We were lucky to catch up with Erin Carson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I first knew I wanted to be an artist in some form when I was a kid, I always had a pencil in my hand. I grew up with such a big imagination and threw it all onto paper. However, it wasn’t until I was maybe 14 that I knew I wanted to be a tattoo artist. The thought of being stuck in a job for the rest of my life where it’s the same thing day in and day out seemed so boring, and I was determined to make sure that wasn’t me. I needed to follow a path that would allow me to use my imagination and creativity as much as possible. But, as most artists, I had so many different interests! For a while it was just pencil on paper, then it was sculpting, then it was special effects makeup. It wasn’t until I was into my teen years that I discovered the alternative scene, and fell in love with the art of tattoos.
I remember planning out all the tattoos I wanted to eventually get (21 year old me thanks 14 year old me for not getting those tattoos)! I’d give myself and my friends sick sharpie sleeves, make flash sheets, anything that allowed me to get as close to tattooing as I could as a teenager. Tattooing was all I wanted to do, but it didn’t seem realistic at the time, and I had so much anxiety about putting permanent art on people. Nearing the end of high school, I was scrambling trying to figure out what to do with my life. Was I going to go to college? Was I going to try to do commission artwork? About a month before I graduated, I decided I was going to take the plunge to try to get a tattoo apprenticeship, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

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?

The most common way that tattoo artists start in this industry is by getting an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop, and that’s exactly what I did. About a month after I graduated high school, I created a portfolio of my best artwork at that time and walked into the shop I currently work at, Steele Ink Studios. As an apprentice, I spent a lot of time watching the experienced tattoo artists there work, drawing, and eventually started doing small tattoos. After about a year, I graduated to being a professional tattoo artist. Every tattoo artist is different, and has different skills to offer. For me, I specialize in a few different styles, those being color, black and grey horror portraits, and nature tattoos. I enjoy tattooing subject matter related to anime, witchcraft, horror, and nature fantasy.
I think what separates me from other tattoo artists is that I truly care about not only the artwork that I put on my clients, but their experience throughout the process as well. I love the art, but I love helping people feel comfortable in their body, more. Getting tattooed is such a vulnerable experience, and I strive to make it as comfortable as possible. I hear from so many clients how horribly other artists have treated them, and I just can’t imagine making someone feel less than. Clients trust us to guide them in the process, create a drawing that captures what they’re envisioning, and then to permanently mark it on them. And they also trust us to tell them when we aren’t the right artist for them.
There are so many steps throughout the process of getting a tattoo where the client puts trust in our judgement. Maybe an idea needs to be tweaked, maybe the placement needs to be adjusted, maybe what they want doesn’t align with our skill set and/or style, and we have to point them in the direction of another artist who we feel will do their specific tattoo more justice. These are all things that happen before the needle ever even touches the skin.
The biggest compliment I get from my clients is that I make them feel comfortable and more at home in their own body, while keeping their best interests in mind. I want clients to know that they matter. No matter their size, gender, race, etc. You deserve to feel comfortable and respected throughout every point of the process, and if at any point you feel like your artist isn’t for you, you can walk away.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Quality over quantity, always. I would say about 99% of my clientele comes from Instagram, which is currently one of the biggest platforms for artists. Post what aligns with what you want to do and where you want to be. When I started tattooing, I was posting every single tattoo I did, trying desperately to get my name out there. From a non-tattooer standpoint, this seems great, shows versatility. While I still got a lot of requests for tattoos, I was getting burnt out quick. I was spending so much time doing tattoos that didn’t inspire me or align with my style, and it made me start to dread my job, which was awful because this is my dream job! I would love to give everyone what they want, but it’s not realistic. There’s only so much time for me to do tattoos as I book out a few months in advance, and filling that time with tattoos that inspire me and allow me to be creative is important to me. Once I started niching down my style and what I was posting, I started to attract clients who’s wants aligned with my style. I’ll be honest, I’m not great at social media. I find it hard to post consistently, and that’s okay. When I do post, even if it’s been weeks since my last one, it’s intentional and purposeful. Be authentic to yourself and your goals, and the rest will follow.

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

I’m chronically ill, and always have been. As a child I struggled with severe asthma, I’ve had eczema all my life. When I was 15 I got mononucleosis, and missed a whole semester of school. Shortly after that, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos, an autoimmune disease. I also have endometriosis, which means that scar tissue builds up in my abdomen and causes severe pain, and there’s no cure. It’s been extremely hard, growing up I’ve constantly felt like my body is betraying me. I’ve missed a lot in life because I didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get doctors to take me seriously about my pain, and even now at 21 it feels like I’m just starting the journey of living a more fulfilling life despite everything I’ve been through and am going through. It’s especially hard with tattooing, even if it doesn’t look like it, it’s a physically demanding job. It’s hard to take time for yourself as well since it’s appointment/client based, and many people wait months to get an appointment, I feel awful if I ever have to reschedule people. However, I’ve started to take steps to make my job work better with my illnesses, and in the process creating a more fulfilling life. I won’t ever be cured, but I’ve achieved more than I ever previously thought possible through perseverance, despite my illnesses. I hope that by sharing my health journey, I can inspire others who are fighting their own health battles to still go after what they want in life. It sounds cheesy, but anything truly is possible if you put your mind to it. It’s a bumpy road, and progress isn’t linear, but it is so worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.inkbubblestattoos.com
• Instagram: @ink.bubbles

Image Credits
Ashely Rock- (only photo of me)