RYLEE HOOPER

I am a 22-year-old tattoo artist from Thousand Oaks, California. I have been an artist ever since I could move my hands. In and out of experiences, both good and bad, I found peace and a form of escape in my art. It was an outlet. Art has given me a lot of my purpose. Seeing the masters from a young age (museums, documentaries, etc.) gave me such a fire under my belly to create. It allowed me to find confidence and my identity. Along with physical artworks, I found artistic expression in clothing, music, and day-to-day interactions. I plunged myself into the real world as soon as I was able. By 18, I was moved out and blindly navigating the chaotic world of Los Angeles. Through my years here, I have seen pain, beauty, expression, and catalysts in their purest forms. I always knew I was going to be an artist in some way, shape, or form. As most artists know, there comes an anxiety with trying to support ourselves monetarily. I was stubborn, however. I refused to settle with the mundane, and I find that continues to be so, even though I feel I have made my dreams come true ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? I find inspiration in many things and many people. I find my biggest inspirations come from the smallest circumstances. Take my best friend, for example, a graduate from OTIS; she continued to follow her own will and continue to use her art to make a living despite the struggle. She keeps me on my toes. My dad is another big one. He has been an artist his whole life as well. He and I would always draw together, and I remember tracing his designs when I was in kindergarten because I wanted to be as good as him ⸺ What is the most important advice you can give someone new to the art of tattooing? With our generation of social media and the age of saturation, it seems really glamorous and easy to step into tattoos, but it is not. I will strongly push new aspiring tattooers to do their research, not stop drawing, and find the right mentor. With this being said, make sure it is so, etching you are willing to absolutely dedicate yourself to 110%. It is not a walk in the park. It is hard work, late nights, stress, and tears. It is the most rewarding thing I believe someone could ever do if they’re ready for it. Do not get discouraged by criticism or rejection. If you truly believe you have it, you will get it. Just work. ✕

Not much to state here. Small town tattoo artist in the middle of nowhere Nebraska...where the tumbleweeds run free and finding cows in your yard is normal. I started this about 6 and a half years ago after gaining a degree and working in the media field for a while... and then realizing it wasn’t cut out for me. So, no better way to make my parents proud than to start tattooing (by the way, they are very proud!) ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? I follow many people on Instagram that seriously inspire me to keep working harder and to become the best artist I can be. Ranging from the stereotypical Ryan Ashley to many others like Cameron Pohl, Stefano Alcantara, Stefan Getty, Paola Meyer, and Stas Gromov ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? My dad, actually. He’s been a teacher for as long as I’ve known my father (lol). And has always been heavily covered! ⸺ Was it hard getting an apprenticeship? How was yours? I actually lucked out in that sense. I had known the previous owner of the shop I now work in. He knew I had some good skills with pencil and paper and wanted me to give it a go. Though I will say, the apprenticeship did suck in the general sense. If I bought the wrong toilet paper, I had to stuff my bra; or one day, they got me drunk and then made me scrub the tile floors while trying not to throw up. You know that kind of stuff... yay me ⸺ Have you ever had a bad tattooing experience, and what was it? Oh God, who hasn’t? You’re really intimate with your client touching their skin. I had one guy one time that was honestly perfectly presentable. Clean and nice...but something felt way off about him. Like I refused to get near him to tattoo (never tattooed with that straight of a back ever!). Once I was done, I asked the other ladies in the shop to see if I was just being paranoid. They laughed and said, “Girl, he gave off the aura of someone who planned to turn you into a skin lamp if he got the chance.” And it was true...I eventually had to kick him to the curb after receiving messages about how much we are “friends.” ✕