We were lucky to catch up with Mackenzie Salzberg recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned how to tattoo by doing your typical apprenticeship. I created a portfolio of my art and went into an interview with the owner of a shop. I started my apprenticeship the next week! I spent 6 sometimes 7 days out of the week and many full length days dedicating my time to learning the craft. I started out by just learning how the shop itself ran and then would practice lines and tracing on paper. About a month of that is when I actually started to tattoo. I never got to start on fake skin, I just went straight into tattooing people. I wouldn’t of sped up any part of the process. If anything I wish it took longer for me to become an official artist. Luckily I did have some background knowledge in art, so that does help tremendously with translating to tattooing. But having ALL the knowledge about fundamentals of art would be the best to become the most successful. Once you have that mastered, then learning everything about the fundamentals of tattooing is the next step. The most important part is having the right mentor for you. I struggled with having my mentor be there often, so that made me have to figure things out on my own. I don’t have the experience with having a great mentor, but I just know now that it would of made a huge difference. Luckily now there are a lot of resources online that can help your learning stage as well.

Mackenzie, 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 Mackenzie and I am a tattoo artist as well as a general artist. I got into the industry by doing a 6 month long apprenticeship at a shop in Houston. I work as a tattoo artist Tuesday-Saturday providing my clients their desired tattoos while using the high quality brands of products. I take my clients vision of a piece of artwork they are wanting and I bring it to life. I use my knowledge of the craft to suggest the best design elements, placements on the body, and the right sizing for the tattoo. While I am focused on giving them the best quality tattoo, I am also making sure they have a comforting experience. In this industry, you have to be very trusting, so I make sure to accommodate all needs that my clients have! And also have fun, laugh, and jam out to music! I am proud to say that my clients love coming to me because of how gentle I am. I always get comments saying “wow you have such a light hand” or “it doesn’t even hurt when you tattoo me”. Overall I am so passionate about my art in general, and I think people can see that because I do both tattoos and selling of merchandise of my art! I will always put in my 100% effort into creating great art for my clients!

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

In 2024 economy it is totally understandable that society can’t always support creatives in monetary ways. However there are so many ways you can still support! One being word of mouth. If you happen to just tell your friend/family about the artists you know, then that helps tremendously. Or if you just hear a stranger talking about something they need and you think that artist would be a great fit, then recommending them is so awesome! Another way is through social media! Social media is a great way for creatives work to spread fast. It is as simple as posting their page on your stories or however you like to share on your social media. It is a great way to get more exposure for that artist.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist was the shift in my mental health. Although things can get overwhelming or stressful, I still wake up each morning being so excited I get to do the career of my dreams! It truly feels so unreal. Before becoming an artist I struggled with severe depression, but now my days feel so much lighter knowing I am not stuck at a miserable job that limits my true potential. Also the fulfillment I endure is through the roof. Having people book my art or buy my pieces truly makes my heart feel so warm inside! The fulfillment as well comes from the excitement my clients get whenever they love their body so much more after finishing a piece. The 24/7 artist career will always be worth it at the end of the day!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eccentriccreature.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eccentric._.creature/

Image Credits

self