We were lucky to catch up with Violet De La Vega recently and have shared our conversation below.

Violet, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes, I have finally been able to earn a full-time living off my craft. It certainly did not happen overnight; it took many years to earn what most would consider a livable wage. When I first started making a little money, I was about eight months into the first year of my apprenticeship. You don’t make much in those early days. A couple of months after having done my very first tattoo on a living, breathing human, people volunteered their skin as a canvas for my practice. These, in turn, were free tattoos. Eventually, my mentor allowed me to charge $25 for small designs, upon his approval. After a couple of months of trial and error, I was permitted to move on to palm-sized, premade flash (also with his approval) and charge a slightly higher rate. However, this time in my career was not a livable wage. I worked full-time at a local dry cleaners that had opposite hours from the shop, which gave me the leeway to work full-time at both places. My most significant milestone in this process was having the ability to make the same amount of money tattooing as I did at my day job. Being able to quit my full-time job that barely paid my bills (along with many roommates), I started solely tattooing for the same amount of money weekly. This was a livable wage, but far from comfortable. As for something that could have been done to speed up the process, we could all say, “I could have worked harder, drawn more, stayed later, or been more dedicated.” We are all our own worst critics and see the things we could have done better. Personally, I could have done all of that. I think my only regret is not having started my path to tattooing sooner. With more time under my belt, I would be further along in my career than I am now.

Violet, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Violet De la Vega, and I am originally from Southern California. I have lived in Middle Tennessee for many years now and learned to tattoo in Murfreesboro, TN, at Bright Ideas Tattoos under an amazing mentor, John Knox. After a brief introduction that essentially involved me showing up to the shop to hang out and get tattooed, he would often see me drawing at a coffee shop across the street from the studio. One day, he came up to me and said, “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at the shop drawing?” From that day on, I never left the shop. I provide a multitude of services artistically, primarily tattooing, but my artistic ventures range from photography, graphic design, small to large-scale installations, painting, sculpting, etc. With my full-time work, i.e., tattooing, I tend to solve a host of problems for my clients, from covering their bodies with artwork, helping boost self-confidence, creating designs that fit the client’s personal narrative, and scar cover-ups—ranging from cosmetic scarring to burns to self-harm scars. This is quite the process, as it helps distract the eye from those raised areas with tattoos that fit their bodies and personalities. Truly, I believe what sets me apart from others is the amount of care and time I put into my clients. I want to help guide them to their most ideal tattoo experience. I am most proud of the growth I’ve made and continue to make as a lifelong student of tattooing. You never stop learning in this industry, and if you do, your career in tattooing has met its end. For anyone who wishes to get work done by me, I am here for you. I hear you. I see you. You are important to me. There are no stupid questions and no one way to go about things. I offer a space of tolerance and respect for my current and future clients. I am here to give you the tattoo you want or help you acclimate to the process. Tattooing is meant to be a fun, happy experience that caters to each individual who walks through the studio doors.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There has been one piece of work specifically that comes to mind: ‘What if money were no object?’ by Alan Watts. He begins with, “What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you really enjoy spending your life?… If you say that getting the money is the most important thing, you will spend your life completely wasting your time.” The speech goes on to explain that if you are interested in something, there must be others. Once you master your craft, the money will follow. He continues with, “You’ll be doing things you don’t like doing in order to go on living… to go on doing things you don’t like doing… Better to have a short life that is full of things you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way.”These words have resonated with me since the day I heard them. For as cliché as it may seem, I heard this and never looked back. I suppose we all have to hear the things we already know from someone else’s mouth.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There are many different ways to support artists and creatives. The first, which seems very obvious, is to buy their art, get the tattoo, etc. However, not everyone is made of fun tickets (disposable income). There are many free ways to support your favorite artists. The easiest is to engage with their work on social media: share the piece that made you go “Ooooo” to your story, like, comment, and subscribe to their page. If you love the work, show it off to others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @VdvTattoos
• Other: I currently reside, tattooing at Kind Tattoo Parlor in East Nashville.

Image Credits

Remarkable Photography LLC