Witch and Dragon

I have been drawing since I can remember and more often than not I was drawing dragons. Dragons with fairies, dragons with wizards, fighting griffins, fighting unicorns, protecting princesses, dancing around fairy circle rings, anything you can imagine involving a dragon, I was drawing it. I was reading books about dragons and epic fantasy tomes, I was playing video games that brought me deeper into the fantasy realm and I never wanted to leave. While I was in school I was doodling and when I was home I was creating. I still did all that was expected of me; I graduated high school and went on to college, I worked hard, had regular jobs and I prepared for a future in the nine to five (or at least the archaeological equivalent since that was one of my majors).  A few years after graduating from UCSD, while navigating through life and debating how I wanted to spend my future, tragedy struck and I found myself a bit lost. In that time I was encouraged by those closest to me to quit my job and really immerse myself in art once again. It took time but I was reminded of my senior year project in which I took a hypothetical $100k and had to create a business. My business was a salon-like, relaxation focused, tattoo shop that only produced the best of the best. I wanted to make that a reality. So I adjusted my expectations, refocused my efforts and started producing more and more art. Finally feeling creative again while also struggling with loss was a challenge but it all paid off when I was given the chance of a lifetime at Guru Tattoo in San Diego.  I spent a little over two years in my apprenticeship learning all about tattoos; the history, the lore, the challenges. I experienced the good and the bad being a young woman in the industry and I am forever grateful to my mentor for giving me the opportunity to learn from him.  Upon leaving Guru, my fiancé and I decided to move north. I grew up in the small town of Julian, a mountain tourist destination known for our apple pies, so I had been in southern California my whole life. My fiancé had gone to college and then started his career in San Diego as well so we were both ready for a big change and Olympia, Washington just felt right. We came up here with no jobs, only a little savings, three cats, and a rental that fell through on the drive up... but we made it work. Within only a couple of weeks I found a welcoming shop that took me in right away and allowed me to stretch my creative muscles. I started to build a clientele early on and made a name for myself with my illustrative fantasy artwork. With my growing client base and a desire to keep learning the craft, I moved to another local shop after two years. There I was able to work with a very talented group of artists that inspired me to really improve my skills and I was able to find my niche.  Within those first three years up in Olympia I flourished as an artist and a person. My fiancé and I got married and a year later had a baby on the way. After many 'questionable' decisions, a move back to San Diego, Covid-19, and another move BACK to Olympia, we found our true home. It was here in Olympia with my amazing clients, many of whom became friends, with my husband and first born, with the peace and quiet that comes from a good community. Eventually we had another child and I was ready, once again, to try something new. I needed space to find, and even redefine, my creative voice and so I opened my own studio in the town I had grown to love.  Thus Witch and Dragon was born. I spend my time in the shop, surrounded by plants, artwork that I have done, pieces that I have purchased by artists I have met, who inspire me to get better all the time, and by the trinkets and books and crystals that make this space so peaceful. I was finally able to create, at least in some ways, that original shop I thought up when I was 17. Now I get to share it with so many new and interesting people. We get to talk about books, geek out over our favorite video games, or just fall asleep listening to synth-wave or metal or even an audio book while getting a tattoo. Whether it's the first tattoo full of meaning and thought, or the tenth tattoo full of humor and nerdy references, I am here for them all. I strive to bring the same peace of mind to all my clients that I have been able to find here in Olympia. And I am thankful everyday.