Chrissy Kratsas shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Chrissy, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Ever since I can remember, making art was my way of escaping reality. Some people journal, or write poems to overcome some of their battles, but for me it’s always been art. Sometimes it would be a craft, starting out drawing with crayons or stamped flowers found in my grandmother’s Blumengarten. I loved keeping a sketchbook of drawings of random objects around me. A way to ground myself. I was unknowingly building a skill doing this. And then eventually I was gifted a beautiful set of watercolor paints and I immediately fell in love with that.
These days art is my job and I paint more commissions than things around me. But particularly when I’m having a moodier week, grieving a loved one, or just going through some of life’s harder days, I pick up my paintbrush and paint something that brings me joy. Hours and hours can go by where I’m just painting, sipping on my coffee, and hanging out with my toddler. He’ll often ask to paint with me now too. It’s like every painful thought slowly leaves my mind as the paint leaves my brush. I don’t know if it’s a form of compartmentalization or simply therapy, but it works. Every time. I wish everyone could find something that brings them this much peace because I feel like I unlocked a hidden cheat code to happiness.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My names Chrissy Kratsas and I own a tattoo studio. It’s the first and only eco-friendly studio in my area, meaning the supplies I use during the tattooing process are over 90% compostable or biodegradable. I also pride myself on using only vegan-friendly or cruelty free products. I was always going to choose sustainable practices. I didn’t always know I wanted to get into tattooing though. Art was my favorite class starting by the first grade, and I thought I’d be a painter. I wouldn’t accept anything less. Went through school, graduated high school in two different countries, got my Bachelor’s in Studio Art and never looked back. Tried multiple different jobs within the art field, including a lot of traditional painting, but ultimately fell into tattooing. A lot of people warn you about scary tattoo apprenticeships and unfortunately despite trying so hard to not fall into the cliche, i still accidentally found a shop that was nothing what it seemed. When the timing felt right I left and I opened my own shop and created a space for myself and my coworker to thrive.
Now my clients receive high quality, precise, detailed, one of a kind works in a cozy and welcoming environment. Providing a space where my clients come to enjoy not just the tattoo, but the experience itself. It’s really a form of therapy too, where my clients can be true to themselves. And not only that, but they can feel good about not harming the planet in the process.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
There’s no singular defining moment, but being raised in a bi-cultural household by a German mother and an American father, and then eventually experiencing both cultures first hand by living in Germany during very formative years, has allowed me to see the world in a bit of a different lense. To visit a country and to experience a country are two very different things. Because of all of this I don’t feel a strong sense of belonging to just one part of the world. I am an American citizen but I am also a EU citizen. We are not just children of the country listed in our passports. We are all children of the earth. I feel just as deeply for the mother who speaks a different language and practices a different religion, as I do for the mother who looks like me and lives down the road. Everybody loves and feels the same. We all practice art the same. We raise our children the best we know how to, all over the world.
I have seen how some countries do things better than we do. So I try to play my part, such as in my sustainable practices within my business. Because at the end of the day, we’re all in this together, and the human experience is to reflect, learn, and do better. We can all do better!
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Being seen. It’s always been something I’ve struggled with, and it got exponentially worse when I was struggling to learn and understand how to navigate school life in Germany when I was young. It’s difficult to make friends and be true to yourself when there’s a language barrier preventing you from expressing yourself fully. It’s such a big part of fitting in, and being accepted. For some I understand social anxiety can be the same feeling. It’s two sides of the same anxious introverted stone. I never felt like I was being perceived the way I wanted to until I moved back to the states and started finding my style and personality while in college. It’s been a long haul of self discovery to get to where I am and I probably wouldn’t be recognized anymore by those who knew me back then. I’m so thankful I’ve grown into the person a younger version of me would’ve looked up to, and I’m no longer as much afraid of showing up as myself.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My family first and foremost. I love being a mom and I love being a wife. The well being of animals & other humans are absolutely second on that list, and my actions especially within my business always speak true to that.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That when I love, I love and care with all my heart and being. The people in my life are all so important to me and I would be nothing without my family, my friends, and those who allow me to create for them. If I’m able to offer something good to this world then know I always will. Being given a gift means nothing if I’m not using it to give back even more. So I hope I’m honoring that.
Woah getting really there deep there with that question haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chrysostattoo.com
- Instagram: chrysostattoo
- Facebook: Chrysos Tattoo
Image Credits
All portraits by Courtney Dimoff Photography
