Today we’d like to introduce you to Giulia Davis
Hi Giulia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a tattoo artist. I was always fascinated by the permanence of tattoos. The dedication. The way they stay with you forever, and the nature of making such a large commitment. The fact that they can either be taken very seriously, or be done on a whim. From the time I was very young, the entire culture of the tattoo world was the only place I felt I could truly belong. It was a place for outsiders. A profession that felt like being a rogue pirate, where you can make your own rules and decide your own life. It was a place to be who I was; to truly be an artist who makes a living. The term “starving artist” is something I’ve heard ever since I was young enough to understand it, and something in my gut was starting to believe it–until I found tattooing. It has not just given me a job or even a creative outlet, but a way to live and feel fulfilled when it seemed impossible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a tattoo artist has not necessarily been an easy road, but nothing worth doing is. I had no clue how many lifelong friends, bonds, and trusts I would make. It’s also not for the faint hearted. That’s not me repeating some cliché line that gets thrown around within the tattoo community…it’s truer than I would have ever known. It has negatively affected my mental and physical health. It landed me in physical therapy, and given me many anxiety ridden sleepless nights. Because of it’s permanence, any mistakes made, or decisions that you as the artist are unhappy with, they are forever. That may sound dramatic when talking about something like tattooing, but it really is something that you have to learn to accept. As an empathetic person who sees her work as always needing improvement, it’s been a bit of a challenge. Having to live with that is something I’m still working on to this day, but an important thing to remember is that all artists are harder on ourselves than others are on us. With all that being said, I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I haven’t been tattooing for that long, just about 7 years, and it has already felt like a long road with many ups and downs. I’ve worked, and overworked myself to feel even remotely like I do good work worthy of anyone getting it on them permanently. It’s not often that I truly feel like I receive validation for my hard work and hours spent, but once in a while something happens that makes me feel like I made the right choice with what I do. I was recently awarded three awards and a runner up award in the Motif Rhode Island Tattoo Awards, and that’s one of the first things I can say I am truly proud of. The feeling of displaying something like that in my place of work at my station makes me feel like I finally achieved something, and quieted some of my self doubts. It makes future clients feel more at ease with me in that they are in good hands, and that to me is worth more than the physical award itself. Life shouldn’t be about winning awards, but the positive affect it can have can be great for artist and client. In the words of the great Ron Swanson, “Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @giuliadavistattooer
- Other: https://heavyanddhellco.bigcartel.com
