Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Pawlicki.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hi I’m Rachael, and my first time working in a tattoo studio was about 15 years ago. I responded to an ad for helping out at the front desk, but by the time I left the interview, I was hired as a piercing apprentice. I eventually worked my way up to tattooing, and fast forward to today- I have my own studio.
I’ve always been an artist though, my grandmother is as well and my grandfather was a photographer. As a kid my summers were spent with her, we’d craft and she’d teach me how to develop my art skills. I stuck with it, and here we are!
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?
Of course not, nothing good comes easy! Tattooing is all about pushing yourself though, and it’s exciting to grow as an artist. It feels incredible to finally execute a technique that I’ve been working on, or see a tattoo healed months later looking perfect. The industry is changing, we’re in a new era of tattooing where you don’t have to be the shop b*tch for two years ‘because of tradition.’ There are a lot of new tattooers hitting the ground running and there’s just no room for mediocracy. We are in a recession. If someone is going to spend their money on ink right now, you best believe they are going to want quality. If you aren’t challenging yourself daily, you aren’t going to last in this industry.
One of my biggest struggles in this new era is the constant self-promotion, it’s always changing and almost like an entire second job keeping relevant to your audience. That being said, I love what I do, and I have been very blessed along the way. I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well, I am a Tattooer and Body Piercer but I also have had a successful career in other mediums of art. I currently own a Tattoo Studio in Denver, Colorado, and specialize in Illustrative-style tattooing- Anything involving linework. Whether it’s fine line or bold, dot work style blackwork, or full-color saturation, I just really enjoy tattooing it. I work with most styles aside from portraits though. I’ve also been piercing for a very long time and would say I am equally known for that, as well as my bedside manner.
I take the beside manner part seriously. My studio is a place for clients to feel welcome and relaxed. As much as body modification can be a form of therapy, it can also be uncomfortable. The experience, in my opinion, is equally important as the art being done. If I can help make it more positive for a client in any way, I am going to.
Outside of tattooing, the connections that have been formed are probably my favorite things about being an artist. I have an Etsy and have shipped all over the world, but music festivals are really where everything comes together, I have met some seriously amazing people. One of my proudest accomplishments was getting into Electric Forest’s official merchandise. It was a coloring book, and not only did the proceeds go to underprivileged students in Michigan, but for months after, I had people from all over sending me their colored-in versions along with their stories and how happy they were to send them to me. Those kinds of things make my heart so full.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Oh man, I’m sure if you asked anyone else this question they would be able to list several. (Although I try not to compare myself to others). Throughout my career though, the few that have stood out in helping me develop my roots would be:
-Dynamic Light & Shade by Burne Hogarth, Reinventing The Tattoo by Guy Aitchison (also now in app form), and
The Piercing Bible by Elayne Angel. (All books).
-I use Procreate for drawing, although the Adobe Suite is what I grew up with. Tattoodo used to be my go-to for
pulling in new clients, but they do not exist anymore, Facebook, Reddit and Instagram (Apps).
There are so many resources on the internet, I am in a few awesome tattoo communities, Inkzup being one that I really love. It’s important to have connections with other artists to keep each other on our toes! And of course the good ol’ University of Youtube.
Pricing:
- Tattoos: $180/hour
- Piercings: $65 & up
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rrink.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/artbyrachp
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/artbyrachp
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/artbyrachp
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/artbyrachp
