Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meghan Mayhem. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us 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.
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was when I decided to step outside of the conventional and follow my dreams to become a tattoo artist. I grew up with a passion for the arts but spent my late teens and early twenties living hand to mouth, working dead end jobs and spending a couple of years trying to find my way through college. Majoring in everything from IT to disel automotive and minoring in my own personal addiction. I believed what other people told me – being a full time artist wasn’t a sustainable career choice. One day I woke up and asked myself “Am I happy?” I could answer that in a heartbeat, “No.”
So I changed my perspective, if I could be satisfied living like I had for so many years isn’t it worth risking everything on the chance to be happy? I got clean. I started putting myself out there. After a year, I found a tattoo apprenticeship. It wasn’t ideal, I had two jobs and my apprenticeship working 7 days a week. My tattoo teacher was an unsavory character prone to narcissistic tendencies. Spending every last penny to pay for my supplies and the privilege to learn the art of tattooing; every night working on my art. After two years of grueling nonstop work, I was hired as a full time artist at a new shop! Shortly after I moved out on my own for the first time in my life. It’s been a treacherous climb to chase my dreams, but I couldn’t be happier with the view from here.
Meghan, 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 like to think I work in the realm of “Body Positivity”. Tattoos say so much about a person. From beautification to a chance to share your story to the world, we wear our art with pride. Whether my clients are looking to aquire their first tattoo or their fifteenth, I see it as my personal responsibility to make sure they’re happy with what they see on their body every day. I think the most important role I can play with a potential client is to be honest with them. I am here to do my very best for each and every person sitting in my chair, and that begins by building trust.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Even in a world full of technology and social media, I believe the best way of growing your clientele is word of mouth. When you are good at what you do, your clients do a lot of the work of spreading the word for you.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Never settling for mediocrity. Always pushing myself to be better than I was yesterday. Overall being a perfectionist, which hasn’t always been healthy for my mental status, but it’s a balancing act I continue to strive to be better at and I know my clients appreciate it in the end.
Contact Info:
- Website: SarenityTattoo.com
- Instagram: @megwaitattoos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MegwaiTattoos?mibextidu=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Photo of myself working from https://www.instagram.com/marketinked?igsh=MWprdnNtNjAyNHk5aQ== All other images taken by myself, Meghan Mayhem