Rising Stars: Meet Ashley Kaia of West colfax

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Kaia.

Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story feels tender… but I know there’s probably a lot of folks out there that can relate. I wanted to be an artist as far back as I can remember, I even went to my third grade career day as an artist. I grew up in the country in Georgia, spent a lot of time out in the woods with the earth and I learned how to be myself through that I think. Like, the true me, the essence of me. I’ve always been super sensitive which Im sure helps me out in my ability to tap into things and create from a place of deep truth and feeling. My family started having issues right when I was entering into my “womanhood”, and not too long after, my mom got sick with cancer. So I didn’t have any support as I was evolving and supposed to be learning about myself through explorations of what interested me. I had no clue what I “wanted to be when I grew up”, because being a successful artist wasn’t something that was a thing where I was raised.
I started getting tattooed after my mom died during my senior year, and a few of my friends started to ask me if I had thought about tattooing. Honestly, I hadn’t until they brought it up to me. I started asking my tattoo artist at the time about an apprenticeship and what that would take. I ended up moving away for the summer, and came back to Atlanta at the end of 2008. In January of 2009, I started my first apprenticeship tattooing at a small shop in Kennesaw. I knew nothing about the industry, I ended up paying 5k for this “apprenticeship” and learned a few months into it that it wasn’t what it should’ve been and I wasted a lot of money and time there.
I then started to search for a legitimate tattoo shop to continue an apprenticeship at, I ended up at Sacred Heart outside of Atlanta, finished an apprenticeship under black and grey “cholo” style artists, then ended up with my first resident artist gig at Olde School Tattoo in Marietta, Georgia. I’ll say that working at this shop with a guy named Brett Pundt is what really taught me what I needed to be a good tattooer. Brett showed me how to build machines, what kind of needles and settings could do solid, bold and clean tattoos. And I got leg up here in building a clientele and getting to build my portfolio as each year passed. I got really good at doing clean lines and bold solid color tattoos. I was with Olde School for 4 years until I decided to open my own private studio in late 2014. At that time I specialized in color work, traditional, illustrative tattoos. I was trying to do more Japanese and Neo Japanese work and got to do a few large scale pieces on clients back in the day. There wasn’t very much competition back then (not everyone and their mom was a tattooer), so there wasnt much pressure to compete for work, and social media status. At this point in my journey and career, and honestly my life, I have learned that it’s not so much about popularity and such, but it’s really about where your heart and energy is. If your heart is in it and you’re showing up for the creation and the love of it all, you’ll be just fine and life will give you what you need to thrive.
In 2015 I decided I wanted to travel and live my home in Georgia to find a new home. So for 2 years I was on the road, guest spotting, hiking, van living with my dog and partner at the time. A lot went down in that time period that greatly influenced the way I moved forward when I got back into “normal life”. I sat with ayahuasca for the first time, and really got thrown into the depths of my existence. This paired with the community I found in an alternative way of living, realizing I didn’t need a bunch of money, or a steady job, or really anything that I had believed would keep me safe and secure in this world to be happy and feel free gave me a huge boost of confidence to start knowing who I really was and living in integrity with my truth.
In November of 2018 I ended up moving to Colorado and working for Certified Tattoo for a few years. This brought with it it’s own gifts and challenges, I was put in a position where I had to be honest with myself about my values and what I was feeding into, my work environment, and what kind of energy I would participate in creating for myself and those I worked with. I worked with some incredible tattooers that I learned a lot about black and grey tattooing, business and money management, media, and building a career that was thriving. I had to grow up a lot from being a victim and not feeling like I had any control or influence over what I was experiencing in my life. In this time period I also started noticing a lot of my gifts emerging as I worked with people in the tattoo chair. Tattooing has gifted me with the ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life, to hold space with tenderness for what people are going through, to be responsible for my energy and how I engage and interact on a cellular level, to be a leader in how I choose to show up and create for myself and for those who are engaging and creating with me. It’s really been a beautiful doorway for me to blossom into who I truly am, my gifts, and what my soul is here for. I have strong beliefs and values in life, and I use every opportunity I have to engage with them in an integral way. Tattooing and creativity has gifted me the freedom to explore myself, my reality, and my relations with everyone and everything. These days I am tattooing between Denver and Asheville, working on my own music projects, coaching and mentoring, and from my souls perspective, I am evolving into being a human truly aligned with my nature, and it’s my passion to support anyone who wants it along the way.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. There have been periods of times and days where I feel clear and aligned and empowered, but it has taken a lot of work, and focus, and discipline and desire to get to this point. We all live with conditioning from our families and society, some of us have more than others, and some of ours look different from others. This is what’s been difficult, the conditioning that has controlled the way I see myself and my life, and my ability to be in healthy relation with myself and this world.
I’ve had to learn to accept myself for the way I am, which in what I’ve witnessed, can be the hardest thing for us to do. Only when we can accept what is, can it be changed and transformed.
Another thing that’s been a challenge to navigate and move beyond is consumerism. What I grew up around was centered in consumption – whether it was tv watching, shopping, eating food… creativity wasn’t part of life. So I’ve had to look at myself, the way I feel when I consume, the way I feel when I consume what I see on social media, why it makes me feel a certain way, and what can I do about it?
Creation over consumption is what I’ve learned to be the most helpful. When we aren’t expressing ourselves and moving energy, we’re creating a stagnant internal environment fueled by the environment we consume, which for a lot of Americans isn’t healthy.
I’ve had to learn that I am safe in my expressions, and that I am not doing this to sell myself, be liked, or even validated and witnessed. It’s simply for Life itself, for my own health and happiness, and for the curiosity of who I am deep inside and what wants to become alive through me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a professional tattooer, life coach, and creative midwife. In my tattoo work, I am known for clean tattoos that are ornamental, illustrative and inspired by nature and the magical side of our reality. What makes me and my work different, is that I weave the rest of my life experience into my tattoo work, and my time with clients. I don’t just do a tattoo on you, I hold an experience with you. I offer ceremonial tattoo space, coaching and evolution through our time together. I genuinely care about who you are and what inspires you, what is going on in your life, and what you are aiming for. My coaching and midwifing works through the tattoo session as I ask questions, offer support and help direct attention and intention towards releasing the old and focusing on what wants to come through and be alive. It’s like a life coaching session/shamanic healing tattoo ceremony all in one.

What were you like growing up?
I asked my granny this question recently, and she told me I was always an observer. I deeply witness people and their patterns, the way life moves through us, and have always been curious about the things that have been hidden. I have a goofy side that kind of fell away, but has been coming back out to play the last couple years. I have a very intuitive intelligence, and have always been able to read energy and articulate the things that we all feel but can’t quite put our finger on it or find words for it. I’ve always been interested in movement and play, exploring what my body can do and is capable of. And I’ve always had the courage and curiosity to try things that might be a little out of the norm or intimidating for people.

Pricing:

• $200 per hour
• $1400 per day

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashleyshafer.life
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleykaiatattoos
• soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-68311879-543836810