We were lucky to catch up with Jessica Goldstein recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jessica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I have been fortunate enough to be able to earn a full-time living from my creative work by being a tattoo artist. The beginning of my journey started when I was 16 years old which is pretty uncommon. I was offered a tattoo apprenticeship at the time because the owner of the shop saw potential in me. I’m immensely grateful for that, because even at that time I had no clue what my potential was nor the amount of hard work, perseverance, and consistency it’d take to get to where I am today. Luckily, I already had a strong art background that I have consistently worked to build upon. This also gave me a good head start in the industry. Being a young woman tattooing in the beginning was difficult. People may not trust your judgement, knowledge base, skill, etc. Overtime I’ve really worked of course on my skill set, but even more so on my confidence, my communication, and my boundaries. Working with a variety of different people who have different characteristics and dynamics was also a key part in my journey. I think remaining open-minded while also recognizing what is best for my growth – aka observing & learning – has been my greatest asset. I don’t take any part of my process for granted.

Jessica, 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?

My name is Jessica Goldstein and I am a tattoo artist! I was born and raised in Chicago, and moved down to North Carolina with my family when I was 19 years old. Both of my parents have an art background and I was lucky enough to be supported and encouraged by them in pursuing art. At 16 years old I was given the opportunity to begin a tattoo apprenticeship which lasted about two years. I attended universities in both Indiana and North Carolina to further my learning and progress in painting – which innately helped with tattooing. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my own LLC for the past year and half and am currently working in a private studio.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Post post post. Social media and word of mouth have been my two biggest contributors in getting my name out in this industry. I’ve had people from South Carolina, Boston, DC, and other places visit to get tattooed because they found my social media. Hashtags I think help a lot as well – I still use them in every post. It’s important to build that platform as a business page (they give analytics so you can see what audiences you’re targeting, how much people are interacting, etc), provide predominantly business related posts, and have supportive friends and clients! Having those people share posts and tagging you is so major in getting your business/craft exposed. I’m really appreciative to everyone who has done so for me. I will also say, do not let social media define you or your skill level. I’ve turned “like” counts off because I used to get so caught up in it. I use it as a tool to show my work, and as long as I’m booked and busy, that’s what I focus on.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think sometimes people may misunderstand and think that it is all fun and there’s not that much hard work put into it – because “it’s art and we love art”. If you do a traditional apprenticeship, there’s usually 1-2 years dedicated part-time to full-time work you have to give to the shop and it is unpaid (typically, I’ve never heard of it being paid). Before starting my own business, when working full-time, I put in easily 50+ hours a week. It’s not just time you put in at the shop or studio, everyday you are prepping & preparing designs for clients either before you go in or after you get off, or both, you’re doing emails or dms, booking clients, ordering supplies, doing your own art (if you have time) that also contributes to your skills for tattooing – which is all time consuming. This is a job, this is how you pay your bills. You are having to create and execute a permanent service on peoples’ bodies, so you need to have good communication & people skills, and create a comfortable environment because this is an intimate process. The work environment you’re in as well can also make all the difference in it being easier or harder. On top of this, you are consistently trying to learn and improve. That may happen by watching and taking note from other coworkers while they tattoo or draw, listening to podcasts, reading books, and watching shows or interviews as well. I’d be lying if I said it never got exhausting or mentally draining.

There was a long time when I was both working and in school and my social life was at a bare minimum while my friends were able to be out partying and having fun. I had to keep telling myself “It will pay off, it will be worth it.” And now, I am a business owner with my own LLC for a year and a half now. It’s taken me almost 9 years to get to this point, but I’m delighted to be here.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goldenmindtattoos.com
• Instagram: @golden___mind

Image Credits
Sherwood Young