Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Hardin.
Hi Asia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always loved tattoos and had a really huge appreciation for it since I was a kid. I loved watching tattoo shows and getting inked magazines. I tried getting an apprenticeship when I was 16 but it didn’t really go anywhere. Fast foward 8 years and I finally got the opportunity! I owned a few different art businesses beforehand and never gave up on making my art dreams a reality! I apprenticed at a street shop and started off fairly quickly, I’m still developing my style but am truly living my dream by being able to make art every day for a living.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely been difficult, I started as an apprentice and was working another part time job at T-Mobile. Which was very difficult to manage at once because I’d go into work at 8am-5pm then go straight to the shop to get in as many hours as I could. The hardest part about it was finding my place in the tattoo community, building my clientele base, managing my personal life with my fiance and I was also in the process of buying a home because my condo at the time was being sold. My other struggles were finding my voice, I’m a very quiet kind of person so having to go outside of my comfort zone to market and find out how to do everything in my own way without being dismissive to the industry was a big struggle. But luckily I met amazing artists to help me find my way and feeling grounded in the community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a tattoo artist. Before tattooing, I always did large, surrealism paintings and portraits . I try not to specialize in too much of any particular style, I love color, black and gray, portraits,anime etc! I always want every day to be a little bit different so I try to take anything that comes my way because it’s been the best thing for my growth as an artist. I may specialize at some point in my career but right now I’m just in love with the process of creating. It’s a very powerful thing to be able to take a clients vision and collaborate to make something unique for them. It creates a beautiful synergy and makes the process so much more interesting for me. I’m most proud of my ability to connect with my clients and create a safe space, me being able to meet so many people and create something that’s on their body forever is a huge gift to me. I think I attract a lot of people that are similar to me, very quiet and down to earth people that want to feel safe and heard when they’re getting tattooed. I try really hard to make sure my clients always have the ability to talk to me about placement, size, and their comfortability during our appointments. I don’t want anyone to get a regretful tattoo so my process is completely based around them as people.
How do you think about happiness?
My life, I’ve been through a lot in my life and child me could only dream of the accomplishments I’ve made in my life. I could never imagine my life would be so full of love, joy and support. Im eternally grateful that my childhood didn’t dictate my trajectory and that I’ve met so many amazing people along the way that helped me get here. I still have a long way to go but I’m so happy with how amazing things have been both in my career and personal life.
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