Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elise Guay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Elise, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I have always been an artist in some capacity from a very young age, but tattooing wasn’t always my path. I attended college right after high school, starting at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, but later transferred to University of Stirling in Scotland after my study abroad semester, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Masters Degree in Publishing. During my time in Scotland, I got my first (and second) tattoo. At 20 years old, I walked into the shop and looked around, my first thought being, “how do I do this?” Shortly after returning to the states, I found myself in Washington state where I met the woman who would later become my mentor. Prairie Dawn of Best Kept Secret in Eatonville, Washington, took me under her wing at a time that I needed it most. Despite having done the “right thing” and completing college degrees, I was having a difficult time finding my place in the world; I was 3000 miles from home, with essentially zero support, and no prospect of a job despite hundreds – and I mean hundreds – of job applications. I decided it was time to create my own destiny instead of following the status quo. I picked her brain about how to become a tattoo artist and she said, “Find someone you respect and like their work, and spend a bunch of time and money with them,” So, I did. I started my apprenticeship at 26 and worked with Prairie for the next few years. Since then, I have guest spotted in 10 different states, worked in a shop in the UK (shout out to the Plus 48 crew in Edinburgh), attended 2 conventions (with one scheduled in the fall), and opened my own studio in Newbury, MA. Owning a business is not without challenges, especially with the industry growing and changing every day, but since becoming a tattooer my life has become an incredible adventure and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Elise, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As I mentioned in the previous blurb, I did the college thing and then met my mentor, who took a chance on me and gave me the drive and strength to create a career for myself that I could have never imagined. I am a full time tattoo artist at my private studio, Boston Born Ink. My crowning achievement is that I was the very first tattoo shop to open in the town of Newbury, Massachusetts, which is pretty neat considering Newbury was founded in 1635. Being a female owned business in a still very male dominated field is something I’m incredibly proud of. I had to go before the board of the city and plead my case to open a discipline that is still widely misunderstood and misjudged. One of my main goals is to show the general public that tattooed people and tattoo artists aren’t thugs and criminals as widely portrayed in the eyes of the media. We are therapists, best friends, support systems, healers, artists, and so much more. We are whatever our clients need us to be in the few hours we are with them, really. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve had clients that have become family and friends, I have helped people heal in ways that traditional methods may not have, and that only scratches the surface. A lot of what I do is cover up and touch up work. I have jokingly dubbed myself the “cover up queen”, but I take pride in my ability to provide my clients with new pieces that completely obliterate what was underneath. Clients get cover ups for any number of reasons, from a piece being old to getting rid of something they don’t care for anymore. Another thing I do every October is provide free mastectomy scar cover ups for breast cancer survivors. This is a way to empower women who have kicked cancer’s butt, and help their healing process in some way. I also try to donate to fund raisers and charitable events as much as possible, including Portsmouth Fire’s beer release and several motorcycle runs. As far as my brand, I just want to make art with cool people, and I’ve been doing a lot of that which is rad. I average anywhere from 50 to 80 clients a month and am just about 100% word of mouth. I pride myself in being honest and building a good reputation for myself, which I feel that I continue to do on a daily basis. When clients come to me, I make sure I book enough time to sit down together and create a design that they are completely satisfied with. Whether its a small ode to their kids or a full sleeve or a pet portrait, every client is treated with utmost importance and respect, with all of their ideas taken into consideration while creating their design. I try to provide as comfortable of an environment as possible; I recently had a client say they felt like they were in a friend’s living room just hanging out and that is exactly the vibe I want to give to people whole providing a safe, inclusive, and fun environment to create art together.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being artist is my clients. I have had clients come to me during some of the most difficult times in their lives, including divorce, child loss, spousal loss, and during the happiest times of their lives, including new marriages, new babies, and graduating college. I have seen kids grow up from 18 year olds fresh out of high school to college grads. I have been there through so many stages of people’s lives, and them through mine. Being able to create pieces with my clients that bring smiles to their faces is incredibly rewarding. Helping someone heal and supporting them through the trials of life is invaluable. I wouldn’t be who I am without my clients, and I don’t mena that just in the business aspect. Despite being a professional, I’m still human, and I have had my trials as much as my clients have, and they have helped me in ways I don’t think they even realize. I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you. Thank you to my clients, to everyone who has trusted me with not only their skin, but their secrets, happy moments, hard times, and everything in between. I am eternally grateful to everyone who has helped me achieve what I have so far and I can’t begin to imagine what the future holds, but no matter what happens I know I’ll be okay because of the incredible people I have had the opportunity to surround myself with and build my business around.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I’m not sure how I feel about the term “non-creatives”. I think everyone has creativity in them, it just gets stifled through years of mainstream schooling, the ever-presence of technology, consumerism, and basically the modern existence. I think one of the biggest issues that more creative-leaning people have is the monetization of creative abilities by the typically non-creative people. Not every piece of art we make has to be award winning or have a monetary value. Sometimes people just want to create because they feel compelled to. With social media comes the pressure of perfection. There will always be this constant overwhelming feeling of the idea that someone will be better, smarter, have more followers, be more visible to the public eye, so why even create? My answer to that is we create because if everyone just gave up because there is someone out there who is better, for example, there wouldn’t be any left to create and any creativeness would leave the world. I fully understand that not everyone can make their creative path a career, but they don’t have to. Just…make things. If you feel compelled to doodle while you’re in between calls at you 9-5 job, do it. Life is too short to suppress the innate desires that humans have, which is why we have music, art, fashion, technology, and everything else that makes us human, because all humans are creatives in their own ways.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Boston.born.ink
