We were lucky to catch up with Destiny Humrich recently and have shared our conversation below.
Destiny, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
My career as a tattooer was not something I initially sought out, and I absolutely took a huge chance in pursuing it. When I had graduated college, I was working for a small business as a paint and sip instructor/ bartender, and it seemed to be the perfect post-school plan since it was in a creative field without being too “new” and intimidating. The plan after school was to be partial owner with my coworker, as we were offered the business by the current owner so she could begin the next phases of her retirement. As life goes, it didn’t work out, and every aspect of my life from that point changed drastically. I was no longer going to be co owner of a business I loved and worked for for several years, my pay was decreased so I couldn’t pay my student loans and bills as planned, I ended an engagement, and moved back in with my parents. It was… rough to say the least.
My mentor, Kirsty York, went to college with me and we had known of each other all through school — she actually ended up giving me my first tattoo. We stayed in touch through Instagram, and after everything mentioned previously happened my Instagram profile started to get filled with freelance projects, mainly tattoo designs (once people find out you can draw that’s pretty much a majority of what you’ll get paid for out the gate). Kirsty reached out to me out of the blue one day, saying “I noticed you draw a lot of tattoo designs, would you ever want to actually tattoo? I’ll teach you how!” and I just went for it. I had no plan, no expectations, I just needed something to pull me back out of the pit I was in. I needed to fall in love with the idea of a career in art again, and this was the jump that did it for me. Never looked back!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a tattoo artist based in Denver, and I occasionally take on freelance illustration/ design projects and display in galleries from time to time. I’ve been tattooing full time for roughly four and a half years, but I’ve considered myself to be an artist for a majority of my life to be honest.
I pride myself in making sure the client feels like their experience in the studio is the upmost priority, from the first time we discuss the design, to them coming into the studio the day of their appointment, and to making sure they feel cared for on their way out the door. Every moment spent with my clients is intentional, and creating something unique to them that they’ll love for a lifetime is the most amazing feeling!
My style is considered to be illustrative black and grey, and I do a little bit of every subject matter. I love florals, botanicals, animals, skulls, lady faces, celestial stuff, all of it, I like to say my favorite thing is to find beauty in all all things both living and dead. Big influences on my style are artists like Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Dore, Patrick Nagel, and Élisabeth Sonrel. I’m all about art nouveau and pretty ladies!
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Honestly just talking about artists you love, and friends/ family of yours that create art is enough sometimes. We don’t all have the money to spend on art and tattoos all the time, especially these days with inflation effecting literally every aspect of our lives. But what we can do now, and forever, is talk about the artists that create meaningful work to us, and boost artists we know that deserve more love and recognition than they’re receiving. We fight tooth and nail to get people to pay attention to our work for even five seconds sometimes, so to have that community support and referral can not only feel affirming, but it can open doors to opportunities that the artist might have not been able to find on their own.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal as a tattooer specifically is to continue providing a comfortable and safe experience for clients from start to finish. I want to make my best work possible for each design no matter the size, and I want that same effort to be reflected in the rest of their experience with me as well. Tattoos are so personal and can carry a lot of energy from the environment in which they’re given, and I always hope that people will look at something I’ve given to them and love it because it’s a beautiful piece of art, and because they felt safe and empowered in their experience to get exactly what they wanted — and more!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.destinyillustration.com
- Instagram: @DestinyIllustration
- Facebook: @DestinyIllustration
Image Credits
https://makpolnyphoto.com/ Sabrina