We were lucky to catch up with Yvonne Byers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Yvonne, 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?
You always hear the phrase “starving artist” but being a tattoo artist, I feel like I’ve found a way to deviate from that stereotype. I definitely had to grow into that mindset, as I was once stressing my body out doing landscaping for several years and working so hard just to scrape by. Though I loved working outside I had to shift and finally quit my full time gardening job not knowing what I would do next, but I just knew I had to focus on art.
Not a month later, with the help of fellow artist Taylor Reinhold, I landed a position as a tattoo artist at Good Omen Tattoo in Santa Cruz. Sure, I had a background in Science Illustration but without the trust, support and confidence in me from the owners of the shop, Tim and Aaron, I wouldn’t be where I am today. At first my parents didn’t seem too enthralled in my career choice, as both of them suggested other options. I, too, have questioned my path. But now, back in my hometown of Ocean Beach, with the trust, support, and confidence of myself and my family, I am now tattooing at Chapter One Tattoo. It’s such a pleasure to be creating and interacting with such a rad group of humans and I feel lucky every day that I get to make art that helps people feel more comfortable in their own skin.
Yvonne, 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 Yvonne Byers and have spent equal parts of my life in San Diego and the Bay Area (with sprinkles of Hawaii in the mix). After high school in San Diego I moved to San Francisco where I recreated my sense of self and became enamored with the botanical world. Seeing life through the lens of nature gave me greater purpose but all too often I would get conflicted by my city life and the desire to just run away to the woods as Henry David Thoreau had done. After college I found a means to run away within the city limits: by being a gardener. If it weren’t for my co-worker, Nina, who taught me how to tattoo in her room on a rainy work day, I wouldn’t be where I am today. From gardener to science illustrator to gardener again and then finally to tattoo artist I find that my path is a meandering one but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Through learning about ecology, I have found that everything is interconnected and I am made up of all the aspects of my life- good and bad, difficult and easy, beautiful and ugly. I get to put meaningful art on people’s bodies, hopefully helping them in some way feel more like themselves. Tattoos are truly pictures that say 1,000 words whether they have meaning in the moment or develop meaning over time. I try to give my clients a safe, fun, and enjoyable experience because the tattoo is painful enough. I focus on nature and botanical designs that compliment the body as well as tell a story. In the past, tattoos have been an emblem representing an undesired life or lifestyle, but now as more and more people from all walks of life get tattooed I feel lucky to be a part of changing that narrative to a more positive and purposeful one.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Last summer I went to Ireland where I saw Thundercat, Anderson Paak, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers play. All in all, it was an epic show and afterward I had an epiphany: all the artists were doing what they love, to the best of their ability, giving it 150%. At the time, I was contemplating what to do with my life and it was in that moment I fully committed to doing art, no matter what it may be. From then on I decided that my purpose in life is to create, whether it be painting or tattooing or making clay figurines, I just have to create – anything. It took long enough but after 31 years of life I feel so stoked to get to be an artist. This newfound vision was truly and eye opener and it’s now my goal to always create and to remember everyday to give 150% in whatever I do.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Managing my mental health has probably been the most difficult thing in being a creative. I once thought that I had to struggle and feel pain in order to create amazing works of art, or to gain inspiration. But that is far from true. There are several books that I’ve read that have positively impacted my life, specifically You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. All of these books are about finding your true path and true self and expressing your true self to the highest possible degree. I’ve found that the process is continuous and will always be a work in progress but by focusing on a happier and healthier lifestyle through mainly Buddhist ways of living I have been able to find more creativity, inspiration, and tenacity for my work.
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Image Credits
Chris Gardner