Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Benedetti.
Hi Victoria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a Portland, Oregon native and have been an artist all of my life. I’ve found self-expression and fulfillment, insight into myself and others through art, and more importantly, a way to be of service in the world. Art has always been a sanctuary for me, a place to find happiness, refuge and unity.
I have a bachelors degree in graphic design from Portland State University and twenty years of commercial advertising experience. Over the years I have enjoyed mastering many kinds of artistic media, including paper making and jewelry. I have exhibited my work in fine art and craft galleries. For the past twenty one years, I have been a tattoo artist.
I became interested in tattoos many years ago now, when I received my first tattoo. It seemed to be the perfect blend of commercial and fine art and I thought the whole experience was pretty amazing. After attending Burning Man for the first time in 2003 and after I got back from an epic trip to India, Nepal and Tibet in 2004, I decided to see if I could help other people as well as myself through art somehow. I wanted to do it in a more direct way than through graphic design and advertising; maybe tattooing was the next vehicle to explore. So I started my apprenticeship in 2005 with Dustin Ranck when he owned Icon Tattoo here in Portland, and stayed at Icon for awhile after I got my license in 2006. Then I worked at another tattoo shop, and in 2010 I opened up my own private tattoo studio in SE Portland, Floating Lotus Tattoo Studio. I’ve been tattooing ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, it’s been a huge amount of work, but I love it. Tattooing is very difficult in many different ways, quite challenging as an art form, much less a business. When they hear that I am a tattoo artist, people ask me what’s the hardest part of what I do and I have to say it’s that I can’t control the canvas, lol. People have their own ideas about getting a tattoo and they are not always correct. I would say that the most difficult thing is that people don’t listen, are not patient with the process and can be belligerent and intractable. Now that anyone can leave a nasty review on the socials, even if they are not actual clients, it’s harder than ever– but it is still worth trying to help people with tattoos, which I feel is my calling.
We’ve been impressed with Floating Lotus Tattoo Studio, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My tattoo studio is called Floating Lotus Tattoo Studio, located in SE Portland Oregon, and I’ve been tattooing for twenty one years. I am conversant in almost every tattoo style but am probably best known for my cover up work– old tattoos and scars of all types–it’s a specialty of mine. I make a real effort to really listen to people and will spend as much time as they need in a consultation and at their inking sessions.
I like to think that having a website since 2007 (when that was rare for tattoo studios), full of all kinds of information for the public is another thing that sets me apart from other tattoo artists. I also have a Tattoo Blog, located on my website, that showcases a new tattoo project/client every month.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve been lucky in that I’m from and live in Portland, located in the Pacific Northwest, which I call the Mecca for Body Art. I’m lucky that I received one of the last true tattoo apprenticeships available in town in 2005, learned from someone who truly cared about the craft and taught me almost everything he knew about it. I’m lucky that tattooing has undergone a renaissance in my lifetime and grateful that my family has supported me in my pursuit of making a living tattooing.
Pricing:
- I charge by the hour @ $180 per hour.
- I take cash, debit and VISA/MC only for payment.
- I don’t use social media services to take payments.
- I will collect a non-refundable deposit at the time of consultation, that goes towards the cost of the tattoo.
- If you are on a budget, I can work within it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.floatinglotustattoo.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100040639429890#/profile.php?id=100000123634718&v=wall&ref=name
