Today we’d like to introduce you to Frankie K. Laguna.
Hi Frankie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been an artist all my life. Truly. In elementary school, I would constantly get in trouble for drawing when I should have been paying attention to my lessons. When paper became too restrictive, I started to draw on furniture, my clothes, walls, and eventually, myself and my friends. I remember coming home one day covered in Sharpie marks; my mother was not happy. I remember her saying something along the lines of “Are you trying to be a tattoo artist? That’s no job for a girl. There’s no money in it, and people with tattoos are all criminals.” I come from a conservative Asian background, so this type of reaction wasn’t new to me. But this was my first time learning about tattoos, thus igniting that hunger. As I got older, I began obsessing over everything tattoo-related. The culture, the history, the art; all of it. I knew that I wanted to be a part of it; it had to be. Fast forward about two decades, I find myself living my childhood dream. All of those hard years of being told “you don’t have what it takes”, I finally found a shop that fought for me to be in this industry. Without Empire Arts Gallery, I would probably still be stuck working a job I despised.
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?
I went through several years of being pushed in other directions, both by family and friends, but I always came back to tattooing. My journey as a tattoo artist has been long and grueling. It’s no secret that being a femme makes it almost impossible to breakthrough in this industry. I went through several awful apprenticeships before I landed at Empire Arts Gallery. This shop, being all femme-owned and operated, had no hesitation in giving me a chance. I had just left an apprenticeship that was incredibly toxic, male-dominated and centered around all of the negative stereotypes in the tattoo industry. I was so close to giving up, coming to the conclusion that I just wasn’t meant to be a tattoo artist. But the day I interviewed with Brandi and Malia, it all started to finally come together. I found an artistic home that gave me the space, love, and support to finally start growing as an artist.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Empire Arts Gallery is an all-femme-owned and operated tattoo shop in Kirkwood (Atlanta, Georgia). There are currently six tattooers, including me. Not only are we a tattoo shop, but we are also an Art Gallery, as well as an art boutique. Brandi and Malia, both having been in the industry for nearing on two decades, came together and created this space after enduring years of abuse in the industry. Brandi runs the art gallery side of Empire. She works relentlessly to ensure that the local art scene is uplifted by featuring all local artists in the gallery each month. Malia curates all local art and wares in the boutique. We have a semi-monthly pop-up market where any and all artists are welcome to shop, sell, and express art. This space truly could not exist without either of them. Together, they built an “Empire” (pun intended) that stands as a pillar in the community. Along came Jessica, me, Hannah, and now we have Christine. We each bring different styles of art in all different mediums. Many of us are painters and graphic artists as well, with backgrounds in fine art. We pride ourselves in being an inclusive and safe space, whether you’re here for permanent art on your skin or not.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I never gave up. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely come close, but I just kept pushing. In this industry, you have to eat, sleep, breathe, and bleed art. My drive and hunger for my dream made me fight for my rightful spot as a tattoo artist. I fought hard and forced myself to keep going every time I got knocked down. My resilience brought me here, luck and wonderful people kept me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empireartsgallery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fkl.designs?igsh=MWRxeXQzZnoyenE5dA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empireartsgallery
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@empireartsgallery?_t=8mg4ZpoqzYE&_r=1
