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

Hi Jailene, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

As someone with eczema I haven’t always felt comfortable in my own skin. Being born with this skin condition, I’ve gone my whole life with flare ups. I’ve always been an artist. Art has called to me since before I really understood it. I use to always hide my skin. Wear long sleeves in hot weather, covered up at the beach. However, tattoos changed how I felt in my own skin. Covering my body with art has helped heal part of me I didn’t know could be healed. I’ve seen how it’s helped others feel more confident in themselves and more comfortable in their own skin. Tattooing changed my life for the better. I’m honored that I’ve found a community of people that not only support me, but help me grow as an artist. I just hope I’m able to provide the same support I feel.

Jailene, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Tattooing is an industry that isn’t the easiest to get into. If you do it properly at least. It can be very competitive field. My goal as an artist has always been to make my clients feel more confident in their own skin. I started drawing on myself as a child. I’d even force my mom to help me put the gum ball machine tattoos on me. I knew even then that I always wanted to be covered in art. My brother growing up decided to be a tattoo artist and that’s when it all really clicked for me. It hasn’t always been easy. I had a corporate job before I decided to take a gamble on myself and pursue art full time. As a full time artist I’ve been able to dabble in all the other art forms I’ve always loved. The freedom I’ve had to explore myself and these fields has been an honor. There’s been times where I doubt myself and that’s when a new beautiful opportunity arises that had I had my old job I would’ve never been able to do.
My goal has always been to connect with people. I almost feel like an underpaid therapist. There’s almost never a session I’ve had where I haven’t gotten to know my clients on an intimate level. People have millions of different reasons to put art on themselves. I always do my best to make sure whatever I put on someone’s person is something they won’t ever regret. I’ve been blessed to connect with people on such an intimate level. It’s truly the best part of my job. Everyday feels like a vacation because I thoroughly enjoy what I do. The service I provide is nothing compared to the smiles and excitement I see when someone loves the tattoo they’ve just received. You can almost instantly see someone’s confidence go up as they check themselves out in the mirror with their new art piece forever with them.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

When I made the decision to pursue my career as a tattoo artist, I was an assistant manager for front desk at a hotel. I had gotten a second job as a bartender to be able to support myself as I made the transition into the tattoo industry. It took about a year until I was able to support myself as a full time artist. There were nights I got home at four am from cleaning and closing up the bar. Times I questioned if I made the right decision by the leaving the comfort of my corporate job. I wondered if I would ever reach a point of stability, and if I’m being completely transparent I still sometimes wonder that. However, the growth and healing I’ve had as a person for pursuing my dreams has been rewarding. Seeing the look on clients faces makes any struggle I’ve had worth it. I only want to grow as an artist and as a business. I know that there is still so much to learn and I’m open to constructive criticism.

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

Just this past year I had an unfortunate circumstance with my career. It made me question if I should quit and go back to my corporate job. A business partner that ran the shop I worked out of stopped paying for the studios rent. He went months without paying and stealing money from all the artist that worked there. He told us when we had three days to gather all of our equipment before potentially being locked out and losing all access to it. Our entire careers depend on our equipment. We had no choice but to load up our stuff and find new places to work out of. Luckily I already had another location being built with a friend so I was able to start there before it was fully built. However, overcoming that situation was extremely difficult. It broke a lot of trust. It was heartbreaking to know someone you started with could back stab you and feel no remorse in doing so. It made me realize that business and business. Overall, I’m still grateful I had that opportunity but I’m even more proud of myself for quickly finding a resolution.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Lickofluck

Image Credits
Jailene Montoya! Ig: Lickofluck