Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist's Survival Guide

"Sometimes failure doesn't look like falling apart. It looks like realizing you've been holding on to something for too long."   I recently had to make one of the hardest calls as a business owner—letting go of someone I genuinely cared about. It forced me to face some uncomfortable truths about my leadership, my blind spots, and the standards I need to protect at Bluebird Tattoo Studio. This wasn...

Coming back to record this episode was harder than I expected. Five weeks away from the mic after a fall that left me with a fractured temporal bone, dislocated ear bones, a concussion, and a seizure—yeah, it was a lot. But here's what nobody tells you about forced time off: sometimes the best thing that can happen to your business is being physically unable to work in it. I'm not saying you need...

Goal Getter Worksheet - Free download to help you brainstorm and structure your goals: https://boundbyart.com/goals   Episode 11 - 8 Reasons You Won't ACHIEVE Your Goals Again This Year with Missi Blue:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-reasons-you-wont-achieve-your-goals-again-this-year/id1777930586?i=1000682298139 "I was super busy all the time. But was I being productive? Absolutely not....

"People need to stop tearing each other down in order to get to an imaginary mountaintop that just doesn't exist. You can literally collaborate with people to get there." - Gia Rose This conversation with Gia Rose goes deep into the realities of building a career in today's tattoo industry. We talk openly about the challenges of dealing with online negativity, the true value of mentorship, and why...

"If you would do it for nothing in exchange, you're in the right place. That's my philosophy—if you would tattoo for nothing, you're doing it for the love of the craft." – Gia Rose After 21 years behind the machine, Gia Rose has seen it all—from making her own needles and mixing pigments to navigating the brutal world of online attacks. In this raw and honest conversation, Gia breaks down what it...

When Vicki first started working at Bluebird Tattoo Studio as our shop manager, I honestly never planned on taking an apprentice. But watching her work ethic, her hunger to learn, and her genuine connection with our clients made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about teaching someone to tattoo. Fast forward three years, and she's one of the most consistently booked artists in our shop, wi...

"Winners are made in the off season. While everyone else is taking a break, we're working our asses off - and when the next season starts, we hit the ground running." - Missi Blue Hey everyone, Missi here! In today's episode, we're diving deep into a reality every tattoo artist faces - the slow season. But here's the thing: instead of seeing it as a setback, I'm showing you how to use this time to...

Running a tattoo shop isn't just about creating incredible art—it's about building systems that work, fostering community connections, and staying consistent even when the business side feels overwhelming. I was lucky enough to sit down with my friend Sutton, owner of Self Care Tattoo, to work through some of the real challenges he's facing as a shop owner in small-town Pennsylvania. We dive deep...

You know that feeling when you're working your ass off but somehow still feel like you're spinning your wheels? Yeah, I've been there recently, and it forced me to take a hard look at what the hell I was actually doing with my time. I realized I was back to being completely ineffective—burnt out, not seeing results, and definitely not getting closer to my goals. So I had to ask myself the tough qu...

"All of these moments were scary as hell for me at first. I pushed through and did it anyway. None of these moments were comfortable, or easy, or came naturally to me. I had to put myself in uncomfortable situations so that I could grow." Looking back at my career journey always gives me perspective, but this time I found something that really stopped me in my tracks—a note from 2017 with my "big"...

"Am I challenging myself or am I torturing myself? Am I trying to be something I'm not, and that's why it's so hard? Should I be leaning into what already works?" You know that feeling when you finish a tattoo and you're completely drained—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too? I had this eye-opening conversation with my friend Milo after she guest spotted at Bluebird Tattoo Studio...

"The truth that no one really wants to hear is that it takes pushing through the hard days to be able to push through the hard days." Let's have an honest conversation about something we all face but rarely discuss openly - those mornings when life punches you in the gut right before a full day of appointments. After 20 years in this industry and countless days of showing up when I didn't think I...

