Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Sartain.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The story of Tit 4 Tat Tattoo Studio Inc started in ’07 when I finally found the career I had always been searching for!!! After exploring dozens of different jobs in different industries I felt like I hadn’t found that right fit yet!!! As life went by I drew up a few “tattoo” designs requested by family n friends, expecting they would need some adjustments before becoming a beautiful tattoo!!! But when they were done without any changes needed I thought maybe this was something worth lookin into!!! After months of harassing the artist I wanted to learn from with drawings and requests he finally saw my determination and gave me a shot!!! As he was a true artist with a focus on sanitation and hygiene I knew I was in the right hands to help me see what I could achieve!!! Almost 20 years later and I have NEVER questioned my decision to follow my heart and strive to use the skills I have mastered!!! And the bonus of having my wife blossom in the same industry, allowing us to pool our dreams and create a vibrant and unique place that allows us to find our best selves is all I could have ever hoped for in life!!!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Becoming a tattoo artist and a business owner was no easy fete!!!! From the beginning of my career I went the hard route!!! As a woman in a man’s industry there was already alot of resistance in obtaining the opportunities 1 needs to advance their skills!!! After having a very thorough and concentrated education in the safety and application of tattooing, I found myself missing the shop experience needed to get a job!!! I was given an opportunity to cross the country to find a shop that was willing to give me a chance and I dove right in head first!!! I was blessed to have the support of my parents who encouraged me to expore this unique path, but I found the strength to actually do it from the willingness of my now wife who joined me in the adventure!!! And with the exposure out there, she was able to explore her interest in piercing abd saw her talents thrive, which was it’s own struggle as she suffers a medical condition that, at the time, made it look like she would never be able to find a job that was physically manageable let alone 1 that would provider her with such pride and excel so exceptionally at!!! After getting our experience out there we headed back home where we always hoped to reside, but I still struggled to find a place that fit me!!! Even in an industry full of bold personalities and strong opinions I seemed to stand out with my unwavering passions and drive!!! I didn’t want to just give people the same tattoos day after day just because they would pay for them. I wanted to create custom pieces of art that embody the client’s personality and spirit perfectly, for a lifetime!!! I didn’t want to feel like they settled for less then that, and I didn’t want to feel ill prepared and take the chance that the tattoo the client received was anything less then perfect!!! My whole tattoo opinion is that they are an expression of one’s self that last FOREVER and should be respected as such!!! I want to know a tattoo inside and out before the 1st poke of the needle to ensure that they will get everything they wanted and more no matter what unexpected factors may try to impose!!! I want to make sure that every client loves their tattoo and their body for their lifetime and not just for now!!! That does take time, and with time being money most studios are more interested in just gettin people in and out!!! So at the end of 2013 my wife and I decided we should try to do our own thing our own way, which felt like an insane decision in itself!!! The planning, funding, designing, construction abd handling every big and small problem was handled and accomplished by us personally!!! From ceiling to floor, front to back we put our personal touch into every nook and cranny of our studio, no matter what additional challenges threw themselves in our path!!! Namely, Amanda’s (my wife) mom was in a horrible car accident weeks into our build, which required us to spend our days tending to her needs and leavin our construction for evening and nights only!!! Then a month or so later, in the middle of building walls and creating the main layout, my dad discovered he needed a triple bypass!!! As our main building guide, his temporary absence put all the carpentry solely on us, but we persisted and opened in 2014!!! Our opening didn’t end our struggles!!! As a lesbian owned and operated business we were vandalized immediately following our 1 year celebration and spent a whole day scraping and scrubbing the hateful things spray painted on the front & back of our business!!! We were able to pick our heads up and move on afterwards with the support and love from our family and clients, though since we were still a new business just a year in it was extremely difficult!!! Having never found a “home” prior to this neither of us had a vast clientele base and it was scary to see if we could establish a foothold and find our place!!!! Making it through was exhilarating, but 2020 definitely didn’t help!!! Being an industry that was hit exceptional hard with the restrictions for Covid… we felt like our future was all but taken away from us!!! Determined to survive, and again with the support of family and clients we pushed through all the new requirements and policies and found the light on the other side!!! The world was different, but having all crawled through the trauma of a worldwide pandemic we had hope for the future!!! And we continue to hold onto that hope even through the struggles of a floundering economy and a less then uplifting political climate!!! As life continues to surprise us with the challenges it throws our way, we will continue to push through the obstacles the world has and hopefully find our strength and place on the other side!!! In a beautiful, inclusive, joyous, colorful world that allows everyone to shine and thrive!!!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We offer custom tattoos and piercing with precision skills and extensive safety!!! As a tattoo artist, I am known for my crisp and delicate linework, but I specialize in creating unique and beautiful designs that fit my clients body and soul!!! As the piercer, my wife, Amanda, is known for her patience and calm confidence easing even the most unsettling nerves, but she specializing in educating every client to ensure that they receive not only the piercing they WANT but the piercing that will sparkle for their lifetime!!!
What sets us apart is our passion and dedication to our clients longterm success and happiness!!! We put every bit of thought, care, consideration and forethought into each and every procedure we do!!! From start to finish, our priority is to provide them with a beautiful piece that accents them and lasts a lifetime!!! At times it feels like we care more then our clients do, but we definitely can’t care less because they have to live with it and everybody deserves no less then that!!!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most of our clients would be surprised to hear that as inclusive, respectful humans who try to always put our best foot forward, most would be surprise to hear that someone was so displeased with our policies to spew such ugly and disgusting things!!! I know we were!!!
On a more personal note, we like to create a fun photo-op in our favorite bathrooms!!! Some of our most memorable pictures ever from both our wedding and our business are in bathrooms and the backdrop just makes the photos!!!
Pricing:
- Tattoos are charged at an hourly rate
- Piercing prices include the services as well as implant grade titanium jewelry
- Prices are subject to change
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.tit4tattattoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tit4tattattoo
- Facebook: Https://www.faceboom.com/tit4tattattoo
- Twitter: https://x.com/Tit4TatTattoo
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/Rd3Z_VqcZG
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Tit4TatTattoo
