We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla Kiyoko. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla below.
Kayla, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
My art reflects the magical girls, gays, theys and all things anime! I love tattooing and creating a safe space for others to feel great about themselves and the decorate their body in a fun and kind enviornment. This matters so much to me because growing up I always loved tattoos but only saw other men in the industry making me wonder if this was possible for someone like me but I refused to give up. After dozens of efforts & meeting some incredibly inspirational women I met my mentor Casey who believed in me to start apprenticing & then tattooing dozens of amazing clients to become a licensed tattoo artist today where I am constantly honing my skills at tokyo blaq.
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?
Hello! 👋 Im Kayla Kiyoko! A tattoo artist located in San diego at a shop called tokyo blaq.
I have a love for all things colorful, adorable, and whimsical. I apprenticed for over 2 years now with 1 year tattooing numerous clean, colorful, and creepy tattoos. With a passion for all things kawaii, gaming, and spooky art i have completed a range of tiny finger tattoos to large arm pieces and continues to broaden my skills and provide a fun, safe space for anyone who wants to get tattoos. I am always happy to work with someone bringing their custom ideas to life!
Have you ever had to pivot?
So I started out getting a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and worked for a children’s art company before realizing i was letting so many others dictate my goals in life. So I took a hard turn letting go of anything that wasn’t going to help me grow with my love of tattoos. This was an immensely difficult decision that I was terrified to make for a multitude of reasons but doing so changed my life in all of the best ways I started to love art and myself again, and feel I was following my ikigai making art and helping those in my communities to love and decorate their bodies.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a tattoo artist are my clients. It’s cheesy but it’s true! I love my clients and the conversations we have during our tattoo sessions hearing about their lives and when we finish the tattoo i am overjoyed when they are just as happy to go home with their fresh piece.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tokyoblaqsandiego.net/tattoos
- Instagram: @tokiyokoblaqtattoos
Image Credits
@kevin.inkks & myself