Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Emerson.
Hi Ash, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It’s funny how our purpose in life has a way of finding us. I never thought I would be a tattoo artist. In college I wanted to be an art history professor and inspire others academically. That wasn’t my purpose, it was well short of that. Tattooing, the last thing I would have ever wanted to be, turned out to be my very purpose in life.
Tattooing found me in the spring of 2009. I was working a corporate job when a friend of mine found one of my old sketchbooks and convinced me to be an apprentice at his shop. As the waves of the Great Recession were still crashing it seemed like a great way to supplement my income. By 2010 I was a licensed artist and two years after that I hung up my corporate uniform. From that day on I was a professional tattoo artist, in business for myself. I was unbound.
I moved back to Kansas City in the winter of 2014 and did a brief stint at Glory Bound Tattoos before joining the team at Catalyst Arts Collective. Being in a building with that level and motivation took my career to the next level. I started winning awards at conventions and traveling to tattoo. More importantly, I learned how to be a true professional with a solid business acumen and integrity. These virtues were the linchpin of my role at Definitive Tattoo Gallery, a shop I co-owned with two highly regarded colleagues. Now, I am in the process of opening my own shop in the Englewood Arts District in Independence, MO.
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?
I’ve sacrificed a lot to the tattoo gods. I sold my guitars to get me through my apprenticeship. I lost my home, my family, a lot of friends, everything but my skill set. Tattooing is not what one does, it’s who one becomes. You change, some aspects are for the better while other changes can put strains on relationships. Time becomes a factor. You don’t have much of it. There are full days of tattooing followed by full nights of drawing and quality time becomes more of an afterthought. Apprenticeships teach people how to tattoo, but not how to actually run a business. I didn’t really understand the structure of a business until I sat down with an accountant and formed my LLC. The thing about obstacles, though, is sometimes they are just the ego getting in the way of opportunity. Every challenge I’ve faced and every sacrifice has shaped me into the person I am today. While they were hard lessons learned, I’m a better husband, father and businessman because of them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a tattoo artist who specializes in the human experience. I deliver the highest quality tattoos, big or small, color or black and grey. My job is to make you happy with what I give you for the rest of your life. I specialize in cover-up tattoos. That’s what I find the most fulfillment in. People come in hating a decision they made and aren’t comfortable in their skin. I get to change that. People regain their confidence and I get to help contribute to that. How I approach my business, my clients and my community sets me apart from others. Being a part of the neighborhood around you is essential. We keep our street safe and clean all of us will prosper. We take care of the people around us, great and small. That’s what sets me apart.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’ve lived a thousand lives. I have published illustrations in books, I’ve modeled, trained horses, worked in factories, practiced Kung Fu and acted in local theater.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tattoosbyashley
- Facebook: Tattoos by Ashley
