Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brii Moser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brii, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Like many other professions that require training outside of a traditional education, the “proper” method of getting into tattooing is an apprenticeship. Typically, you’d spend a lot of time at the shop you wished to apprentice at getting tattooed by the person you hoped to have as a mentor. Building a rapport with an artist is very important as a means of showing your dedication to the craft, getting familiar with the shop environment, as well as ensuring your personalities mesh, among many other things. I had a very non-traditional experience; I initially started an apprenticeship in Orem at a shop I was unfamiliar with, I had a friend who was a piercing apprentice and she essentially propped open the proverbial door for me. Unfortunately due to reasons beyond my control, poor management, shop drama, and many other things I won’t get into, my apprenticeship was terminated along with several others as well. I moved back to Logan and was lucky enough to end up at the shop I am currently working in and after what seemed like both the longest and shortest year of my life, I am now a full time artist making a living doing what I love. During that year I spent a majority of it watching other artists and asking endless questions, learning how to properly clean work stations, drawing, painting, and familiarizing myself with the behind-the-scenes aspects of shop life. Eventually I was able to start practicing by tattooing on fake skin, then myself, then friends and family, and finally, my own clientele. While my explanation is quite vague, my apprenticeship was easily one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I have graduated my apprenticeship but I am still learning and hope to continue as long as I am tattooing.

Looking back I’m not 100% sure what I could have done to speed up the process aside from working harder than I did, which I’m not positive was even possible. While apprenticeship progress is as much in the hands of the mentor as it is the mentee, I was the first apprentice my mentor had so it was a learning curve for both of us. It was a delicate dance.

The most essential skill I took into my apprenticeship was my artistry. I was lucky enough to have a very talented grandmother who taught me most of what I knew and without that, I doubt I would have gotten the opportunity to apprentice in the first place; although I cannot say I didn’t learn a great deal more during my time as an apprentice.
Another very important skill I carried into it was my tenacity and dedication. I was willing, and still am, to do whatever I needed to do to succeed as an artist. I played nice more often than I would like to admit. I would be lying if I told you there were never situations I would consider quite toxic. I unfortunately spent a great deal of time allowing myself to be torn down when it wasn’t always deserved, kept my mouth shut when under normal circumstances I would have made my opinion quite known, and sweetened up my words when it probably wasn’t necessary. I definitely lost pieces of myself during that year.

I would have to say the biggest obstacle by far, me. I tore myself down more than any person could have. I spent so much time analyzing everything I did, every move I made, word I spoke, question I asked. I tore art to pieces, picked apart every drawing, criticized every line I put to paper. When I began tattooing I would mentally beat myself up during the appointment then go home and spend far too much time starting at the photos of my work, stewing over every mistake I thought I had made. I kept myself from taking on challenges, from designing more intricate pieces, from anything that in my mind, I couldn’t do. In some ways this held me back but in others it forced me to improve both as an artist and as a tattooer.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

A little about me: my name is Brii, I am 28, married to my high school sweetheart, earlier this year we welcomed our beautiful daughter Billie into our family and I would have to say she is easily the coolest thing about me. I love to draw and paint, obviously, I enjoy playing video games, and I read way more than I should.

I tattoo at Black Kat Ink and hope to specialize in Traditional/Stylized Traditional and Ornamental tattoos but I still have much more to learn before I can really call myself a specialist in any particular style. I love adding dark/macabre elements to my work and have been told that people easily recognize my pieces when they see them; I can’t get into how excited I am about that. I love doing mostly blackwork with little pops of color but don’t mind doing the occasional full color piece. I have been tattooing just over a year and am so excited to see where this career takes me.

I would have to say that one of the biggest things that sets me apart from other tattooers, at least outside of my fellow artists at our shop, is my dedication to providing a safe and comfortable space for my clients. I have been tattooed many times and I hate to say that a fair amount of my experiences were less than savory. I am LGBTO+ friendly and welcome those of all walks of life, all colors, backgrounds, beliefs, etc. Tattooing is such an intimate art form; putting art on someone that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives is not something to be taken lightly. I want my clients to remember their experience as a positive one.

I am quite proud of my dedication to furthering my knowledge. I truly enjoy learning new things and applying them to my current skills, I never want to be satisfied with my work and am very passionate in my desire to continue to improve and grow as an artist. I want my clients to know that I truly try my hardest to exceed their expectations and I take my work very seriously, despite my normally nonchalant demeanor.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are so many things about being an artist that I find incredibly rewarding, it’s all but impossible to narrow them down.

I can’t count the number of times I have had a client tell me that their tattoos have helped them feel more comfortable in their skin. I understand all too well the difficulties that come along with self-love and confidence, it brings me a lot of happiness knowing I can help someone value themselves a little more than when they walked into the shop. I think that may be the biggest reward for me.

However, watching my clients see their finished tattoo for the first time, watching them see their vision come to life, that is a pretty cool too.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Social media is so deeply ingrained in our society and I think one of the best ways to support and promote creatives of all types is to share our work. I absolutely love when clients tag me in their photos and share their tattoos on their socials; not only are they sharing their excitement for their pieces but they are also sharing my work to an audience I may not have been able to reach otherwise. I am very grateful to all of my clients for sharing, reposting, and referring others to me. Without them I wouldn’t get to do the work I love. Thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart.     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://black-kat-ink.com/brii-moser
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briielzebub.tattoos/