Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Mintzer
Hi Beth, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started tattooing in the beginning of 2021, so 4 years now. In 2019 and 2020, I started getting a lot more tattoos myself, and discovering private studios, all women owned. They felt so different than traditional tattoo shops that have a more masculine, intimidating energy. The designs the artists were doing at these private studios were also different than the American traditional style that you first associate tattoos with. They resonated more with my artistic style, and it just looked like a really fun job to have. You get to be around other artists, meet lots of great people as your clients, and draw. During the first few months of Covid, I was painting in my parents back house and it was very lonely. Obviously we had to isolate at the time, but generally being an artist is an independent activity. I am an extrovert, so to find a job that you can be an artist in a more social setting, seemed like a good fit for me. I started to teach myself to tattoo from online videos, and asking the artists that were tattooing me questions while I watched them work. I practiced tattooing on myself and friends. Eventually, I started guesting at private studios, and after about a year, I was able to quit my day job and tattoo full time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had to overcome the fear of making mistakes on a tattoo. I’ve learned to accept that tattooing is an art form by humans, and that the imperfections show the humanity in the design. As a perfectionist, I would fixate over the little details not being the way I want, but as I continued to tattoo, I got comfortable and confident in myself, and let the little mistakes go. I’ve also had to deal with the physical exertion that goes into tattooing. You have to lean over very close while you’re tattooing, and have a grip on your machine for sometimes hours at a time. I started getting back pain and symptoms of tendinitis in my hand. I’ve worked on strengthening my hand muscles, and make sure I stretch and take breaks while I work.
With the amount of artists out there right now and the amount of content online, it has been hard to stand out as a social media presence. Instagram is where most of my clients find my work and how they connect with me. I have found it difficult to market myself, which sometimes makes it harder to fill up my schedule enough to make a living. I’m not very comfortable in front of a camera making videos to market myself, and was not someone that was ever very active posting content. But it is a crucial part of my job, and has been something that I continue to work on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a tattoo artist that specializes in fine line illustrative work. In the beginning when I was teaching myself to tattoo, one of my friends wanted a lamp tattoo. While I was looking up different lamps to draw for her, I found so many beautiful lamps and really enjoyed drawing them. After that, I drew more lamps for flash sheets. That’s when I made my Instagram handle @lampladytattoos, as it just sounded nice and I couldn’t think of any other creative name for my page. So that’s how lamp lady began and what I am known for! I also just love antiques and home objects so it felt fitting for me. People will come to me with custom requests of their childhood home lamp, or their grandma’s lamp for example. I really enjoy doing those types of lamps because of the sentimental value associated with them. Sometimes it is the only thing my client has left of their loved ones after they’ve passed, and is a special tribute to them. Lamps also feel like a timeless thing to get tattooed – I don’t see it being something you would grow out of with age.
What’s next?
I have recently become a resident artist at the tattoo shop Angel Kisses in Echo Park, Los Angeles. This year, I am looking forward to traveling to different cities for work, such as Seattle, San Diego, and Chicago. I’m also hoping to make time to get back into some other art forms I used to do more, such as ceramics and painting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bethmintzer.com
- Instagram: @lampladytattoos
Image Credits
N/A
