My newest contribution to TAM BLOG, Tattoo Artist Magazine’s online Blog~

 

I am…We are….

 

Men and Woman look at life through a different lens.  There are plenty of professions where woman out number men, and each man in that field will approach their projects differently then a woman. On the flip side, there are many professions that men out number woman.  It seems that most of my life I have found myself in a field that I enjoy where men greatly out numbered woman.  I can honestly say that I have felt the stress of being a woman in a predominately  male dominated industry multiple times in my life. This has always pushed me to work harder to really become the best that I could be. I strived to keep up, and  always felt good when I gained the respect from those I looked up too.  I feel in the flash back I am reflecting on my years of competitive snowboarding.

 

However, even in my years of college there were more men then woman in my classes, and artistically I excepted the fact that I am a woman, I see things differently then a man. I approach projects differently, from my overall vision, application, execusion, and time frame  within each project. Within the art world I immersed  myself in, I never really felt the stresses of man vs. woman. Then in 2003 my life change with my newly found passion of tattooing.

 

Finding myself again in a male dominated industry I felt I had experienced the similar feelings before and felt comfortable in my own skin to continue to do what ‘I’ do.  With all do respect to the  traditions in tattooing and the respect I have for the  history of modern tattooing, I  felt I was capable of  bringing something new and hope to leave my contribution in this ancient art form.   I can honestly say I have had my far share of men say how I should do things differently, however I still continue to stick with what flows out of me naturally, with keeping in mind the longevity of the tattoo.

 

I am a woman, who is apart of this Tattoo Renaissance.  I have shared with many  woman in art and new to the tattoo industry  my knowledge and experience. To be an independent, self sustaining woman in a male dominated industry will help maintain focus and encourage growth. We all have something we can learn from each other, male or female… open your hearts and your eyes in this Tattoo Renaissance  because we are all apart of it, artist and collectors alike. I always love to help and if there is any question you have please let me know, I am here to help give some guiding answers if you are seeking them. Here is a neat empowering read to share:

 

“We are being asked to honor the gifts of womankind and to call on the strength of our sisters in order to discover ourselves. The circle will come full when every human can see the beauty within the Self, as well as in all others. The transmutation of competition, separateness, hierarchy, jealousy, envy, manipulation, control, selfishness, greed, dependency, old wounds, and self-rightousness must be accomplished before we will come to wholeness. These attitudes are the enemies of humankind and are found within the Shadow-self, rather than outside ourselves.”

  

“As more women take their roles in the modern world of corporations and business, they often find themselves losing touch with the feminine. This is almost expected since the corporate work force is dominated by men. The role models of the ancient clan mothers can assist these modern women in maintaining their sense of Self and enable them to become leaders through example rather than through competition, backstabbing, or conquest, but the challenge to accomplish these goals depends upon the strength of the Sisterhood.”

 

  “Women must support other women in a way that allows those who chose difficult paths to learn to call upon their sisters, maintaining the understanding of who they are and what they can become. In this manner we can also support the development of the female aspect in our male counterparts, and then pass the legacy of wholeness to all of our children.”

~From the wonderful Jami Sams and her book, The Thirteen Original Clan Mothers:

Just a quick note that I have an open consultation day at Godspeed in Breckenridge October 30th! If you want to meet with me and talk over your future tattoo project, then give the studio a call and get yourself booked for a consult. I will be tattooing at Godspeed Thursday and Friday November 7th and 8th to start, more dates to come!  Thank you and see you soon!!

