We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Pam Sanders. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Pam below.
Pam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
One of the most important things I learned for life in general…always listen. Even if someone knows less than you or has less experience, listen to their critique, and try to understand where they are coming from. Second lesson… never take advice or unwanted criticism from someone who isn’t where you want to be. You want the advice from people who have what you want. Find a community of people that know more than you and are willing to tell you what you need to hear and remain humble.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I began tattooing on my husband and friends about 14 years ago and getting into the craft professionally was incredibly difficult. I was able to show my work to an owner of a shop in Mesa, AZ in 2017 and that is where I begun my professional journey in tattooing. There is an entire culture and way of doing things that must be respected and I am so proud of myself for earning that respect from my peers and those I look up to.
I am what most would call a workhorse. If you know me, I have zero quit, and I’m always looking to progress my skills by competing with my art at conventions nation wide and taking seminars to learn new techniques.
The style of tattooing I do is based off traditional values, using a mix of bold lines and thin lines. A lot of my clientele comes to me for my blackwork stipple technique, or my bold colors with a semi-realistic look. I am most interested in any tattoo inspired by nature and of large scale, that way we can take advantage of the space we have for a really impactful piece of art that any person would be happy to wear. I am also studying the traditional Japanese art style of tattooing and that type of work is very exciting to me.
Through this craft I have met the most amazing people; artists and clients. To be trusted with such a permanent mark on someone’s life is not taken lightly and I am forever grateful to those that choose to share their stories and time with me.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
At one point in my career, pretty early on, I had a mentor say that he may have misjudged my talent. He didn’t believe in me, and did not take my side when I had a personal conflict with another artist. It was a difficult time for me because I knew I had it in me. I knew that I was meant for this, but what I realized in that moment is that I wasn’t surrounding myself with the right people. As soon as I was in the right place at the right time, I began growing at a faster pace, and although most of my growth has been self lead, I do feel it is incredibly important to listen to what the criticism was, and to figure out how to better, at all times. At that moment, that mentor had a valid point, I wasn’t great (yet), but I knew I would be, so it was very important to not give in and quit, but to push harder and prove them wrong. And I did just that, and now I work at one of those most prestigious shops in the valley and have created many amazing friendships amongst the tattoo community.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
One of the best things we can do for tattoo artists is to go to an artist that aligns with your vision. Try to ask them to create a design that aligns with their portfolio. By asking an artist to do work that you don’t see within their portfolio would suggest that every tattooer can do it all, and that is not always the case.
If you are serious about the art you put on your body, you should definitely look at the work of many artists to find the right one for you. Make sure their work is clean, solid, beautiful or badass. Make sure you have a sense of their personality so you know who you will be spending a large amount of time with.
In the end we are exchanging energy and you want to align with the person that will inevitably be with you forever. You are gaining an experience and you are putting trust into that artist. Now that you have found the right artist, trust them to design you something amazing. You of course are allowed to request edits or specific factors for your tattoo, but if you like almost everything in that artists portfolio, it is important to realize they know what would look best for your request. Allow the artists to create you something unique, powerful and strong, for the most aesthetically pleasing tattoo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pamsanderstattoo.com
- Instagram: @pamsanderstattoo
