Conversations with Cei Lambert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cei Lambert

Hi Cei, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m an unusual story in the tattoo industry. Lots of degrees in biology and art. A long work history prior to becoming a tattoo artist. A career in healthcare prior to and alongside a career in tattoo art. A desire to go to bed at 9pm.
I have always loved tattoos. I wrote reports about the history of tattooing in high school, started getting tattoos of my own as soon as I could, and regularly drew tattoo designs for friends and as a side hustle. After a lot of degrees and a long work history, I made the leap and learned to tattoo. From there I began working in the tattoo shop where I trained. After a short while it became clear that I wanted my own private tattoo studio, and I went and found a space to hang out my shingle. Meadowlark Tattoo opened it’s doors August 1st, 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic and intense social and political unrest. As an artist, activist, and educator I never separate what’s happening in the world from my work and I found that many people were eager for a bespoke and inclusive tattoo experience as they navigated new challenges and fears. Needless to say, as a place to begin it was certainly unique. Now I’m looking at 2025 with the expectation of record bookings and record sales. I’m immensely proud of the business I’ve built and I’m even more proud to have so many clients who trust me to make tattoos for them and who come back to me time and again with that same trust.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road is like a twisting mountain highway that has huge unpaved stretches and frequently experiences rockslides and avalanches. One of the largest turning points for me wasn’t in tattooing, but in my career in community healthcare. I had just finished my Masters in Fine Art and my wife and I had moved to Boston so she could go to school. I assumed that with my work history and degrees that I would be able to find work at a museum or teaching or doing curation or similar. Boston is a brutal place to look for work, and after 400 applications, 3 interviews, and no job offers I began to volunteer for medical studies that paid a little money to keep me afloat while I continued to look for a permanent job. During one study the researcher did a not-great job of drawing my blood and as an apology they bought me lunch and we chatted for a while. I explained my employment situation and frustration and the researcher encouraged me to apply to an open role at their clinic. I explained that my biology degree was for wildlife, not people, but the researcher said it was my work in social justice and equality that they thought made me a good fit. I applied and got the job, and I still work in community health alongside my tattoo work. I learned that most of what we’re taught about how degrees lead to jobs is rubbish and that most of us have more highly sought after skills than we think we do. I learned to think outside the box and to stop taking myself out of the running, all of which helped me greatly when I decided to open my own business.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Like many artists I have been making some kind of art for as long as I can remember. For me everything starts with drawing and draughtsmanship. I remember in high school starting to see how I could actually get a little bit of the idea in my mind onto paper with the right techniques and patience, and the feeling was intoxicating. I continue to chase the connection between mind and hand and am always seeking to master the technical aspects of art more thoroughly so that I can make my ideas a reality. I’m known for wildlife, botanicals, and nature-themed fantasy illustrations and tattoos, mostly in black and white. My artistic interest is illustrative because I want to communicate the emotional impression I get from an animal or plant just as much as I want to communicate its anatomical details. This helps me to be a go-to tattoo artist for folks looking for scientific illustration level detail with a unique personality.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m very grateful to have a business that is steady and consistent. For me life is a balance of work that is for money and work that is about everything else, and I am my best self when the for-money part is not quite as big as the everything-else part. Looking into the future I don’t have any huge changes planned and that’s part of my strategy. For myself and my clients I want there to be a sense of consistency and predictability that allows all of us to feel calm and cared for. My big plan in the next year is to continue the slow replacement of my lawn with native plants and pollinator gardens.

Pricing:

• Flat rate pricing based on complexity, size, placement, and number of sessions.
• Projects are submitted via Google Form and if projects are accepted I send an email with booking details, the price quote, and an idea of timing.
• I don’t take all projects, but if I decide I’m not the best fit for your idea I will do my best to refer you to someone local who is good at what you want!
• Most of my tattoos end up being around $700-$1200.
• As a general reference, full sleeves in black and grey are about $2400 and take 4ish sessions, a 6”x8” forearm tattoo in black and grey is about $700 and takes one session, and large single-sitting pieces are around $850.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meadowlarktattoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meadowlark.tattoo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadowlarktattoo

Image Credits
All photos taken by Cei Lambert 2022-2024