Retirement Rumors

It’s been a wild ride tattooing for the past 10+ years. I’ve sacrificed my time, energy, and both mental and physical health in the pursuit of my passion for tattoos and art. Some of you may have noticed last year that I announced my impending retirement from the field on Instagram. I am here to address these rumors and clarify the news so you don’t have to panic!

Tattooing began as a passion project for me. I had never imagined myself as a tattoo artist and it wasn’t really a job option for me growing up. I taught as an English teacher for almost 10 years and loved what I did, but eventually was disillusioned with the career as a whole. It was a ton of hours for very little monetary reward. My students were the only reason I kept going for so long. The way their faces would light up when they finally grasped a difficult concept and how excited they’d be to show me their grades truly inspired me day to day. But as I grew apart from teaching as a job, I sought out other options that would allow me to thrive in both a creative and client-facing role. That’s when I found tattooing.

I began tattooing with a traditional apprenticeship: first at Jing’s Tattoo in Flushing, NY and then another year at West 4 Tattoo in NYC. From there I grew and threw myself into an industry that met all my needs. I got to meet so many amazing people from all sorts of backgrounds while giving them a lifelong piece of art. Years of this work has embedded tattooing as an integral part of my personality and life.

After over a decade of working in this industry in various roles (tattooing, teaching, running a business), I’ve become burnt out. I feel that I’ve plateaued both creatively and technically, and I want to return the basics to grow in both respects. Anyone who knows me personally will attest to my need for constant growth and exploration - and I feel that I haven’t had that with tattooing in quite a while. So in order to re-inspire and ignite my passion and growth, I will be reducing the amount of time I spend taking appointments.

I’ve also begun taking classes to transition into a different field for financial purposes. My hope is to eventually become a nurse. I’ve always admired those in the medical profession and how they truly do good for their community. I was inspired by a handful of my close friends who currently work as nurses, doctors, and PAs to begin this shift in career and I want to make them (and myself!) proud.

That being said, I will now only be taking appointments for returning clients or those referred directly by previous clients. This will go into effect January 2026, so anyone who emails me by December 31st 2025 will be considered a “returning” client for future bookings. Anyone who is not a returning client must be referred by someone I have tattooed (you can indicate this in your booking inquiry email by providing their name). If you’ve signed up for my email updates and have not been tattooed by me before, you will still be able to book appointments with me. *Please note: It doesn’t hurt to reach out anyway if you are not a returning client or have a referral. I may make time for new projects that may pique my interest.

I will slowly be phasing out my availability over the next few years in order to direct most of my focus on my career change and also to spend more time finding my creative spark again. I truly appreciate each and every one of you for supporting me throughout this experience and for being my biggest cheerleaders through thick and thin. For the latest news please check back to my blog posts and sign up for email updates. Thank you for an amazing journey thus far!

Love,

JK