Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sam Britton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I was always drawing as a young kid and wanted to pursue something related to my art. When I was about 11 I was introduced to tattooing by going with my dad to a small tattoo studio in Angleton,TX. The artist was kind enough to allow me to watch and I was hooked. For many years I just had my heart set on being a tattooer, even though I wasn’t t supported heavily in the beginning I was able to persevere and landed an apprenticeship under my mentor, Tone Mendez in 2014. Fast forward several years and I now earn my living as a shop owner/tattooer along side the first hired artist at Cathartic Art Gallery, Megsxtattoos. And am currently passing on the knowledge I’ve gained over the years to my own apprentice, Nick Stacy.
Sam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
We’ll, I’m Sam Britton, artist and owner of Cathartic Art Gallery in Clute, TX. I’ve been tattooing professionally for 7 years out of my apprenticeship but have been an artist since I was a child. I decided to take a chance on opening my shop last year starting out as just a solo private studio. However since the last interview I’ve now hired artist Megsxtattoos, and my apprentice Nick. We’re a very small studio that primarily focuses on traditional and neo traditional tattoos but are fluent in many other styles! We stride to give our best anytime we put needle to skin, and try to provide a comfortable and sterile environment for all of our wonderful clients.
I feel like what sets us apart, is that we’re around but out of the way. We only want make sure we’re being the best we can be, not focused on what others are doing. In an area that is diluted with tattooers, we are still only competing with ourselves. Always growing and learning.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
It’s always a great feeling to give someone a tattoo that makes them feel proud, maybe helps them with how they see themselves, or memorializes a loved one. Whether it has meaning, or just getting a tattoo because you like the art, to see someone happy with what they’ve permanently put on their bodies is very rewarding.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
We hear it all the time, “you have such a cool/easy job” or something along those lines. It’s not always the easiest thing to make individual pieces of art for people, daily. A lot of late nights and social sacrifices made go into each one. Making sure your ideas translate well to tattoo is also important. It’s a fine line between giving the clients what they want and saving them from a bad tattoo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/catharticartgallerytx
- Instagram: @catharticartgallerytx
- Facebook: Cathartic Art Gallery