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

Alright, Brandie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I absolutely love my work but I wasn’t always sure if it was going to be my career. I thought for a long that I needed a job that had benefits, I needed a degree to succeed and this kept me from my full potential. I was just an “ok” artist. I spent 10 years thinking this. I went to school for psychology and worked hard at fulfilling my dreams. Then I met my person (Philip) who helped build me up and let me be me. I soon found out that my dreams of a degree and a career with benefits was beliefs that’s came from outside of me. My skills started to get better and my style started to flourish. I’m not the best that’s for sure but I have found joy in what I do. And come to find out I can save and pay for my own insurance, something called adulting.

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 made my own tattoo machine around 16 and practiced on my poor friends. A few came out ok but I knew nothing about how to tattoo till I got my apprenticeship under Joey Cash. I specialize in black and grey, illustrative and I very much enjoy doing more abstract work. I don’t get the chance to do it as often as I want but when it comes my ways it’s always fun. The other half of my profession is my clients care. I understand that getting a tattoo isn’t just about the art. When you look at your tattoo you remember the meaning of it and/or the experience you had while getting it. I never want my clients to worry about offending me if they want to make changes. Most of the time they say sorry which I appreciate but is not needed. I’m here to create art and an experience that you will enjoy. Philip and I worked hard at creating a shop that is calm, inviting and friendly. When you walk in there are plants everywhere, water, tea, and snacks. Getting a tattoo can be very stressful so I do my best to cal[m the nerves.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Like I mentioned previously, the biggest lesson I had to unlearn for myself is that I didn’t have to follow societies rules of success to be successful. I don’t regret going to college because it did give me the confidence and discipline I needed to work harder. On the other hand thinking that I “needed” it to be accomplished held me back from my true potential. All the self doubt blocked my creative flow and still does at times. It’s important for me to look through my work and remember my accomplishments on a regular basis and not to get big headed but to remember that I have done good with my work.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media has always been strictly work for me. It does not bring me joy, sorry to say. I moved to Austin in Jan 2019 with only a couple hundred followers on Instagram and now I have close to 7K. I really don’t do much now days with promoting other then posting my tattoos and I just let it happen naturally. I’m able to book out months with appointments so I don’t find it necessary to work hard on social media. In the beginning I followed a lot of people and hoped they would follow me back… I don’t recommend this. I didn’t really gain the amount of followers I wanted for the work it took and I’m sure many of them aren’t following me know. I learned to create a Instagram that is visually pleasing. I try to have the same lighting and not a lot of other random post such as what I had to eat that morning. It’s strictly art with a handful of personal post so my clients can get to know me. That along with promotional adds, adding to my story and reels. All this got me to a comfortable place.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.serenitytattoostudio.com
• Instagram: @serenitytattoostudio

Image Credits
Jairo Jaramillo @jairojaramillo