     

 

I am so happy to be back in the state that I love so much, Colorado. The snow is falling, the trees have turned and my favorite season has just begun. Snow is not only the element that allows me to enjoy snowboarding, but also heightens my creativity. My love for the snow and being surrounded by it carries into my art work.  I will be finishing up a few larger tattoos very soon and starting another set of  larger pieces. I look forward to what the new season brings and sharing the progress with you as I go. Stay tuned to my Instagram for photo updates! You can find me at:  meliis_eye

 

 

 

 

 

photo~Breckenridge, Co 10/13

 

 

 

I am currently booking tattoo appointments fill out the contact form if interested! or email me at artbymelis@gmail.com

 

 

 

Last month I had the pleasure of visiting  Off The Map Tattoo Studio in Grant’s Pass Oregon. It was my first time ever visiting Oregon, and I must say it gave Colorado a little competition. I arrived with the all to familiar nervous, anxious, first time exploring butterflies that I feel in my stomach while starting a new journey.  Off The Map Tattoo Studio shares it’s name with Jeff Gogue’s Grant’s Pass location. I had a few days of tattooing lined up, and was very excited about that, however I was more focused on the plans I had made in advance. I coincided my guest artist spot around Jeff’s painting workshop. I had this trip planned out for about 10 months, and it seems the longer it takes for me to plan anything the more anxiety builds for the trip.

 

 

 

 

I have had a busy schedule and allot of traveling going on since the spring. Much of my traveling was for tattooing, however with the previous Paradise Artist Gathering  in New Mexico last March and now this painting workshop under the instruction of Jeff, I found myself more out of my bubble this year then any other year prior. It was a small topic of conversation between a few of the artists and myself, which made it more clear to me that getting myself out of my bubble and into more artistic environments has not only been very inspiring, but has also aided in me feeling more comfortable in my creative world one stroke at a time. To sit along side artists,  and  open ourselves up to learn from another artist who, like Jeff, works very instinctively and seems totally comfortable within the niche that he has created for himself; it all has such a positive out come that I encourage you all to get out of your bubbles and put yourself into another creative environment.

 

 

Whether it is trying another medium you are not familiar with, or even better yet, to become unfamiliar with a medium you were once in-tune with.  In my artist life, I have taken the initiative and signed up for classes whether inside or outside the tattoo community, and I must say some of my favorite workshops have been outside of the tattoo community. Don’t hesitate to see what your local community college or artist group is doing, and get involved every once- in-a-while.

 

Taking Jeff’s workshop really simplified the process of oil painting, and I really enjoyed that!  Coming from a background in art education, I have tool boxes upon tool boxes full of all sorts of paints. With a simplified pallet and brushes, I understand his process and can add it to my own painting recipe.

 

This year alone I have painted more paintings that I will not be selling, and I am ok with that because I know my future paintings will benefit from the time I spent stepping outside of my bubble. I encourage you to do the same!   Autumn is around the corner and that is a great time to sign up and get inspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the painting workshop I had 2 free days before my tattoo appointments, so I rented a car and headed over to Crater Lake.  This was one of my bucket list trips for a long time now and I could not pass up the opportunity to see this magical place.  I arrived at the lake and was just speechless to how beautiful it was, and it really felt magical. I was alone and was far from scared. I hiked around for hours, until the sunset. Then I stayed until 1 a.m. to capture some night time star scenes, but unfortunately the half moon was not on my side it was so bright! I did get a couple shots so the night time excursion was not a total wash.  It was an inspiring and fulfilling time to explore before getting into tattooing, and those four days set me up for some creative tattooing sessions.  I still feel the effects of that today and I hope it will continue.

 

My last day was free so what else to do then float the Rogue River with Jeff’s wife Kim. What a blast we had,  beautiful scenery, great conversation, some light snacks and local beverages aided in an awesome bonding day for us both! As well as some ‘yard sale’ events caused by some large wake from the local tourist speed boats. We will just say that someone got some free gear along the river and it wasn’t mine…. eeeecccheemmmmm…. (kim) hahahah   Seriously though, a super fun day, a great end to a great week. Thank you so much to Jeff and Kim for their hospitality as well as the always supportive Off The Map crew. I will be back… in the mean time, here are some other photos I thought to share… I took soooo many but heres just a few. Enjoy!