Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Rioux. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melissa, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Helping people feel better in their bodies is the most amazing thing I can do for someone and people come to me for all sorts of reasons when it comes to things they don’t like about their skin. You can cover just about anything with a tattoo, and covering scars is something I do a lot of and enjoy very much. A particular client named Kay sticks out in my mind, she was a double mastectomy cancer survivor with a very large scar across her whole chest that twisted quite a bit on one side. She had issues with implants so she had none, along with no nipples. She was very committed to covering her whole chest with a bright, colorful phoenix of her choosing. After a few sessions, now the proud owner of a beautiful chest tattoo instead of scars, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said “thank you so much Melissa, I don’t think I’ll ever wear a shirt again!” I knew that I had helped to change her whole life just by helping her overcome an insecurity and turning a painful memory into something she was proud of…I feel lucky to be able to do this for people.

Melissa, 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 am Melissa Rioux, I am a tattoo artist/ business owner/custom painter! I have been tattooing half my life (20 years) and painting the rest of it, I honestly don’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t creating something. I enjoy art in all forms and mediums, but tattooing is definitely a favorite. I have such a huge respect for the industry and the clients as well. Creating unique art for people and helping them feel better in their bodies is a true passion for me and I am constantly trying to push myself to be a better artist, yet remain humble with my clients. I keep myself up to date with all the proper safety training and own a private studio where people can really relax into their tattoo experience. I specialize in many areas, including cover ups, scar covers, fine line/detail work and traditional tattooing.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Women have not always been welcomed in tattooing and I remember looking for a job once and having the owner of the shop look me in my eye and say “we don’t hire women here”…. so, I think if you can’t find a good place to work, you make one. I opened my first tattoo shop after that.

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

Don’t price haggle. Honestly. I understand and respect that everyone has a different budget but if you like an artist’s work, please respect the time and effort and unseen material and training costs (etc) that goes into producing their craft and save your money if you can’t afford them outright. Please don’t ask them to lower their price, or change their schedule, to accommodate you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Melissa_rioux_tattoos

Image Credits
Melissa Rioux