We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liz Peterson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Liz, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Happiness, especially as a tattooer, is a complex subject.

In one regard, I am the happiest person in the world. Every day, I create beautiful pieces of art for people I would have never met without the art of tattooing. Every project is a collaborative piece between me and my client, who trusts me with their body. I never live the same day twice. I’ve traveled across the country, and I’ve tattooed bands that I once loaded onto my ipod in middle school. I share a community with tattooers of all ages from various backgrounds who love this trade as much as I do, if not more. Many have come before me in this line of work, and even more will follow after me. I am never alone. Tattooing fills my heart.

On the other hand, tattooing is tumultuous. “Why does my body hurt?” Tattooing increases the risk of chronic pain from countless sources involved in the trade. At the back of every dedicated tattooer’s mind, self doubt and impatience beg for more. “Am I good enough?” I zoom into photos of tattoos, pick apart my faults. “Why doesn’t this look right?” I’ve torn apart countless paintings and sketches, each one falling short of my sky high expectations. “I can’t make it, I’m sorry.” I’ve missed birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, and vacations for this life. Like many tattooers, I experience doubt, physical pain, mental exhaustion, and isolation for this sacred art.

Happiness for a tattooer is a balancing act. I balance my passion for this craft against the pain and self doubt, utilizing the latter to improve myself as a tattooer. The effort we put into tattooing is reciprocated ten fold in response. As a colleague once told me, “if you take care of tattooing, tattooing will take care of you.” Some days are better than others. I can’t imagine my life without tattooing.

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?

My name is Liz Peterson or sometimes just Liz Tattooer. I work as a tattooer based in North Carolina, creating traditional tattoos with Japanese inspired motifs. I entered into tattooing as an apprentice in 2020, leaving behind my work in the music industry after the COVID pandemic. My apprenticeship immersed me in tattoo history and the art of spit shading. I traced historical flash, and I taught myself how to draw. When my mentor gave me my first coil machine, I never looked back.

I approach tattooing as a collaborative effort between the tattooer and the client. I encourage my clients to come to me with a broad vision, and allow me some creative freedom to make the best tattoo for them.

My friends who continued pursuing work in the music industry after I left provide me with some fun opportunities to tattoo them and their bands when they tour through the state. Music and tattooing go hand-in-hand for me, and I love seeing my old friends when they roll through.

Outside of tattooing, I love painting. I run a small art exchange group with my friend, Wes, where tattooers exchange paintings at random every 6-8 weeks based on a given theme. Painting and tattooing are so intertwined for me, as I paint to make myself a better tattooer. Most recently, I painted a mannequin leg and created my own “A Christmas Story” leg lamp, a video of which is still up on my Instagram.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Give your tattooer a little bit of grace. We want the same thing that you do: a good tattoo.

There has recently been an uptick in complaints about tattooers being mean about their clients ideas. While I understand that some of these grievances are valid, sometimes there’s a good reason for our hesitation. If you come to us and ask us for a tattoo that will age poorly or might be better suited as a bumper sticker, it’s our duty to educate you before making it permanent.

At the end of the day, it’s your body and your rules, but I encourage you to listen to tattooers who respectfully urge you to alter your idea. Let’s collaborate on this tattoo, and create a wonderful piece that’s both unique and everlasting.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Spanish, I applied to about a dozen medical schools. My MCAT scores were above average, and my GPA sat comfortably at a 3.5. I wasn’t a star student, but I knew that I was a hard worker. I craved challenge and believed that a career in medicine would satiate that desire.

Every medical school rejected me. After opening my final rejection letter (thanks, Wright State University) I cried in my shower for 3 minutes, since the hot water in my small studio apartment was incredibly short lived. I cried off and on for weeks.

It wasn’t until I was nearly finished with my Master’s degree that I came to terms with what had been obvious all along: I had been running away from art in the pursuit of science. I feared the volatility and unpredictable nature of art, never wanting to become a “starving artist.” I finished my Master’s degree in Biology, and began working in music later that year. It was within the music industry that I felt the fulfillment of creativity. It was within the music industry that I met my tattoo mentor.

I regret that I spent so much time running from art, refusing to acknowledge its ability to sustain me. Art challenges me in ways that science never could. Memorizing tables and charts won’t solve problems for tattooers. Tattooing challenges intuition.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liztattooer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liztattooer
• Other: https://tiktok.com/liztattooer

Image Credits

Hunter Garrett @shotsbyhvnter