Today we’d like to introduce you to Mo Southern.
Mo, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Texas in a small town that doesn’t lend itself to the arts or tattoos. We had one tattoo shop in the whole town and it was ‘old school’ where you pick something off the wall. Once I started my own tattoo collection my interest grew rapidly for the craft. I spent more and more time in shops absorbing what I could. I began tattooing in 2006 and it quickly became not only my passion but my purpose. I finally had the opportunity to move to the LA area in 2014 and fell in love with the culture, weather, and being so close to many different areas to explore. I strive to expand my knowledge wherever I can to be able to offer more to my clients. I took my eyebrow Microblading course in Jan 2017 and have reignited my passion with a whole new field of cosmetic tattooing.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have been ups and downs as with any road to success. I opened my own tattoo shop in 2012 and we were open for a year. I didn’t know much about owning a shop and had hopes that the partner I opened with would be able to fill in the gaps. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the load was on my shoulders. It wasn’t a huge failure by any means but when the lease was up after a year I decided to close. The stress of a business was killing my creative drive and I found myself not wanting to tattoo anymore. I took some time off after we closed to recenter myself and find that passion again. After that bump in the road I decided to work for a shop locally and found great success there building my clientele and pushing my boundaries to new heights.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I remember when the new trend of watercolor tattooing came about. I spent time really honing my skills to understand how to tattoo this style and found great success with it. Now years later down the road I am still sought out for my style of watercolor. It’s a really fun style of tattooing with no rules or boundaries unlike most other styles, it’s all free hand. Since moving to California I began tattooing more black and grey than I had ever before. Now I find myself really drawn to black and grey realism and my abilities have grown in ways I could have never imagined before. I also really love doing solid bold color tattoos but it’s not as big of a demand here in LA as back home in Texas.
Along with Eyebrow Microblading, I offer Faux Freckles. This is fairly new to the tattooing industry and not many people are doing them correctly. I have been featured on seventeen.com, dailymail.co.uk and interviewed on beautyundercover.com, today.com for Faux Freckles. I have several emails a week with people seeking me out for this cosmetic procedure with some coming from states away to book.
Apart from what services I offer to my clients I feel that my bedside manner is what keeps people coming back. I’ve been tattooed by many artists where I felt like I was a nuisance and they couldn’t wait for me to get out of their chair. I really take the time with my clients to understand their needs, make them feel at ease during the process, and create a peaceful environment in what may normally be a stressful one. I genuinely care about my clients and they take great care of me in return!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
LA is known for its culture, art is a huge part of that. This is a city that spawns creativity without effort. I would say it’s probably tougher starting out to find a voice here with so many others doing the same, but definitely a place that’s worth it.
Pricing:
- Eyebrow Microblading $350, two sessions
- Faux Freckles $300, two sessions
- Hourly tattoo rate $150-200
- Scalp Micropigmentation $1500-up
Contact Info:
- Website: mosouthern.com
- Phone: 6613476033
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: mmsouthern
- Facebook: facebook.com/mosouthern
- Twitter: twitter.com/mmsouthern
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mo-southern-santa-clarita
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
