Meet Trailblazer Lindsey Foy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Foy.

Lindsey, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I went to school for visual arts at UNC, with a photography concentration. After college, I moved to boulder and worked various jobs while doing art on the side. I mostly took freelance photos and got into live painting for a while. I also had a job as a henna and face paint artist in the summers. Eventually, I became tired of working jobs where my passion wasn’t satisfied and my life was constricted to 9-5 hours. I sought out someone to teach me to tattoo, the first try didn’t go super well, but after this, I sought another avenue of being taught and picked it up quickly. It has been almost three years since beginning tattooing and I can definitely say my life has adjusted quite a lot. Having personal interactions every day has greatly improved my self-confidence, and learning to produce lasting art in this way has also drastically improved my artistic skills. Now, I tattoo for a living and do photography and painting in my free time.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Some struggles were overcoming pretty severe social anxiety in a profession where interacting with people is crucial. Knowing my worth both with time and money, and the ever constant ups and downs of creative drive. Learning how to make somewhat of a schedule to dedicate to making art, as well as setting out time to manage emails, draw, as well as build a sort of “brand” by finding my own personal style within tattooing has been crucial. Also, learning to balance work and play. At first, it is all-consuming and I definitely had to dedicate some serious time and effort. At this point, it becomes about retaining that drive to make it more than just “work” and finding new ways to adapt and grow when things start to feel stagnant. Remembering that we are always allowed to be open to change and improvement even when things feel like they are going well, we can get comfortable, but there is also always more to learn. The biggest growth factor for me has been watching other people who I admire and taking concepts that they use and applying them to my own work.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a tattoo artist formally, a photographer and painter in my personal life. My tattoos tend to be based in a super colorful nature/somewhat psychedelic/magic realm. I’ve learned to take what I know from my photography and painting, and use it as a base reference for tattoo work. When starting out, and sometimes still when there is time, I tattooed whatever walked in. Now, after applying a “style” I have the ability to choose what I’d like to work on based on pre-drawn designs, or ideas that clients propose based off of other work I’ve done. This style is drawn from the things that hold interest for me, which is what makes it more personal and unique.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
Definitely Procreate. This app is a life saver, it allows you to draw on the iPad vs using paper and constantly erasing or throwing away sheets. Though tangible art making feels so great, Procreate is a time saver. Instagram is also awesome for keeping up with what other artists are doing and seeing the ways I can improve by watching others.

Pricing:

• 150/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: lindseyfoy.photoshelter.com
• Email: Lcfoyart@gmail.com
• Instagram: @Lcfoyart , @Lcfoyphoto

Image Credit:
Lindsey Foy

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