Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany McCarty.
Brittany, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania and was immersed in artistic influences from early on. As a young child, I would choose a marker and paper over toys any day. My first glimpse of the art of tattooing came when a close family member had invited me into a small studio that they owned and operated as a side job. Naturally, my passion for art sparked a great interest for the craft and I started spending my summers there. It’s wild to think that at the age of 15 I was already on my path to become a tattoo artist. My first experiences in the shop included responsibilities such as booking clients, cleaning the shop, and practicing my drawing skills. Working at the shop was most important but meanwhile, I was juggling a second job at a pizza shop, summer cheerleading camps, and the exciting social life of a teenage girl.
With my goal in sight, I would not allow my busy schedule to cause a bump in the road. Once I graduated from high school I pursued an Associates’ degree in Marketing at a technical school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although my eye was truly set on becoming a tattoo artist professionally, I took the advice of family and friends to prepare a backup plan if I was to ever decide tattooing wasn’t for me. For my final coursework, I convinced my professors to allow me to complete the required business internship at the tattoo studio at which I had previously worked. This then parlayed into my tattoo apprenticeship which allowed me to start tattooing full time in 2012. From there I had the opportunity to work in both walk-in shops as well as run a private studio of my own.
My variety of work environments, colleagues, and artistic influences clarified exactly what I needed in a shop family and I started to seek that out immediately. Having been raised in an area where most of the community settled and started families. I felt boxed in creatively. My desire for artistic inspiration sparked a trip to Georgia to get tattooed by an absolutely amazing female artist by the name of Savannah Colleen McKinney. At the time she had been working at a shop I looked up to for quite some time and I was finally able to experience it myself. With her beautiful and humble spirit, she connected with me and helped me see what I had never really saw before, true passion for the industry. After numerous visits to Ink & Dagger Tattoo not only as a client but as a guest artist, I knew I had found an ideal community of passionate colleagues where I was inspired to grow professionally and artistically.
In October of 2017 Russ Abbott brought me on as a full-time artist and I began the most important chapter of my story. Moving from a small town in Pennsylvania to the big city of Atlanta, I could have never imagined I would end up at this world renounced shop. The most important part of my story is it had only begun there. Recently celebrating two years with my Ink & Dagger family, I have already had numerous doors open. I’ve met countless artists I look up to as well as made some really important connections, growing my small circle of friends into a community filled with others that see the true art in tattooing. In the past couple of years, I have been able to travel to many unique places domestically and internationally.
Last year I made my first international trip traveling to Japan, where I spent time collecting artistic references and exploring the many different temples in all of their beauty. What a special energy I felt during this experience with my colleagues. My most recent trip was deeply moving. In November I traveled to Israel to help with a nonprofit organization by the name of Healing Ink. There I spent over a week fully immersed in the culture and truly getting the enlightenment of a lifetime. The organization has given the powerful opportunity to 100+ victims affected by terroristic attacks to heal through the art of tattooing. This trip alone has shed so much light into my life and will forever change my outlook on what we can do for others. Tattooing is a form of art that has helped countless lives and will continue to do so for years and years to come. That is just a small affirmation of how I am so grateful and proud to be part of this passionate community of artists.
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?
My journey so far has come with many obstacles, large and small. Being a female in a male-dominated industry is one challenge. The industry was like this for much of what we know as the history of tattooing, especially in America. I am blessed to be at a point in my career where I feel I can prove wrong the stereotypical bad guy attitude when it comes to a tattoo artist. We are not all mean, rough, and money-hungry. I care about my clients greatly. Today there are women and men that equally take a softer approach to how we treat those that we are tattooing. This is something that as a woman I feel I possess naturally.
Many generations of female artists have paved the path for what we now see equaling out. I myself am blessed to be surrounded by so many women and allies that are standing up for what is right & equal. It is simply done by supporting each other regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or personal identity. Other obstacles are more based around being part of a community of individuals that come from different places, lifestyles, creative attitudes, and practices. Art can not be put in a box, it spills out over many different spectrums… as do the artists that create it. Working with others and understanding each other can be hard but when faced with a conflicting situation there is one common ground and that is that we all have a passion for what we are creating. That is what really brings us together.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
Ink & Dagger Tattoo is dedicated to innovation and artistry. Our amazing manager Lindsay Ferguson and other support staff members are very knowledgeable and work hard to create an atmosphere that is inviting to anyone that walks in the door, or simply calls in to chat about there ideas. The owner of the shop, Russ Abbott has a brain filled with concepts to continue to make a comfortable environment for all parties involved. I myself take great consideration into preparing my clients for an all-around amazing experience from the moment of coming in for a consultation to the end result they hold forever.
Stylistically most of my work is focused on fine line details with an illustrative approach. I find myself working with a large number of clients seeking a soft and delicate tattoo that compliments the body. Most of which seem to enjoy my passion for floral and organic elements, although I do envision other types of subject matter. Trying to stand out in such a large industry can pose it’s on obstacles at times. I believe that making a connection with each individual I tattoo and bonding with them on more than just the surface sets me apart dramatically. It can be easy to do what a client wants and send them on there way but in my experience learning about each of them and growing with them through the process is a much more rewarding approach.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I really wasn’t that hard to please. I was always finding creative ways to entertain myself. My Mom uses to tell me how she could simply set me in the backyard and I’d just play with the grass for hours. I loved spending time outdoors and my summers played out something like a movie. I would wake up, meet my neighborhood friends on my bike and explore the town until sundown. Living in a small mostly rural area, it was safe to say there wasn’t much that would get me in trouble, and that made it pretty easy to just enjoy being a carefree kid. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for nature and even more for art.
The school I went to growing up didn’t have much of an art program but I pushed myself even though the art classes were not always exciting. As a result, I was always asking for art supplies over toys when the holidays and my birthday came around. My loving family has always supported me even before I decided to take this route in my career. I knew from early on that I was blessed to have that and not once take it for granted. When I think about what makes me who I am today, I look back on moments where I’ve either failed or made a bad decision… and I’ve never looked at those situations as anything but a lesson. It has been consistently important to me to grow and take chances for those are the reasons I am as happy and successful as I am today.
Contact Info:
- Address: Ink & Dagger Tattoo
755 Holcomb Bridge Road, Suite B
Roswell, Ga 30076 - Website: Inkanddagger.com
- Phone: 770-518-4073 (Ink & Dagger Tattoo)
- Email: brittanymccartytattoo@gmail.com
- Instagram: brittanymccartytattoo
Image Credit:
Dillon Meyer, Jeffery McManus
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