We recently connected with Reilee Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Reilee thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I don’t quite remember the exact moment I knew I wanted to pursue an artistic path professionally, but I had known for awhile into my dental assisting career that it was not going to fuel me creatively and I wasn’t going to feel fulfilled. I come from a family of doctors and dentists so to my knowledge that was the only way to make a decent living. I quit college after about a year and a half to try to discover myself and what I wanted as career, and not what everyone around me was telling me I should do. I quickly realized school was not for me and I felt I would thrive more in an environment when I could potentially be my own boss. I have always been very artistic and creative since I was a child but it was never something I thought I could turn into a successful career, so I didn’t put much time and energy into that side of myself after high school. As a young child I always enjoyed artistic activities such as painting and drawing, and as a teen I very much enjoyed ceramics and painting. After moving home during the pandemic I decided I wanted to start trying different avenues for careers and see what I enjoyed. I was planning on trying many different avenues with my first one being tattooing. I found the Tiny Tat Club back in 2020 and took my first course January of 2021. I quickly realized I had a love for tattooing and creating and began putting all of my energy into practicing my craft. 2 and a half years later I am tattooing full time and I couldn’t be happier.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I began tattooing in January of 2021 and was taught by Sydney Cornforth (Tiny Tat Club). I learned to tattoo in a more unconventional way, where I took a beginner class that taught me the basics and became self-taught from there. Since then I’ve taken other advanced courses and shadowings and learned from many other artists. I began my career in Salt Lake City, Utah and have since moved to Arizona June of 2022. I began tattooing learning the fine line style, and will most likely never venture out of fine line. I love the style and technique of fine line, and how beautiful and feminine it is. As I’ve been tattooing longer, my style within fine line has changed. I prefer to tattoo small detailed pieces with shading and texture, along with large florals. After moving to Arizona I grew a passion to help others learn the art of tattooing and created New Era Tattoo Academy. I am so grateful that I was able to have a foot in the door in this industry and wanted to create the same opportunity for others.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The tattooing industry can sometimes be difficult to feel or create a sense of community, especially within the fine line community specifically. I believe changing the mindset in tattoo culture will only benefit yourself and the community. Supporting artists around you, sharing information instead of hoarding it, and creating a community will only thrive the tattoo culture. Viewing peers and resources and friends even over competition. It’s very easy to get caught up and feel like other around you in this niche industry are competition, when in my opinion it is the exact opposite. Everyone has something different to offer in this industry.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Authenticity is key when it comes to social media. You want your audience to follow you for YOU, and not some fabricated version of yourself. I do believe it is important to turn your business into a brand. Everything in my brand has intention and meaning, all the way down to my colors, fonts, and name. The word “Vixen” means a strong and confident woman, and I try to emulate that in every part of my brand. I want my clients to look at my Instagram and feel like they’re stepping into my studio. I want them to come in and leave feeling their most confident and sexy self. I personally prefer to make my brand and my social media about my art and my craft, and not about me. I want clients who want me for my art and my skill. I believe it is important to emulate what you want as your ideal clients into your brand, something I was taught from Sauce Media, who has had a huge part in my brand. Staying true to yourself and your brand will only bring in authentic and real clients and followers.

Contact Info:

• Website: vixeninktattoos.com
• Instagram: @vixeninktattoos / @neweratattooacademy
• Pinterest: @vixeninktattoos

Image Credits
photos by Christina Lindstrom, @starynight_photography on Instagram (my computer isn’t letting me upload additional photos, is there a way I can just email them to you?)