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

Brittany , appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I started making furniture about 9 years ago when I was looking around my house, which looked like a Rock N Roll museum, but all of the wooden furniture was rather ordinary and drab. As I sat on my black velvet couch, I looked up at my giant Black Sabbath poster on the ceiling, then back down at my giant boring wood table- and an idea sparked.

What if I could somehow fix this poster on this table? Hmm.. my imagination started going crazy. I had been collecting Rock N Roll memorabilia since I was a kid and had countless posters. The next day, I was on a mission. The next year was a ton of trial and error and unfortunately ruined a few posters in the process, but to see the progression of my work now, it was all worth it.

I wanted to restore everything in my house after this, and I did. I have always seen beauty in antiques and immediately started hunting for more tables to make for friends and clients. The art of turning trash into treasure is my favorite- whether it be in tattooing or making furniture.

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 have been tattooing since 2007, starting in my hometown of San Antonio, Texas, where I have a private tattoo studio on Broadway. I apprenticed for about a year and then got thrown into it full time, where I would tattoo anything that came in the door. I specialize in bold, bright, old school tattooing and cover-ups. I spend about half of my time tattooing and the other half of my time making furniture.

I feel like my furniture is what sets me apart from others because tattooing has become so saturated over the years. When I learned, you had to go through a proper apprenticeship, work hard, and pay your dues. Now, kids get tattoo machines on Amazon and start practicing right away- which has cheapened the beautiful, sacred craft of tattooing, in my opinion.

Tattooing is a beautiful art form but I felt like everyone was doing it, which is exactly the opposite of why I wanted to tattoo in the first place. It was kind of a pirates life when I wanted to learn as a kid. You had to know someone- and prove yourself before you were deemed worthy of scarring anyone for life. It was truly sacred.

After being on Best Ink Season 2 and being part of the “mainstream” tattoo world, I wanted to start doing something that set me apart from the crowd again- and I knew that I had something special with these tables I had been creating. I didn’t know a single other person doing what I was doing and the possibilities were endless. My brain is constantly flowing with ideas for projects- and each table gets better than the last. I completely restore and hand paint every piece I make myself. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a before photo of an old antique table then seeing the after photo of the masterpiece it has been transformed into. Tattooing applies here too.

Tattooing Is my heart and soul, but I wanted to take my work to the next level. I started challenging myself and taking on really brutal coverups that no one else would attempt. Now people call me the “cover-up queen.” Not quite sure how that happened, but I always have to push myself to the next level and complacency is not an option for me- so attempting my first several difficult cover-ups effectively was very rewarding. Seeing new life breathed into an old tattoo or sleeve is very gratifying and rewarding in the same way as my furniture making process. The before and after photo process is my favorite. Changing lives and making people smile is my favorite.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2014, I started my dream shop which was a heavy metal record store & Tattoo shop. This store encompasses everything I loved; records, rock & metal memorabilia and tattooing. This was a place where I could showcase both talents of tattooing and making furniture. We had a few really legendary in-store events including Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls, Necrophagia and Venom Inc.

In 2018, I had a falling out with the person I started the business with and was no longer able to be a part of this business- by choice. I was very depressed because he had taken over my vision and dream- so I decided to leave. Leaving my so called “baby,” the shop I had built with my money and hard work was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It is still a very hard pill to swallow, but I feel like it was for the best.

I moved a few times after this. First, I moved to Austin, then Dallas- trying to figure out where I belonged – and wound up back in my hometown of San Antonio where I helped care for my Dad in his final days of cancer in late 2019 and have been here ever since.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Since leaving my shop and moving back to San Antonio in 2019 to care for my Dad, who had stage IV carcinoma, my life has been riddled with crazy circumstances and challenges. My Dad passed in November of 2019, then covid hit in 2020, which completely shut down the industry of tattooing.

I decided to use the down time in 2020 to open a new studio of my own. Something that was 100% mine that no one could take from me. I found a great private studio in one of my favorite old neighborhoods of San Antonio and started tattooing again once things opened back up.

In 2021 when things were starting to look up and covid was clearing, I got the most devastating phone call of my life. My little brother, Michael, had been shot and was in a medically induced coma.

My entire world stopped – again – and I raced to Oklahoma where he clung to life for two weeks before he passed on July 7, 2021. He was only 27. Losing my little brother and my Dad both in a matter of two years has been, without a doubt, the most challenging thing I have ever been through. My Dad was my rock in life. He meant everything to me. Starting a new business in my hometown with both of my parents gone has been tough. Everything I have built, I have built with 100% hard work. If I don’t work, I don’t eat or have a roof over my head, so perseverance is not optional for me. Through all of these challenges and losses, I truly try to keep my head up and be resilient through the trials and tribulations of life. It is important for me to keep a positive attitude to give my clients my best- and the best experience possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.bztattoo.com
• Instagram: @Bzelliott
• Twitter: Bzelliott
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCnL4SFbznqL0jyeyUJdTz0Q
• Other: @heavymetaltables

Image Credits
Brittany Elliott