves and their bodies. I love to be able to provide folks with a relaxing, private setting in my studio in Mendocino County,

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, I think the most rewarding thing about being an artist is helping people see things thru a different lens. Art is so objective, not everyone is gonna like what you do or have to say and thats ok! If it brings emotion, joyous or not, it still is doing its job, its making people think and dive deep and question themselves and others. Art no matter what type of art, makes people feel and there is nothing more strong or powerful then stirring emotions within people. For my line of creativity, I think it really highlights how we feel about our bodies and others bodies. Tattooing has blown up since I started and its been so beautiful to see how many peoples lives have changed for the better because they got tattooed.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think, from my experience, people who dont tattoo, think the job is easy or that it comes naturally. Like most things, learning to draw takes so much time and patience. Its something you have to do everyday really. And with tattooing, its something that is seen from further away so making sure designs are visible and easy to understand is really important. And adding to that, its a living canvas that changes over time. Its not a piece of paper that will most likely look the way it did when it was first made but with skin, sun effects it, time effects it and even how the person cares for themselves will effect the tattoo. No one is perfect so tattoos will never be perfect and that is actually one of the wonderful things about tattoos, its art that is lived in!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://kikibtattoos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiki_tattoos/