Today we’d like to introduce you to Lady Rae.
Hi Lady, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My career as a tattoo artist began in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, at Aces High Tattoo. During 2019 I started working the front desk and reception, where I had the opportunity to be surrounded by some incredibly hardworking, resilient artists. I was taught the basics of the shop, and how to care for the artists as well as their clients.
When Aces High eventually closed its doors following the hardships of the COVID pandemic, I followed some of those same artists to Dark Tide Tattoo, where I began my true apprenticeship. Dark Tide taught me not just how to tattoo, but how to navigate the industry, work with all different kinds of clients, communicate professionally, and handle the challenges that come with working in a tattoo environment.
Those experiences shaped the artist I am today. They taught me the importance of patience, professionalism, attention to detail, and maintaining high standards. I learned that every tattoo is created with intention. It’s about creating an experience where a client feels heard, comfortable, and confident.
In 2022, I moved to Vancouver, Washington after meeting the love of my life, gaining my family with two wonderful step kiddos, and 3 dogs!
Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from even more artists and studios, including Lunatic Tattoo, Adorn Body Art, Hopeless Tattoo, and Dead Gods Tattoo. Every studio brought new experiences, new challenges, and new lessons that continued to shape both my work and the kind of artist I continuously strive to become.
Eventually, all of those experiences led me to where I am today: Hearth Burrow Tattoo.
Hearth Burrow is my cozy, private studio, a space built around the things I’ve come to value most throughout my journey: quality, comfort, connection, and creating a welcoming experience for every client who walks through my door.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A career in tattooing is not for the faint of heart, you only get what you put into it. Tattooing is my greatest love and my biggest challenge.
I’d say I struggle most with work-life balance because the job of a tattooer doesn’t stop when you leave the studio, it follows you home, I will tear apart every tattoo I do and wonder, is that line clean enough? How’s the saturation? I’ll sit at home and zoom in on my artwork like it’s my own form of torture.
With that, comes growth and the want to be better every day, I feel that I’m only as good as my last tattoo and I aim to hold myself to the highest standard.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Neotraditional illustrator and tattoo artist! I love to create colorful designs with emphasis on thick and thin lines and saturation that leans more towards realism.
I am not a one trick pony, and can tattoo many different styles!
I am most proud of my animal, creature, and portrait tattoos.
I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to truly hear my clients and work together with them to create a strong design.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have had good luck in growing up in a painterly household, as a child my father was a portrait painter and my mother was a faux finisher, I’ve always had a strong background in the arts.
Pricing:
- $100 minimum
- $200 hourly rate
Contact Info:
- Website: ladyraetattoos@gmail.com
- Instagram: hearthburrowtattoo@gmail.com
- Facebook: @ladyraetattoos on IG, FB, and TikTok
