We recently connected with Brittany Bolduc and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Brittany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Starting my professional art career in the tattoo industry was definitely met with some judgement initially. Not only the general public, but even family (generally my parents generation) were pretty pessimistic when I first vocalized wanting to move this direction. I was met with people saying I wont make any money, Ill always struggle in the arts. That maybe I should follow other things I’m passionate about or interested in.

I was pretty rebellious as a teen, so luckily I can say these statements sort of just fueled my fire. I tried to take a step back and look at the people who were giving me advice. While I loved and respected a lot of them, they weren’t like me. They didn’t have similar personalities and drive. They didn’t necessarily live life the way I aimed to. So I knew that they were speaking from their own doubts and experiences, that weren’t necessarily my truth.

I could also see how much the tattoo industry had shifted from when they were younger, and how it continued to. I knew tattooing would be a great step into the art world and I could grow, evolve and adjust from there. Flash forward a few years after taking the leap, I remember sitting with my mom out at dinner one night and she was being super sentimental(maybe it was the cocktails that helped us out). She said “I’m so happy you never listened to me and went after what made you happy.”

I still am met with judgment being in this industry. While most people get excited or eager to tell you about all their tattoo dreams, or “how they cant even draw a stick figure”. I’ve also had people years into my career judge this industry and tell me(unsolicited), “oh but you can make money in art by doing xyz”. Then they see my work and quickly change their tone!

I’ve kind of just learned to accept that not everyone is going to support what you want to do in life. And honestly, I have no interest in proving or convincing those people of what I aim to do. I’d rather put my energy elsewhere, they’re not the ones who have to live my day to day.

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?

I’ve pretty much been creating at some capacity ever since I was a little kid. I was always drawing, and started getting into graffiti in high school. I remember staying up til 1 am a lot of nights, just drawing for hours random ideas that came to my head. I will say I think I was even more creative then, before the structure of adulthood set in.

I had goals to tattoo at the end of high school, but wanted to really improve my art beforehand. I applied to Hartford Art School for a BFA and my portfolio was denied. I was pretty crushed because I had really committed myself to going into arts. I also loved psychology, so decided to apply for that program and move forward. A few days before my first day of classes one of my close friends suddenly and tragically died. While this moment was probably one of my most painful, it was definitely a catalyst back into my art path, that forever changed my perspective. I rebuilt my portfolio up, and reapplied to the art program for that spring semester. I was ecstatic to get accepted and be able to get back to my passion!

The next four years were incredibly challenging for me. I think not only this new trauma taking its toll, but coming from low income and trying to mesh in a private school setting wasn’t the easiest socially. I finished with two classes left in 2014 and started my tattoo apprenticeship in Connecticut under my mentor, Mike May. This shop I stayed at for just under 4 years before opening my own. I really wanted to find more balance at this point in time. I felt that the industry was all consuming as I got busier and that was even glamorized by others in the industry(surprise, capitalist America). I was just tired of being non stop for so long, so I knew I had to make some changes. I opened a private studio in 2018 and went down to tattooing 3 days a week. I felt way more balanced, my quality of work was much better, and I had time to paint again, which is probably what I am most passionate about. I didn’t want to normalize burning myself out for a job. I can see now how this change really has improved not only my quality of life, but the experience and final product for my clients.

Currently, I am in Savannah, GA renting space from a local shop (Honor & Grace). I’ve found myself really enjoying this communal space of talented women artists. I am tattooing even more part time now, more like two days a week. I am also doing commissioned paintings and started an apparel line(www.ameink.com). I like to be able to provide a variety of products and ways to connect and share my art with others. I’m also helping some other tattooers find balance in the industry and figure out how to honor their craft, while honoring their bodies alongside their mental and emotional health.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think a small lifestyle adjustment that has a massive impact on creatives and all small businesses in general would be trying to swap from buying things online from places like Amazon, to purchasing from local artists online. Whether directly from their sites, Etsy or even going in person to local art fairs and markets. I think this seems obvious to some, but I hear a lot of people complain about large corporations, yet continue to support them on a massive level. Now I myself buy from companies like Amazon, so I’m definitely not here to judge or lecture. But taking small steps to maybe even buy holiday gifts local and try to bring more awareness to supporting your community, will be rewarding for everyone.

On an even smaller scale, boosting your favorite creatives social media page. Likes, shares, commenting, re-posting, all help the algorithm and social media is an amazing marketing tool IF your products are being seen.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect is freedom with my time. I am very passionate about traveling and exploring the world. Being a creative, especially being self employed, I can carve out any time I want to travel or do things that I might not be able to do working full time for someone else. Granted there are cons to this- like no paid time off, no sick PTO, etc. This can bring up some financial worries and definitely doesn’t happen initially. But can certainly be worked toward with planning and saving, its all about what you value and what you envision for your life. Some people would prefer the structure of being employed by someone and having a guaranteed consistent paycheck every week and that’s completely ok. We all work and thrive in different settings and I think that’s important to note being an artist. You see the world differently, so you need to be open to doing things differently and seeing what works for you. Especially if you have the opportunity to be a bit flexible, why not try?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ameink.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bbfry_