Rising Stars: Meet Latricia Horstman of Old Village Plymouth Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Latricia Horstman.

Hi latricia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been drawing or painting.. making art of some kind, my whole life. So i decided to pursue fine art in college. My long term goal was to perhaps be an art teacher. My major was painting and I chose a minor in art history.

That connection to art history lead me to the history of tattooing – specifically American Traditional Tattooing. I ended up seeking out an apprenticeship in hopes of learning all I could about tattooing as a craft and a culture.

I did a traditional two year apprenticeship at a studio in Lansing Mi called Inkporium. When it closed I decided to embark on opening my own studio.

I came to Plymouth because at the time there were no other tattoo shops here. I opened a small one woman studio and very quickly it began to grow. My whole mission was to create a studio that felt safe. Inclusive and focused on the art while paying homage to the history.

We expanded as I added to my staff and eventually ran out of space. We had to seek a bigger building, which is how we got to where we are today!

We purchased our building a few years ago and it is truly like home to a very large and diverse staff. We take immense pride and being nestled in the heart of Plymouth’s Old village. We participate in many of the events and try to support the Old village association as much as we can. I also serve on our cities, Planning Commision and try hard to truly be the change I want to see around me.

Two years ago, my husband and I also went through IVF to have our twin sons. I feel that they have truly been the most wonderful final addition to my life. And raising them in and around the studio and in the Old village has been so far a dream come true.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not always been a smooth ride. Being a woman in a very male dominated industry can sometimes pose challenges. Also being a predominantly queer staff at the Studio can often bring challenges as well. Thankfully, we have really carved out our clientele and created exactly the kind of space we wanted to..

certain things that have affected us over the years created temporary hardships.Being shut down for months due to Covid was hard. But we were able to follow the guidelines and open back up as soon as we were able. I also delivered twin boys over two months early in 2022, and the time that I had to miss work due to being hospitalized, and for maternity also was a challenging experience, but again nothing we couldn’t overcome as a team

I also refuse to run my business with loans. We are debt free over than purchasing our building. so there have been some financial hurdles here and there, but overall we have been able to grow and run a successful business for almost 17 years now.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a young Tattoo, I had two main mentors who Apprentice to me. They really believed that Learning all styles of tattooing would keep me flexible and well-versed. They always spoke of not pigeon, hauling myself into one style or area. Over the near 25 years that I’ve been tattooing that has definitely changed in our craft. Many people choose a specific style and hone that.

I can do anything from bold traditional to portrait work.

Well, I still can tackle many different kinds of styles, I really do prefer American traditional, Neo, traditional, or art Novo illustrative. These tend to be where I focused my efforts. But that doesn’t mean I am above anything, and I will happily do a tiny simple tattoo that comes in!

Aside from tattooing, I also love to paint. My major in college was oil painting, so I still like to get my hands dirty with that. But I also do digital art, and graphic design where needed, as well as watercolor work. Often times you will see me creating prints to resell of my work. We have a lovely space in the studio, where there are paintings for many artists for sale.

As far as what sets me aside from others, I would say that I definitely am able to bring some fine art style and illustrative techniques to my Tattoos, experience, willingness, to always learn new techniques, and the overall vibe of my studio I think lens to the entire experience in the art that you end up, walking out with.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You are never too good to learn new things. Staying humble and grateful goes a long way. keeping a positive Mental attitude is incredibly important as well.

Pricing:

• Our minimum is $150 and it goes up depending on size, detail and placement

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.mylittleneedle.com
• Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/latricia_star
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BzSHp99dS/?mibextid=wwXIfr