We recently connected with Katja Ramirez and have shared our conversation below.
Katja, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I was self taught , although I had always been drawing, there was a pretty steep learning curve for me with putting ink in skin . It was really getting tattooed that taught me the most about the craft, and working with other tattooers that taught me about drawing for tattoos.
Katja, 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?
I started tattooing on friends, then friends of friends, and so on. I didn’t have a clear image of where it would lead, I just became obsessed with it. I started tattooing tattooong out of my apartment in Montreal, Canada, in 1997,then eventually got into a walk in shop . I spent earlier years in Toronto,Montreal , and New York , then eventually Austin,Texas, where I’m co-owner at Rock of Ages Tattoo. Though I’ve always aimed to be a well rounded tattooer , my preferences are black and grey fineline, Japanese , and bolder designs that respect tattoo tradition .
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.
Sometimes I get the impression that people on the outside looking in , think that what we do comes effortlessly , and that tattooers are just hanging out having fun. It’s definitely something that one needs to be passionate about , and can be rewarding. It also requires years of hard work and often the kind of sacrifice that takes a toll on work/life balance. Definitely the most difficult thing I’ve ever done !
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Gladly, my resilience was thriving in my earlier years . Breaking into the industry at the time took a certain stubbornness. A lot of doors were locked , and you had to be persistent to get access to even a small amount or resources or guidance. I used to get tattooed by Tony D’Anessa and Dave C. in Mtl. and I got my first tattoo machine from Tony ,which I used it for everything . I’d go visit him , and he’d tell me stories about tattooing in Times Square in the 60s , before he moved to Mtl., then eventually he’d ask me ,“ ok what do you want”, and he’d let me buy a few needles off him, before learning how to make them myself. He was a really good hearted guy. Sometimes Dave would let me hang out and watch him tattoo. I’m grateful for his patience, because that was probably a pain in the ass! Also a good dude, and a ripping tattooer. I eventually got alot of work from Dave , and we ended up being coworkers for a time , so I guess I leveled up at some point.
Contact Info:
- Website: Katjaramireztattoos.com
- Instagram: @katjaramirez
- Facebook: Katja Ramirez
- Other: Rockofagestattoo.com
Image Credits
Michelle Tarantelli