This wasn't supposed to be a teaching episode, but sometimes the most powerful lessons come from the most honest moments. I've been questioning everything lately – why I keep pushing so hard when it feels like I'm constantly running uphill with no end in sight. Between tattooing full-time, running Bluebird Tattoo Studio, mentoring, podcasting, and creating content, I was drowning. But then I remem...

"Your worth and your value is not based on how much people like your art. At the end of the day, it's art. No one has or ever will agree on art, period." -Missi Blue   Here at Bluebird Tattoo Studio, I've learned that the difference between artists who plateau and those who continuously evolve comes down to one thing: how they handle feedback. After 21 years in this industry, I can tell you that t...

"People treat you exactly the way that you allow them to." Here's the thing that took me way too long to learn: every time you let someone else's bad mood, rude comment, or unexpected situation completely derail your day, you're essentially handing over the keys to your life. I used to be the queen of letting one small thing spiral into a week-long emotional disaster, and honestly, it was exhausti...

"Having ADHD does not mean we can't do hard things and we can't get shit done. We just have to lean into what works for us and away from the things that make everything worse." I spent 38 years struggling through life thinking everyone else had some secret manual I never received. Constantly scattered, forgetting appointments, leaving projects half-finished, and procrastinating until deadlines bec...

"If you actually want the dream you say you're after, why wouldn't you take as much of it as you were able to now and find those in-between steps to start living the dream now? What are you waiting for?" Here's something that's been weighing on my mind lately, and I think it's going to challenge everything you think you know about goal setting. What if we've become so laser-focused on our goals th...

"You're only going to attract the same that you're putting out there. So if you want better options, you have to bring that same energy to the table." This episode is going to challenge you, and honestly, it might sting a little. But if you're listening to this podcast, it means you're ready to grow and figure out what's not working. I've been where you are - wondering why everyone else seems book...

"Systems only work to help you if you actually use them." -Missi Blue   Last week reminded me why I built systems in the first place – and what happens when you think you're too experienced to follow them. My booking day at Bluebird Tattoo Studio turned into a complete scramble because I decided to wing it instead of sticking to my proven process. From ignored checklists to computer crashes at the...

"I know it's hard to work for me. And that's on purpose. I'm trying to weed out those ones that aren't on the same path as the rest of us." -Missi Blue Running a tattoo shop taught me one of the hardest lessons of my career: you can't be everyone's friend and still be an effective leader. For years, I desperately wanted to be the "cool boss" – the one everyone loved, the complete opposite of those...

"Trust is hard earned and easily lost. One dishonest move, lying, ghosting, breaking a promise, stealing - that can shatter years and years of credibility." When I think about what separates successful tattoo artists from those who struggle, it's rarely about technical skill alone. It's about integrity - that quiet consistency between who you say you are and how you actually show up, especially wh...

"Why waste your time proving over and over again how great you are when you could be getting better?" Here's the hard truth that no one wants to talk about: most of us are walking around with a voice in our head that's absolutely brutal. If we heard someone talking to our best friend the way we talk to ourselves, we'd be ready to fight. But somehow, we've normalized this internal beatdown that hap...

Download my FREE GOAL GETTER WORKBOOK "Being busy is not the same as being productive, and I had to learn that the hard way." As tattoo artists, we wear busyness like a badge of honor, but what if all that hustle is actually holding us back? I've been there – running around, checking boxes, feeling like I'm crushing it because my schedule is packed. But here's the reality check I needed: being bus...

Follow Crush on Instagram This episode takes you behind the scenes of what it really takes to build a successful tattoo career beyond just technical skill. Crush Captain gets brutally honest about his transformation from someone who was "tired of being a piece of shit" to an internationally recognized artist who commands stages at major conferences. His story isn't about overnight success or natur...

Download my FREE Booking Guide After 21 years in the industry, I've learned the hard way that an overwhelmed booking system leads to missed clients, double-bookings, and constant interruptions to your personal life. This episode breaks down the exact system I've refined over the years that allows me to handle all my bookings in a single day rather than spreading the stress across weeks or months....