Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Morris.
Hi Jade, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Take whichever parts of this you wish; it’s quite difficult to summarize one’s story, haha.
I grew up in rural Nelsonville, with the Wayne National Forest as a backyard. This location allowed me to cultivate a deep respect for and connection with nature and that which it offers – the beauty of life and death, which will forever be heavily referenced in my work. Living in the countryside I believe allowed me a greater opportunity to access my creativity, or moreso I had to lean on it in order to interact with the world. I developed into an independent, contemplative, and creative person out of necessity rather than pure choice; there wasn’t much else to do besides explore the woods, read, do chores, and create, create, create – whether that be games, stories, make-believe worlds, sculptures, songs, music, drawings – all while wandering among the forest with my two siblings.
In school, me and my twin brother were seen as quiet, timid, odd children. The only time I ever felt comfortable or in my element was during art class or physical education, where I probably felt the most connection to home, leaning on creativity or physically interacting with my environment. I was always praised for my artistic abilities from a young age, and so I knew I would end up doing something in the creative realm when I was older; I just didn’t know what.
I was lucky enough to get scholarships in order to go to the Columbus College of Art & Design, where I earned a BFA in illustration. However, when I graduated, I had the full intention of pursuing music, which I had progressively become more passionate about, especially after completing an animation project in which I decided to make a full-length music video just for the hell of it.
I worked a steady job in retail for four years, and in my free time, my siblings and I would work on material. I played the guitar and sang, as did my sister; my brother was the drummer. My father had a background in music, and we were slowly getting more comfortable with the whole recording process. I can confidently say that pursuing music was the creative outlet in which I felt the most peace with, the most creatively fulfilled. I didn’t have a lot of success with friendships or with finding a voice outside of creativity, so music, writing, and singing that’s where I felt like I was starting to thrive.
The real turnaround was when I met my boyfriend, Alex, and thus no longer had as much time for my creative endeavors. Having the time to record and work on material became increasingly difficult, which wasn’t all bad because I was falling in love. But still, it had its frustrations.
Alex is the one who encouraged me to pursue tattooing, an art form I had never considered for myself. Since day one, he has supported me in any of my creative interests. I would always be working on some sort of project for no real reason other than purely for the sake of creating. He would always tell me, “That would make an awesome tattoo,” and yes, he is fairly heavily tattooed.
He bought me a tattoo machine as a gift in December 2021, and so I began to try and teach myself how to tattoo. I would watch video after video, read article after article, doing my best to figure it all out. Tattooing is not a very forgiving medium and absolutely is not beginner-friendly; however, having an artistic background was incredibly beneficial. I started on fake skin and eventually started tattooing Alex’s legs as I became more comfortable with it. I then moved on to tattooing my sister and any other friends and family who felt comfortable being a Guinea pig. Yes, I know, it’s generally looked down upon for someone to learn how to tattoo without the guidance and supervision of a mentor while in an apprenticeship.
But of course, me being a stubborn and independent person, I was determined for so long to do everything myself. This caused quite a bit of frustration before I realized that I couldn’t learn everything from a YouTube video or articles online. You really need somebody there to observe you and tell you what you are doing wrong because looking anything up online comes with thousands of opinions and no real solid answers the majority of the time. I had reached a point in which I was no longer progressing but stuck in a constant struggle with myself and no real way to move past it on my own.
I currently live in Athens, Ohio, in a quiet little apartment village. I have been apprenticing at Gahanna Tattoo since late July 2023.
I learned so much within the first few months, spending most of my time observing my mentors as they worked, picking up good habits, trying to unlearn the bad ones, grasping a better understanding of what I was doing and what I needed to do in order to succeed.
I’ve been apprenticing for 8 months now and still have a lot to learn, but I’m progressing and improving very quickly.
It has felt great to be around fellow creatives again, it’s something that I was definitely starved for while working in retail.
Having an environment where you can freely bounce ideas off of each other, ask for advice, and just exist in a space where everyone is pushing each other to succeed has been the best. The shop experience has been interesting, to say the least, and at this point, my mentors feel like family, even if slightly dysfunctional at times. I’m now working a job where I feel fulfilled, and like I’m following the right path. I’m excited for where this career will take me, as I’m still in the beginning phases, there’s still so much to achieve and explore.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles…once again…take whatever you wish from what I’ve written:
I feel like my biggest obstacle, besides the financial strain that an apprenticeship can initially induce, was just making that first step toward legitimacy. Although it is possible to be “self-taught,” that would have been a much longer and far more difficult journey. I’m lucky to have landed where I did.
Applying for an apprenticeship and forcing myself out of my comfort zone was a huge step for me. I’m not a very social person, which provides its own challenges in day-to-day life, but the decision to pursue a career in which I am interacting very closely with clients was at first a very real insecurity and created apprehension and doubt as to whether tattooing would be the right fit for me.
Financially, at this point in an apprenticeship, it’s common to still be struggling to get by. For the first 3 months of my apprenticeship, I was in the shop 32 hours a week while maintaining a part-time position with my original employer so that I could pay for gas and food and at least cover the majority of my bills. But that wasn’t sustainable for very long, as it took a huge mental and physical toll on me.
