Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Lu.
Christine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Art has always been a part of me, and tattooing is my sanity. I remember being in elementary school asking classmates to sit still so I could draw portraits of them.
Throughout my life, I snatched up opportunities that were artistic in nature. After high school, I spent a year and a half at Georgia Tech trying to figure out whether to please my parents and take a tech/medical route or take an art route for myself.
I chose to transfer to Georgia State and follow the one part of me that has always kept me sane. Throughout my college years, I sought after tattoo apprenticeships without success (Tattooing was then, and slightly still is a male-driven industry). And on top of that, my parents were completely and utterly against the idea, equating tattooing with drugs and gang violence.
I enjoyed my time at GSU getting my BFA in drawing and painting. However, those years did not pass without many warnings of the difficulties in choosing art as a career (Career meaning making money of course). After graduating, I was encouraged to find my “artistic style” to get into showing at galleries.
Gallery artwork, to my discontent, was not for me. I despised trying to find a “style” that someone rich would find intriguing, thus resulting in this certain “style” to define who I am as an artist.
After showing in galleries in Atlanta and freelancing (all with no steady income). I felt as if I was at the end of my rope. I was surrounded by successful and failing artists and I wanted neither. As I was giving up hope, my now husband, Jason, introduced me to the owner of Good Clean Fun Tattoo, Dave. I pestered Dave for about 4 years for a tattoo apprenticeship.
Of course at the moment one least expects it, he asked me if I was still interested. I jumped on the opportunity because it was like a life or death situation for me. I fell in love with tattooing just as I envisioned I would. I’ve been tattooing at Good Clean Fun Tattoo since and I’m incredibly grateful to be where I am today. Still sane.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There is no journey that is smooth; some are just bumpier. Finding a balance between what my parents define as success and what I define as success has always been a struggle, not just culturally or monetarily, but also as an individual.
Being an Asian female without the desire to join the technological or medical field is an issue. Perhaps not the issue it used to be, but nonetheless an issue. The tattooing industry viewed me as a goody-two-shoes nerd, who was a weak female on top of that.
The art industry viewed me as an ethnic artist who should be channeling my struggle as an ethnic person in America into my artwork. And the Asian community (family friends and schoolmates) viewed me as some kind of dumb rebel who was going to end up in jail or even worse- very poor. Finding out who I am for myself was quite the journey, and it still continues.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a tattooer at Good Clean Fun Tattoo (owned and founded by Dave). We have been in Gwinnett for 21 years and we are the oldest tattoo shop in Gwinnett County. We do all styles and can work with most any design you have in mind.
Unlike many other shops, we take the aging of your tattoo into consideration when it comes to design. We are honest with all our customers. We will tell you what to expect with your tattoo down the road and what designs will work and what won’t. We also do many custom pieces!
All three tattooers here have great technical skills when it comes to drawing so we can do something that is uniquely the clients.
What were you like growing up?
When I was a young child, I loved recording Dragonball Z episodes on VHS during the summer. My parents would be at work and I would watch Dragonball Z and pause the VHS to draw a certain screenshot. After a few episodes, the table would be covered with Dragonball Z drawings (and spaghettios).
Now when people ask me what my interests are, two things remain constant: drawing and spaghetti.
Pricing:
- Our minimum for tattoos is $60
Contact Info:
- Address: 3725 Hwy 78 W Snellville, GA 30039
- Website: Www.goodcleanfun.net
- Phone: 7709829930
- Email: tattoo@goodcleanfun.net
- Instagram: @gcftattoo
- Facebook: Facebook.com/goodcleanfuntattoostudio
Image Credit:
Jason Belisha
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