Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallory Miller.
Hi Mallory, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story, where to begin… I grew up in the small town of Philomath, Oregon and have been a creative person my whole life, drawing as early as I could hold a pencil. Though I didn’t originally go straight into the tattoo industry- I actually was a hair stylist first, believe it or not, and for 10 years. At the time of my high school graduation, there weren’t too many female artists in the industry, and it was primarily dominated with the typical male, misogynistic artist (you know the type). Well, I was also fairly decent at styling and dyeing my friends’ hair, so going into cosmetology seemed like the logical step at the time. I always knew doing hair wasn’t going to be the end all, I enjoyed it for the time, but all the while I was still drawing in my free time and even had people commission myself to design custom tattoo pieces for them to take to an artist to get tattooed. It was really a matter of time before I made the career jump to start actually tattooing these designs, not just drawing them for others, and Covid was really what finally pushed me to just go for it (what better time than a pandemic to switch up your life?).
It was also at that time that I was discovering more of myself and who my true identity was, which was a gay/queer woman. Having so much time to myself and my thoughts (and therapy) helped me discover what was there all along, my true identity as well as my real passions in life. So, I ditched the hairbrush for a tattoo machine, men for women, and my old self for my authentic, honest self. In doing so it led me to the life I lead today- I came out of the closet and I met my incredible wife who I have been married to for 5 years now, went to school to become a licensed tattoo artist in Oregon and have been so for 4 years-doing what I love every day, moved to a slightly bigger city full of other talented artists and fellow queers and have built a really rad community, and get to live each day authentically, happy, grateful and fulfilled. I feel really lucky to be where I’m at now in life, and I like to think that little middle school me would be pretty stoked of who we turned out to be- and if that isn’t what it’s all about then I don’t know what is.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t always been easy, there were some bumps along the way, but I think that’s just a natural part of life and growing up and evolving into yourself more and more. But I think that each person has their own obstacles or struggles they’ve overcome or are working through, and no one’s is more or less significant than the others. I mean, discovering late in life that you are a lesbian comes with its own challenges, but I also wouldn’t change my life story because it has made me who I am (and brought my amazing wife into my life that I simply couldn’t live without). I think the biggest struggle for me personally though, has always been that horrible imposter syndrome that every artist deals with. I always say that artists are their own worst critic, and the more I meet fellow tattooers the more I realize how true that is. We always see the faults in our own work or tend to compare ourselves to others with more experience or what we think is a higher skill level, and it can be easy to kind of spiral because of that. It isn’t something that is always at the forefront of my mind, but it can creep in every so often. I try to just remind myself that while I might be thinking these thoughts, typically most other artists are also thinking the same of their own work, too, and that I really should stop comparing my art to another’s when art is so subjective.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a queer tattoo artist of 4 years who specializes in blackwork ornamental at Dirt Nap Tattoo in Eugene, Oregon. Imagine decorating the body with ornamental adornments with florals, but bolder, and occasionally some really heavy blackwork alongside it-that would best describe my style and what I specialize in. I used to work more in the fine line style of tattooing, but as my work as progressed, I kept leaning more and more towards pieces that decorate the body and have a boldness to them, as well as pieces that incorporate a lot of black work. I tend to work mostly with large scale pieces, and I think that most people would say they know my style of how I combine floral with bold, black ornamental elements. Also having really clean linework- I will say I get lots of compliments on my linework.
I feel like what I am most proud of in my work changes as I continue to do more and more tattoos that I love, but at the moment I would have to say that overall, I am most proud of the experience I provide my clients and being known for having a safe, warm, welcoming space for all people-because all bodies are tattoo bodies.
How do you think about luck?
I think I have been lucky in my tattoo career in the sense that I stay very busy when we are in a time in the industry where others are really struggling to get clients in the door- though it has been that way from the start for me, and I tend to just attribute it to having all of my hair clients become tattoo clients when I made the career switch. I guess I would say that overall I haven’t noticed much of bad luck (although I’m not ever one to win any raffle drawings or lottery tickets).
Pricing:
- My hourly rate is currently $175/hr for tattoos
- Full day flat rate (5-6 hrs) is $800
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tattoowitchmal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tattoowitchmal
