Yael
Different, Eclectic is the best way to describe Yael !
myspace: www.myspace.com/goodgirltats
VIEW YAEL’S GALLERY OF ARTWORK
Every time I think about how I’ve gotten to be where I am, it feels like a dream I have yet to waken from. It brings me to the verge of tears when I speak of my passion for the career that saved my life.
Since turning 18, I’ve tried for apprenticeships at every shop I ran across. Most refusals were easy, but some were quite brutal. One owner of a famous shop in Seattle, WA told me: “I don’t want a chick in my shop, you’ll steal my business.” I gave up! I think that’s when The Fates must’ve felt some pity for me.
I was a 32 year-old Café Manager when Jarrold brought me into the Tattoo Industry in a little tattoo shop just outside the French Quarter on Canal Street in New Orleans, LA named Inkbox. He gave me the chance that no one else did. I completed my apprenticeship June 19, 2005…it was a Father’s Day. I tattooed my first real customer that day! And just as I was just starting out…
August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina came along and brought me to Houston, Texas. Fresh out of the apprenticeship womb with NO gear or portfolio, I refused to accept the fact that I may never tattoo again.
November 15, 2005…I found my FIRST solo tattoo gig!!! I knew I had to start from the very bottom. I also knew that it would be a grueling fight to be on top. I had long road ahead, so I knew I had try to stick it out wherever the fates would bring me to. The first shop I worked at was a real piece of work! It was an old hair-salon-turned-tattoo-shop and the owner referred to himself in third person…always! He reminded me of Dr. Evil and I often pictured him talking to me in his thick accent with his left pinky-finger touching his lip…lol! He started me at 35% because I was a GIRL (yes, his words exactly) plus, he had me pay a $300 sterilizer and printer fee in order to use them. Not to mention since I had no gear, I had to buy them from him at triple their original worth. I was so in debt to him before even starting my first day that I had to work another part-time retail job just to make ends meet! AND, here’s the clincher, he PRICED my tattoos for me! I worked there for 4 months until we had a disagreement over pricing, as the owner liked to under-price tattoos. He told me to do a rather large and extensive tiger tattoo for pennies…and I refused to do his slave labor until I was happy with the price. So, he let me go. I told him, “When you do bad things to good people, bad things will happen to you.” He laughed at me. A year later, I saw him on the news for having allowed a minor to be tattooed in his shop. LOL…karma is a bitch.
I then went to work at another shop…this time, run by Houstones, a gang. I worked there for 6 months…ignoring the drug trafficking while I worked. So, I dove into my work, never really looking up at anything or anyone else in the shop. I simply concentrated hard on building my speed and my portfolio so that I could find a better work environment. When the cops came around taking license plate numbers and watching the shop’s every move, I quit!
The Fates once more intervened and delivered me to Phat Kat Tats! Formerly known as 2Extreme, it’s been owned by Wally & Kari Jones since 1994. I love these guys! I started there September 3, 2006 and I am still going strong! I’m proud to be where I am, but I’m always striving to be better! Tattooing, I can honestly say, has truly saved my life.
ABOUT MY INK: Buzzzzz…
Before I came into tattooing, I used to do portraits on paper for friends and co-workers. I was also really heavy into Comic Art and I was accepted into the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphic Design! Sadly, I couldn’t afford the expensive tuition.
I freelanced as a Muralist. I used to do murals and other art projects for night clubs in Miami Beach, Florida (a.k.a. South Beach)…The Church & the Kitchen Club, just to name a couple. I also enjoy working in Photography and Graphic design.
My tattooing style is not truly specific…I do like to consider myself a pretty versatile artist. Everything from Portraits, Illustrative, Black & Grey, Color…why limit myself? The real trick is knowing your OWN limits and being realistic with what you can and can not do. If I feel like I can’t pull off a piece exactly as I would like it to be, I have no problem passing that customer off to someone I feel is better qualified to handle the task. I feel that as a Tattooist, it is my responsibility to the customer to give them the best quality work. If I feel I will fall short of that promise, then it’s my duty to find someone else for them who will give them what they desire. That is why networking is so very important to me. My goal is to make everyone that wears my work feel eternally proud to wear it on their skin!
I welcome you all to offer up critiques of my work. But, if you are a fellow tattooist, all I ask is that it’s done so respectively…BE TECHNICAL! Don’t just tear me down without giving me a hand up. If you’re going to tell me that something is or isn’t what it’s supposed to be due to technique, color scheme, etc., feel free to return that with suggestions or words of encouragement. If you’re out to make yourself feel better by putting someone down, then ignore me and move on please.
But, if you are a true Professional and have the Industry’s best interest in mind, then you should be happy to lend a fellow tattooist a kind word of wisdom when needed. We, as professional tattooists, should care about helping each other improve on each other’s ink. We need to continually raise the standards of quality work!
Besides that, I am first and foremost a Professional. Whether I’ve been tattooing 1 year or 20, I expect to be treated with respect. I’ve worked hard to be where I am, and I’m working even harder to get to where I want to be. I don’t need the negativity of individuals that simply care to hinder my progress. I want to hear from like-minded individuals who feel the same way about their careers as I do!
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” – Muad’dib of Frank Herbert’s DUNE
I love your work. Your shading is, idk how to describe it but I want to be tatted by you. My boyfriend and I will be in that shop soon.
Your work is beautiful, I love it. I just turned 18 and I wish to become a tattoo artist someday, but this is something that my parents would never approve of. It can be quite a bit discouraging at times, but after reading this, you have truly inspired me. I was wondering if you could maybe help me out and point me in the right direction, give me some advice?