Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Cain.
Hi Jamie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I originally started tattooing in Texas, when I lived there for a few years. I moved back to Kansas and my license didn’t transfer, after months of it being in limbo while waiting to hear a decision. I got the letter stating my reciprocity was denied, and all I remember was sobbing on my bathroom floor. It knocked the wind out of me because I knew that it meant doing a second apprenticeship. My first one was such a terrible experience, and sadly that is the most common experience in this industry. Knowing I would have to do all that again, with the possibility of it being even worse, sent me into dark period for a few months.
All I could see ahead was everything I had to shed to move forward. I was in a terrible marriage, and I knew a second apprenticeship meant I would probably be also getting divorced at the same time. That period of my life destroyed me as a person, and knowing I would need to start building from the ground up again meant cutting loose anything dragging me down. It took months to make peace with it, while also seeking out a new mentor.
I started my second apprenticeship. I put in the work, I fully dedicated myself to learning more and bettering myself as an artist, I got divorced, and I finally got my Kansas license. Shortly after, the rose-colored glasses I viewed that studio through were shattered. I was, once again, in a position where my mental health had rotted in this environment, and I felt the artist in me dying. So I turned in my resignation letter, Legally Blonde style (it was pink and it was scented), and I took another short hiatus to gather myself. But this time I had a support system, a small group of women I had met at that studio, and that group of women would eventually become Hawthorn Body Art.
When I was asked to be a resident artist at Hawthorn, there was no part of me that hesitated. Back when I met Olivia Scott, she was the first person I’d ever met and thought “Oh, that’s an artist.” Her artistry is so deeply engrained in who she is, and she is constantly creating. It was so inspiring. Jo and Kat Coyne, the piercing half of Hawthorn, were also two people that I immediately felt safe with and inspired by. I didn’t feel like a scared little deer anymore. I knew that this would be my home as an artist. Finally.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road was a rumble strip. I think it’s very rare for tattoo artists to have positive experiences getting into this industry. There’s a bit of a stereotype for artists— bitter, abrasive, money-hungry men with colossal egos, all on some kind of power trip. That stereotype is an accurate representation of a large portion of the industry, unfortunately.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Clients come to me mostly for fineline and color realism, which are my two favorite styles to tattoo. I also enjoy black and grey realism. I love doing pieces with different textures, like animal fur and feathers, gold metal textures, soft flower petals, etc. Oh, I love doing high-detailed pieces. But I also love the meditative challenge of fineline. If I get to bust out a single-needle and be as precise as I can humanly be, I’m happy. I’m also in the process of adding permanent makeup services to my repertoire, which I’m so excited about because that is the ultimate tier of precision and color theory.
I’m most proud of the tattoos I’ve done that change how clients see themselves. Sometimes people get things that are more light-hearted, which is still fun. But when I do a memorial tattoo or something that has a deep meaning, that is when it makes all the pain I’ve experienced in my career worth it. If I can bring someone comfort, or my work makes someone more comfortable in their body, it’s all worth it, and I’d do it all again.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is being happy, feeling security, and feeling fulfilled. I don’t think I’m someone that is easily satisfied, and I find myself constantly climbing a ladder to be better. If I’m still on the ladder, and I’m not climbing downward, then I’m successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamiextattoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiextattoo?igsh=bTVhOXUzdDBneWRr&utm_source=qr
