ISABELLA.INK

5 Years

Tattooing

Milton, ON Location

Independent Artist

Black and grey Realism Specialty

@Isabella.ink Instagram isabella.inkbookings @gmail.com

Isabellachaves .com

I am relatively new to tattooing and have been apprenticing at Art & Soul in New Glarus, WI. It’s truly been a dream come true and feels surreal. I studied art and elementary education at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and never thought I would get the opportunity I had with the shop. Getting to tattoo someone is more than just ink and skin; you’re a friend, a therapist, and everything in between. It’s a level of trust between the client and artist that, in the end, makes for beautiful art and a lifelong moment. Our shop is owned by Beth Speer, who also has a shop in Florida, Washed Ashore. It means the world that they took me in and helped me further my career, they became my family, and I’m very happy to be learning from them all. Tattooing is more than a job to me; it’s something I’m passionate about, and I am happy to be able to be where I’m at in my career ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? The clients. I feel as though we’ve made the shop a place for people to be at home. Sometimes I’m just working with them on a tattoo, and sometimes I’m a therapist. Giving people the space to be themselves, to vent, to talk about life, and leave feeling happy with the experience and the art is my favorite part. You’re not only the clients’ artist but their friend too ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? I submitted applications to multiple shops for an apprenticeship position. I started getting discouraged because not many shops around me were willing to take on apprentices. I heard about Art & Soul and decided to try again. The next day I got an email from our owner Beth. She sent my information over to Erik, and I met with him in person and started the apprenticeship later that week. With previous experience, they had me bring in friends for me to tattoo so they could see my technique, and I was able to begin booking very early on. I can’t ever express enough to the whole team how much this opportunity means to me. They’ve become my friends and family, and I’m thankful to be able to work in the shop among such talented artists. While I still have much to learn, I’m happy it’s at Art & Soul ⸺ HWhat is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? Practice using different styles for your art. Be flexible and take advice and criticism; it will help you grow and learn more as you go on. Don’t be discouraged, do your research, and ask artists how they got into tattooing and their experiences, and you’ll learn a lot. ✕ justanotherhitw