Today we’d like to introduce you to Milla Press.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a self-taught artist, when I first learned how to tattoo, I struggled with finding a shop to work at. Most shops focus on American traditional styles while being very male-dominated and making a lot of women and queer people feel uncomfortable both working there and getting tattooed there.
I opened Girlxfriend because I wanted to create a shop that felt less intimidating for clients – more comforting and safe. All of our artists are female/femme/queer POC folk who specialize in their own unique, contemporary art styles. The goal was to create a space for clients to feel at ease and for POC/queer/female artists to grow.
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?
There definitely were some struggles along the way, as there are with opening any business. A lot of trial and error came into play, especially when trying to run a tattoo shop in a way that isn’t typically/traditionally done. I am lucky enough to have the most amazing group of artists working with me, who have been supporting me every step of the way. A lot of other tattoo shops don’t view us as a legitimate shops or legitimate artists because we are taking a new approach to the tattoo world. This has only pushed us to work harder and change the industry for the better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the owner of the tattoo shop, as well as an artist here. I specialize in creating cute, silly, nostalgic, and romantic black & grey, color, and micro-fine line tattoos. I would definitely say I’m most proud of creating the shop and seeing how far we’ve come in only a year, as well as the team I’ve pulled together. Seeing each one of them grow and progress and watching all of us become close friends makes me feel incredibly proud.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important thing I learned is to trust the process and journey of life. At times I can feel like I haven’t reached success at the levels I’d like to and place a lot of pressure on myself, but I am learning every day that it’s all part of the journey and I just have to ride with where everything takes me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/girlxfriend
- Instagram: instagram.com/girlxfriendla
- Youtube: youtube.com/girlxfriendla
- Other: tiktok.com/girlxfriendla
