We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always wanted a career in the arts.Specifically to go to art school. I have drawn and painted since I was a child. Having my first daughter at 19 and struggling with addiction for years a lot of these things seemed so far out of reach.
I decorated cakes , was a residential and commercial painter, I wore many hats over the years as I struggled to support my 3 girls and finally got clean in 2013.
It wasn’t until I married my husband in 2017 that I realized I could pursue anything. He helped me to chase my dreams even when I was afraid. I was able to quit my bakery job and I picked up my first tattoo machine at home in 2019. I was terrified, and didn’t get serious about it until 2021. I have always loved tattoos was very unsure if I could ever be a tattoo artist, despite how much I wanted to.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

It was in the beginning of 2021 when I went to talk to Scott, the owner of Sugar Daddy’s about learning under him. I showed him my artwork and tattoos I had done at home. He was so kind and gave me a chance. Scott also asked that I stop tattooing at home, which was no problem.
This was a stressful time for me as I continued to waitress at Coyote Bluff the first 6 months . I have learned so much from other artists and and getting tattooed by them as well as from Scott.
At 41 years old I was venturing into a new career and it still seems surreal sometimes. I knew from the jump I wanted to own my own shop. It seemed very far away as I am still my own worst critic. However I am a quick learner and very hard worker so things were moving along. My oldest daughter Savannah began to learn under Scott and myself. It was in spring of 2023 we began loosing for a building to rent and found one. Scott even closed Sugar Daddy’s to come and open Yellow City Ink Lab with me . We were so excited about that. Then Scott passed away in October of 2023. We survived through that and by the grace of God we are thriving.
I love doing all kinds of tattoos from black and gray, color, traditional and fine line , I’ve tried to become well rounded so I’m not just stuck doing one style. I am still learning so much everyday.
I try to create a clean, safe fun environment where we can collaborate with our clients and create fun and beautiful tattoos that will last a lifetime. I have the most amazing clients and am so grateful for everyone that gets tattooed at Yellow City Ink Lab.
We have now doubled in size and have 5 artists, including our apprentice my youngest daughter London and oldest daughter Savannah.
Family has always been important to me so I am blessed to have the girls with me on a daily basis.

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

In my opinion it’s so easy for society to support local artists. You can do the obvious, go get a tattoo ! If you don’t get tattoos buy a shirt , a sticker or a print.
One of the biggest ways to help is by engaging on social media. Just give our work a like or a love, drop a commen, or even share.. You have no ideal how exciting it is for us when you show us your love . Even if it’s as simple as a thumbs up , it helps us grow and get our work out there. It also lets us know you like what we are doing.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The hardest obstacle so far has been losing Scott, my mentor so suddenly and so early on in my career. He had been tattooing for 30 years and was a wellspring of information and inspiration.
So when he suddenly passed just 4 months after opening Yellow City Ink Lab we were shook to the core.
Not a day goes by we don’t speak of him or think of him. We will always hold Scott dear in our hearts . I will be eternally grateful that he gave me a chance and taught me so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yellowcityink.com/