Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Willingham.
Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My tattoo career started in Canton, Ohio when I was 19. I loved tattoos but I can’t say I ever thought about doing them. I really just stumbled into the industry. I started piercing at a pretty low-end studio simply as a part-time job while I attended the University of Akron. During that time, my boss encouraged me to try my hand at tattooing and it seemed fun so I went for it.
At school, I was changing my major constantly but my focus was always on art and I knew I was in love with painting, but I had little confidence I could find a career in that. After a few years of changing majors and tattooing part-time, I realized I actually really enjoyed tattooing and already had a foundation there so I dropped out of college to tattoo full time. During all of this, I was still always painting for my own comfort. It both relaxed and excited me! I had tried selling paintings at several different points in my life however it never really went anywhere until recently.
I find it difficult to write about my work right now without mentioning the current COVID-19 pandemic considering the impact it has had on our lives and careers. Tattooing isn’t something we’re able to do and still maintain social distancing so I haven’t been tattooing since early March of this year. Most of the industry is working again to be fair however I am an extremely paranoid germaphobe so going back to work in the middle of a pandemic just isn’t an option for me. So, I knew I needed to be looking for other sources of revenue during this time and found I was finally able to make painting a full-time job. I’ll of course, return to tattooing after this but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited and hopeful for a future painting regularly.
Has it been a smooth road?
Yes and no. I was pretty naive when I found my way into the industry and I was starting in truly terrible shops which naturally landed me in some rough situations. There was absolutely no structure to my apprenticeship so it was really difficult to get a grasp on tattooing plus the people I worked around were not a very safe crowd to put it lightly. However, even still, it’s really hard for me to complain about any of it because I had an amazing support system in my friends and family to fall back on if I ever needed to. A lot of people had it far worse than I.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I specialize in anime painting and tattooing. Being able to take anime, something I love and enjoy so much and make it my entire career is like a dream. It’s the absolute most fun and fulfilling thing in the world. Anime has become a huge part of tattooing in recent years, it’s basically become a subculture of tattooing so it’s hard to really stand out among so many incredible artists. Painting still doesn’t have a huge anime community yet though but it is growing. I still find it really difficult to evaluate myself or find something that sets me apart from others. I just try to make every piece I do as fun as I can!
I’m probably most proud of being able to share that joy and excitement with others. The world can be a pretty bleak place, and most of us are just struggling to get by. Anime, manga, and video games are away for a lot of us to sort of tune out some of that. It may sound silly to some, but life can be so heavy and being able to share childhood nostalgia or new found love for these characters with others is just fun, and in some ways even comforting. To have the opportunity to give someone a piece of art, in any medium, that makes them feel genuinely happy when they look at it is something I will never take for granted.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I’m a true introvert so I can’t really say I have a ton of opinions on Atlanta considering I spend most of my time home. I really do love how eclectic Atlanta is though. I personally find that diversity to be extremely inspiring. Plus, I’m someone who goes through pretty dramatic phases of interest and I’ve found our city to always have a place for me.
I don’t really dislike much about Atlanta. It’s more once you step outside of the city I’m not fond of. It can feel like stepping into the 1950s in some areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicolewillingham.com
- Email: nicolewillinghamtattoos@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicole_willingham_
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