Today we’d like to introduce you to Aleah Safago.
Hi Aleah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been an artist in many mediums like painting, drawing, sculpting and embroidery. I went to school for illustration at NMC, around the same time my husband joined the Air Force and was stationed in California. I was getting tattooed a lot in college, drawing my own tattoos and tattoos for my friends, and when I got to California I felt that it was the perfect opportunity to learn to tattoo. I got an apprenticeship at a shop just a few blocks up from the ocean where I learned for 2 years, then spent 8 months tattooing in Texas, and then 3 years in Alaska. Tattooing in so many different places taught me a lot of different perspectives very quickly. Finally, my family moved back to Michigan and settled in Cadillac here where we grew up. I’ve now been tattooing here for the past 4 years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While I was in college I was getting tattooed by someone who had been in the industry for quite a while. He seemed to be a bit jaded by the industry. I asked him what it was like to be a tattoo artist and he straight up told me that women don’t make it in tattooing without doing things they don’t want to do (if you catch my drift). That was extremely off-putting, and discouraged me for a little while, but once I moved out of northern Michigan I realized that wasn’t true. There are and were plenty of women in the industry that do amazing work and got to where they were just like anyone else did. It just goes to show there will always be people around you that aren’t on your team, but if you stick it out and work hard for it most people will be on your team.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m most known for my illustrative style work with fine lines and details. I specialize in storybook style illustration and plants and animals.
Nowadays tattooing is extremely popular and there are artists everywhere, offering niche styles and aesthetics. With the advancements and popularity of the internet, many artists cut corners by tracing other tattooers work, using designs ripped from Pinterest/Instagram, or even using AI to generate their designs. There are a lot of tattooers out there that know how to tattoo, but don’t necessarily know how to do art and view tattooing as quick and easy money.
The way I was trained to tattoo was old school- printing images off the computer, sizing them with the printer if needed, and tracing them with pencil on a huge lightboard. Composition took time and much trial and error. Today I use my iPad to finalize designs, but my designs almost always start with a sketch on paper. Doing it this way keeps me loose and while stenciling clients I’m able to draw directly on them to fill in the blanks if needed. I sometimes will draw an entire design directly onto my clients. Keeping the art alive in tattooing is what I try to do and I think my clients see that in my work!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you’re wanting to be a tattoo artist, ask yourself why. Do you want to do it to fulfill yourself in creating, or do you want to do it because you see how much money can be made? Do you respect the craft, the dedication and years needed to do nice work, or do you think it’s something easy you can learn from watching YouTube or Tiktok?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Artbyaleahsafago.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botanicalteepee
