Check Out Kellie Butler’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Butler.

Hi Kellie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Kellie Butler and I am a tattoo artist based in Costa Mesa, California. I am approaching my 3 year tattooing mark, and next April will be three years since completing my apprenticeship.

I grew up in a very athletic household, soccer, basketball, snowboarding every winter, and volleyball in high school. I enjoyed playing sports, but I remember always wishing that I was an artist. There are no artists in my family, and for some reason little me had the idea that being an artist was something that had to be inherited.

During the last semester of my senior year of high school I took an art class elective. I bought my first real sketchbook, and once the class started, I was surprised to find that I was a natural at drawing. My teacher validated me and wanted to put one of my pieces in the art show. Ever since that class I started drawing and never stopped.

I remember feeling so passionate and obsessed with drawing, unlike any feeling I had before. After high school I went to college. I really wanted to choose art as my major, but I believed I could never create a career out of my art or financially support myself. So I ended up getting my bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then my master’s degree in Education and completing a multiple subject teaching credential program.

During college I took two art classes as electives, and I remember both of my professors pulling me aside and telling me I NEEDED to switch my major to art and pursue it. I told them no. They both put my pieces in the downtown Riverside art gallery show each year. It felt really validating, and slowly I started building more confidence in myself as an artist, but I still believed I had to choose a traditional career.

For years I told myself that after finishing my programs and getting my first full time teaching job I would start an art Instagram and Etsy shop, and I finally did. I worked my 2nd grade teaching job all day and then spent late nights working on my drawings or whatever creative project I was fixating on at the time. I then started vending art events on weekends as well.

Teaching is a very demanding job, and with my small art business I started to feel burnt out. Slowly, I fell into a deep depression. Although I loved some aspects of teaching, I had this terrible feeling that I was living someone else’s life, not mine. After two years I ended up quitting my teaching job.

I decided I wanted to try becoming a tattoo artist and get an apprenticeship. It was a thought I always had in the back of my head. There were two separate times during college when I bought a cheap tattoo machine kit from the local tattoo supply shop and tried to teach myself tattooing, but I didn’t stick with it. So I grabbed all of my favorite pieces I had drawn over the years, put them in a portfolio, and walked into a shop asking for an apprenticeship. I got that apprenticeship, and then two more after that. The first two were rough to say the least, but third times the charm.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with depression. But ever since I allowed myself to go after tattooing, I’ve slowly felt my depression dissipate. I feel in every fiber of my being that this is what I am meant to do. Drawing, tattooing, creating art makes me feel alive like nothing else.

Since then I’ve tattooed at three expos, guest spotted in multiple states, had my drawings in art galleries, moved to my dream city in my dream apartment, started working at the most beautiful studio with inspiring artists, met so many like minded friends, and get to work on my craft every single day. My art seems to attract the best clients, and I just feel really happy and lucky every day.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and do tattooing from the start, but then I don’t because I believe that everything happens for a reason.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely wasn’t the smoothest road, but it could have been worse I guess. The first two apprenticeships I started were rough for many reasons, but I’m glad I didn’t stay in them too long. Starting tattooing in my late 20s and starting over, I wasn’t messing around and was determined to learn.

Another struggle was switching careers and going back to the bottom. I moved back home with my parents, paid my bills on my credit card, worked nonstop as an apprentice, and substitute taught on my days off. But it was all completely worth it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in high contrast, black and gray, illustrative realism tattoos. In my tattoos I try to capture the smooth blends of charcoal or graphite on textured paper and translate that look onto the skin. Some of my favorite subjects to tattoo are eyes, skulls, and faces. I love adding a dark, moody feel to my pieces.

What I’m most proud of is my determination when I put my mind to something. After everything I’ve been through to get to where I am today, I really have the confidence that I can accomplish anything I want.

I think what sets me apart from others is my deep love for growing and improving. I am constantly analyzing my work to see how I can get better and studying master artists’ work. I feel like not everyone has this quality because they have their ego in the way, but when it comes to growing and improving in my work I have no ego blocking me.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me when it comes to tattooing is working with my clients to create something beautiful for them. It’s not just my art anymore. I see tattooing as a collaboration between me and the client. It is so important to me that my work comes out the best it possibly can and that it is something they will love.

For me, getting tattoos has helped heal my relationship with myself, and each new piece helps me love myself a little more. I hope my art can connect with my clients in that same way if they need it to.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peculiar.cats/