Today we’d like to introduce you to Misa Black.
Hi Misa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started hanging around tattoo shops pretty early on in life, but never thought much about becoming an artist myself. During the fall of 2017, I went to a tattoo convention in Montreal that that had some pretty heavy hitters in the industry. The works of art I saw blew my mind and I thought to myself, “I want to learn how to do THAT.”
It took me 4 years of apprenticeships, teaching myself everything I know about drawing, being destitute for years, and having no real interpersonal relationships to finally arrive. It has been a difficult journey with lots of bumps in the road, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all. There were lots of obstacles along the way.
For starters, learning how to be a decent apprentice is HARD and being an agender femme presenting individual did me no favors. On top of learning how to navigate this world, it comes with a lot of financial hardship and emotional turmoil in the beginning.
Being a fresh tattooer during a global pandemic was very trying as well, I didn’t really have much clientele, and walk-ins were not allowed. To attempt to remedy this I would do whatever appointments I did have, and then tattoo people for free/tip only. Sometimes these days would drag on 14+ hours 7 days a week, but to sell yourself and have product of interest you need a portfolio to show.
After a few months into tattooing and hardly even being able to get bills paid the hardwork began to pay off. I started getting actual bookings for custom tattoo work, I started receiving requests for graphic design, selling out of t-shirts and prints, etc.
I truly do not believe this would have occurred if all those hours weren’t spent honing my craft and building up a decent portfolio…
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a tattoo artist and painter. I specialize in illustrative traditional designs with some Japanese influence. Every chance I get I’m constantly learning what I can about design and color. Some people splurge on clothes or other hobbies, for me that’s books. Someone once told me “The key to getting good is to never be good enough. No matter how many years, no matter the achievements.” And I live by that code looking towards a brighter future.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I feel the industry is constantly progressing and growing. More people are getting tattooed now than ever before. I believe any changes as long as they’re left in the hands of people in this industry will only benefit artists and clients.
Contact Info:
- Email: misaxblack@gmail.com
- Instagram: @misaxblack
Image Credits
Justin Reich (@justinreich)
