Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Kern.
Hi Taylor, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Tattooing successfully as a career was never something I had expected growing up. The whole world of being a tattoo artist (or making any sort of money off art in general) seemed like such a exclusive club and an unrealistic expectation, I never really entertained that idea for myself until shortly before attending tattoo school.
In school, I loved taking art classes. I always enjoyed being creative, and had a pretty active imagination. I gravitated towards anything whimsical or that allowed me to create something with my mind and hands. Drawing and painting especially were my favorite (and still are now when I find the time).
After high school and entering into adulthood, I honestly felt pretty lost. I struggled to figure myself out, and the decision of what to do with the rest of my life felt like so much pressure. I changed my mind about what I was going to pursue in school a lot; vet tech programs, zoology, psychology, teaching, counseling/social work… I ended up just deciding to finish my associates as a transfer degree. I never did decide what to do in college, but that was a sign of what would come later since I obviously am not using that degree for what I do now.
My biggest supporter of throwing myself into art again and tattoo school, was my now husband Bronson. He had been a tattoo artist already for a few years, I got to witness him work so hard to learn to draw and enter into tattoo school himself. He built a business and client base for himself and had such success, I was so proud of him and at the same time pretty jealous! I didn’t think I could do it like he had, and that held me back from trying for a while. Eventually, I knew I had to at least let myself try, and he really uplifted me and guided me through the process. He both inspired and believed in me, that made a world of difference. After about 6 months of tattoo school, I considered myself his apprentice for a year or so even though I was licensed. He taught me pretty much everything I know, and now we get to be a husband and wife duo in our small business and it’s so special. I’ve been tattooing professionally for going on 4 years now, I’ve become a mother, and I still have a lot to learn. Growth and improvement as an artist & business never really stops, but I finally have felt like I really belong and am right where I’m supposed to be.
We presently work out of the back of Lady Luck Vintage Market in downtown Corvallis off of 3rd Street. It such a cool space to be apart of, it’s a community hub for small business and artists of all kinds. I’ve never been a part of something like this before and it’s been really awesome to see both our business and the store grow and change. I’m excited to continue to see where life leads me and my tattooing career alongside my husband and our son, wonderful clients and the community around us.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to tattooing and being a small business owner definitely has been a challenge and still is even now.
It entails a lot of believing in yourself and what you can do, and you have to have a lot of drive, creativity and ambition to work hard at making the lifestyle work for you.
I’ve had to learn to not only draw and tattoo, but I’ve had to learn to run my business selling my skill set as a service. I’ve learned to; design with the human body and skin aging in mind, market myself to the public to get my name and business out there to obtain clientele, scheduling everything myself, constant messaging back and forth with potential clients, become a people person and learn proper beside manner, figure out taxes, find healthcare for myself and family, budgeting in general, and figuring out a work/life balance… It’s very very overwhelming. Doing something like this seems like a no brainer in some ways, being your own boss, getting to do what you love as a job, having full control over your schedule, and those are all amazing perks! But, it’s hard to manage all these things on your own. I struggle with them all the time, and I luckily have a partner who can help me, but most people don’t have that. I also have to juggle being a new mom and that has caused some burnout, and if I don’t have the time and energy to post online, message clients, and schedule my work days then it simply doesn’t get done. There are no sick days or time off without consequence. There’s no one to replace me at work because I am the product that I’m selling.
There’s also a lot going on in the world right now, times are tough for most people. The first thing to go when finances are tight are going to be luxury services like tattoos, piercings, nails, hair, etc.. That has been a major challenge. Being accessible and affordable enough for people to still come get tattooed while making enough money myself is a delicate balance. Especially in a smaller college town with lots of young people wanting tattoos but not being able to afford them. Tattooing is also currently a very saturated market, so if you don’t stand out in some way or get your name out there, the clients that can afford a tattoo will pick someone else to pay for the service instead. And that’s another struggle is having to accept that sometimes, clients will choose to go elsewhere or potential clients will end up never making that appointment you talked back and forth about a ton. People ghost you, cancel on you last minute, and even no call no show. It makes you feel like you’ve failed sometimes and the imposter syndrome can get to you… But you just have to persevere and keep going or it’ll end up dragging you down.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’d describe my tattoo style as black and grey fine line and/or illustrative, that’s the stuff I do best at and enjoy doing the most. Some examples of my favorite subject matter are animals, floral/botanical designs, mythical creatures, knights and weapons, fantasy and fandom characters/motifs, etc.. But, I also love trying new things when I get the chance or getting to do other styles sometimes. It helps me grow as an artist and diversifies my business and makes me able to cater to more clients that way.
I also do what I do well, and I do it clean and professionally. I put a lot of care and consideration into my clients designs, and while tattooing I always do the very best I can and take my time. What I do requires clean and precise line work, and there is of course always going to be room for improvement, but I work hard to provide the best possible technique for the best possible outcome of a tattoo.
When I get new clients who have been recommended to come to me, or have clients who make appointments with me based on my online presence, I most often hear that they came to me specifically because of my quality of work, style, bedside manner/personality, and my pricing. I would say that my pricing coupled with my quality of work that I put out is what tends to set me apart from other artists in the area.
What I’m most proud of so far, is how I’ve stuck with this career even though I have struggled so much, especially the past year or so. Tattooing while pregnant and then coming back from maternity leave were the hardest things I’ve ever done. I’ve had a lot of hard days with burnout and I’m not able to dedicate as much time to my work at home like I used to. I haven’t been able to be as present online as I once was, and that makes it harder to get clients. But I am pushing forward, and I know I’ll find a balance and be able to market myself better the more I try at it.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My husband Bronson is 100% my mentor and biggest supporter. He’s my partner in life and in our business, I couldn’t have done it all without him.
I also would say that the owner of Lady Luck Kate Dillon was a big part of my own success allowing and encouraging us to set up our shop Blank Canvas Tattoo in her store, and welcoming us into the Corvallis community. She’s just a wonderful person and without her I think I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get the clients I have now. Lady Luck provides our business such visibility and draws people in who otherwise would’ve never known about our shop.
I of course would have to thank any and all of our clients who have decided to use their hard earned money to support us and choose to trust and allow us to permanently mark them with our artwork. It’s such a meaningful exchange, and it still baffles me sometimes that I actually get to do this as a job. We of course wouldn’t have anything we do now without the trust our clients have afforded us by getting tattooed.
Last but not least our friends and family have been so supportive and helpful, especially since having our son. I wouldn’t be able to work like I do without paying a ton for childcare or just staying home without their willingness to watch our baby for us. And we of course have a lot of friends and family who trust in us to tattoo them as well, and that means a lot too.
Pricing:
- $100 per hour for custom tattoos
- $75 flat is my minimum (tattoos that take under an hour)
- I offer estimates for tattoos by request
- I offer discounts from $25-$100+ off for certain design prompts
- I give clients a referral discount up to 25% off for sending more clients my way
Contact Info:
- Website: TaylorKernTattoo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tay_thetatbrat?stkn=ZG5ueXhobnM2Z3Jv&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/bronsontheblank?stkn=MTB6aXprZzVqemRjOA==
