We recently connected with Lauren La Bella and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I can honestly say that as a full-time creative I have taken several great risks in my life that have all been extremely scary but also pivotal moments for me as far as reaching the next level. The one that comes to mind in this instance would be taking the initial plunge into the tattoo world. When I graduated from college, I began working as a freelance photo editor for a couple publications. This was a great experience but I knew that ultimately I wanted to make a living off my art and tattooing had been calling me for some time. When my main freelance job offered me a full-time job with salary and benefits, I declined to keep my part-time job as a studio assistant at a tattoo studio, so that I could keep my foot in the door and so that I would still have some time to continue my studio practice. At this time I made a lot of my extra income from selling drawings and prints, and participating lots of pop-up art show events. Anyway, this decision got me terminated from my main job (photo editing), and it was definitely scary to give up one opportunity that seemed guaranteed to support a living, to persist in an area that wasn’t necessarily providing me with a livable income (yet). However, by having nothing left to lose, and no opportunity to fail, I was determined to get my apprenticeship. I worked hard for almost a year, head down, showing up every day to the shop even on my days off, drawing as much as possible, and I kept selling my artwork on the side. Eventually I was offered the apprenticeship I wanted, at the shop where I worked (which by the way was never even on the table, I just refused to stop working until I got what I wanted). This was the next big risk. I would take an unpaid, year-long, 7 days a week apprenticeship. This meant little to no time for anything or anyone else in my life, and an extreme financial burden. This sacrifice wound up being the biggest pay-off for me so far.

Lauren, 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?

I’m 30 years old, a New York native, a single mother, and an artist of various media. I have a BFA in Painting from the Savannah College of Art & Design, where I learned extensively about fine art gallery practices, putting together art exhibitions to top industry standard, and running a creative business. I also spent time in the fashion industry, and have dabbled in photography throughout the years. I began tattooing in 2017 at Empire State Studios in Amityville, New York, where I learned. I went on from there to open my own private tattoo studio and art gallery with a partner. We parted ways about a year ago, and since I have spent some time traveling, just focusing on tattooing, connecting with artists from around the world, and learning more about other shops and galleries and their business practices.

I am a tattooer, most importantly, but all of my experience plays into this greatly. I have spent countless hours upon hours drawing, painting, learning, and collaborating with other artists. I have spent a great deal of time learning about anatomy in regards to adorning it, in fashion and in figure drawing, etc. I also have plenty of experience creating custom artwork for clients by way of commissions. On top of it all, it doesn’t hurt that school taught me how to hustle for a deadline (tattooing is basically having homework due every day). I strongly believe all of this has given me a great handle on working with my clients to provide them with beautiful art work that compliments their bodies, personalities, and helps them to feel beautiful in their skin. I’ve realized over the years that any art I truly love to create, in some way or another, has revolved around the beauty of the human body. Whether that means capturing an interpretation of it, or decorating it.

More specifically to tattooing, something I enjoy very much is creating a successful coverup tattoo. Fortunately, I was able to oversee many hours of coverup work during my apprenticeship, and this has been something I have had the opportunity to work on clients with a lot so far during my tattooing career. Akin to making others feel beautiful in their skin, coverups help clients move past mistakes or bad memories, or even artwork they aren’t fond of, that have been made permanent on their skin. In my experience, only a handful of artists will take on coverups, and an even smaller number of artists can do them successfully. Coverups provide me with challenge and satisfaction, and more importantly provide my clients with relief and confidence.

I spend lots of time with my clients. We correspond for some time prior to our appointments bouncing around ideas. I really try to get to know my clients’ personalities and concerns so that I can create something that best suits them, while still making something I know I can effectively execute. This is extremely important to me, as we are going to spend many hours together, and when they leave, they will spend even more time with the work I’ve done for them. I want to make this experience as positive as possible. Tattoos are painful and costly, and we need to work together.

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

Just like all of us, I have had my share of ups and downs throughout my career but the most crucial event to impact my life thus far has been the sudden loss of my husband, shortly after becoming a mother. He passed away unexpectedly when our daughter was 8 months old and I was just a couple years in to tattooing on my own. Being the sole breadwinner for my family, with all it means to run a tattooing business, all the while being a first-time mom and trying to manage my grief has been an intense challenge. But being successful in my business has never been more necessary. Motherhood has always been admirable to me, and I have always had an affinity and appreciation for mother tattooers, and with having to provide a life for my daughter on my own through tattooing, that appreciation has grown even deeper. Finding my community of other strong women and mothers in tattooing has been extremely helpful and inspiring, and I hope to provide some of that help and inspiration to others as I go forward. I have met so many women in the arts the last few years who have become absolute forces in my life, leading me to all sorts of opportunities, as well as a soft place to fall on the difficult days.

Becoming a role model for my daughter through all of this is the pinnacle.

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

This feels like a very important question in today’s world. I don’t necessarily have the largest number of followers on Instagram compared to some others, but I have grown my following completely organically over the course of many years, and I have such wonderful relationships that have come out of social media. At times it feels so overwhelming, and there’s also the comparison game we all play against ourselves. My best advice for growing a following is to remain authentic to who you are, and what you feel confident posting. Follow as many people who inspire you or peak your interests as possible, and try not to stress the numbers. Numbers always fluctuate for so many reasons, and it doesn’t mean your post wasn’t interesting, or that your artwork falls short. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t as cool as at the next guy, and it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to make any sales. Someone out there will see what you’ve made, and it will resonate. And if you’re authentic in what you put out there, an authentic connection is what you’ll receive from your followers. Over time, your personal artistic voice will come through in everything you do, without having to even try, and people can feel it!

Also, being personable and showing your followers the artist connected to the art is huge in my opinion! You are your art.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurenlabellatattoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlabellatattoo/
• Other: I have been doing a takeover of https://www.instagram.com/ladytattooers/ lately where I’ve been able to share work from my favorite lady tattooers!

Image Credits
Photo by Clive Swaby @freeswaytek All tattoo images courtesy of Lauren La Bella