I’m lucky enough to have a very supportive partner who allowed me the luxury of quitting my part-time job in order to go all-in on my apprenticeship. This was an anxiety-inducing decision, as I was unpaid for quite a while, but it allowed me to focus more on my progression and dedicate more time to tattooing.
Challenges in my personal life have been having to put other passions and sometimes people on hold while I pursue tattooing. Music and recording have taken a back seat for quite a while now, and I’m hoping it can resurface down the road as I become a more established artist. I’ll make sure to add a link to my band’s YouTube page if anyone has any interest.
Self-doubt and being my own worst critic are very common difficulties within any creative field. And I don’t believe that is something that ever really leaves you. I’d be worried if it did.
Now, I’m not even a year into tattooing, and I’m making more money as an apprentice than when I was working a comfortable and well-paid job in retail. That’s insane. I’m an infant in the tattoo world, and I already can support myself. All this is thanks to those who have supported and continue to support me, my family, and some friends, but largely to my mentors – Brett and Jordan, for seeing my potential and welcoming me to the team. Having an apprentice is not a necessity; it’s an opportunity and a chance. I’m very thankful for what I have been given.
All this being said the tattoo climate is always changing and fluctuating; it’s not a secure position to be in. You make money as long as you maintain a clientele. And if you fail to do so, you will fail. But at least for someone like me, the risks are worth the reward. More like the constant risk is really what makes the reward in the first place.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Currently, I’m apprenticing at Gahanna Tattoo and am tattooing full-time. Already having my own personal illustrative style, that is something that I am attempting to translate and maintain in my tattooing. The subject matter I gravitate towards is that of organic forms, mostly that of an otherworldly, grotesque, or haunting nature. Because I grew up in the forest and around farm life, the threads of life and death are very appealing to me. I experienced the fragility and beauty of these concepts from a very early age just by the nature of where I grew up.
Me and my siblings always drawn to animals, of course: the frogs, salamanders, frogs, crawdads, snakes, and other creatures we could pull from the creek and investigate. We would collect bones; I eventually would do dissections of roadkill or any animal that our dog would kill. I never really viewed this kind of thing as “gross” or “disturbing” – but just another aspect of nature, of our organic reality. For a while, I thought I would pursue a career in the natural sciences.
My screen name, “Necropossum,” is taken from my experiences with the life and death of opossums. To be brief, the family dog would kill anything that came into the yard at night, often these would be opossums. Occasionally, the victim would be a female carrying young in her pouch. Me and my siblings would always try to save them, no matter how small and no matter how incapable and unequipped we were. There was nothing we could do but try and fail and experience death.
But we were successful once; we raised 6 opossums and then released them back into the wild. Needless to say, the opossum has taught me quite a lot. About patience, about the inability to “play God” despite our efforts in this world. I suppose opossums being a rather misunderstood creature also creates another level of connection to them that I can’t quite seem to shake even into adulthood.
I am a very go-with-the-flow kind of person, and I try not to go into anything with too much expectation except what I expect of myself. My tendency to try and fail repeatedly despite my frustrations and despite my own good is both my greatest asset and my greatest detriment.
I genuinely just want to create things that I can feel proud of and that I can provide to and share with others. I want to create something that sparks thought and conversation, but really, I’m just sharing a part of my soul and hoping that someone can connect with it. I thank anybody who is willing to wear my work and let my voice be heard through it.
I have a long way to go in my career, and the frustration and struggle that comes with it is what drives and motivates me. Things that are easy are usually rather boring.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I used to read quite a bit, but I’ve fallen out of consuming much else that isn’t fast-paced media, which is rather unfortunate. I don’t currently have that luxury of time, so I don’t usually engage in too many activities that require me to dedicate my focus away from creation. But I should…I do believe that it is important for our psyche. There are still books that I’ve read that I will always go back to and have attachment to, such as Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” or Golding “Lord of the Flies” that I feel reinforce the importance of individuality vs. the collective or vs. conformity. But perhaps you’re wanting me to reference books that are more about self-help or career-focused. In which case, I really don’t have any.
I sometimes watch anime and read manga and graphic novels, which, of course, helps fuel my love of visual arts. I grew up watching and obsessing over Jim Henson’s “The Dark Crystal,” which I credit for a lot of early inspiration when it comes to organic and fantastical designs with the creatures I enjoy creating.
I do listen to podcasts and music, as I have a 3-hour round trip commute from Athens to Gahanna every workday. Most of the podcasts I listen to are science or educational based, like; “Stuff You Should Know” or “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week.” But I’m also a long-time listener of “Ear Biscuits,” the podcast of YouTube’s ‘Good Mythical Morning,’ which I think primarily is just wholesome, good-hearted content.
Music is obviously a great outlet and motivator for me. I gather the most inspiration to succeed and pursue art- without a doubt- because of musicians’ stories. Even when it comes to my visual arts, this remains the same.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/necropossum.tattoo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nostalgiacage2038
