Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlo And Sandra.
Ashlo and Sandra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We originally met while working in HR and became friends early on. Eventually the friendship blossomed into a marriage (think twilight minus the gloomy weather ,vampires and impending doom). After some time we both realized the office life wasn’t for us and left with no backup plan. We both were always drawn to the arts and wanted to pursue careers in it. So we both decided to do what any starving artist would do…deliver food to make some money and have absolutely no game plan as to how we were going to make it. Sandra had originally proposed the idea of becoming tattoo artists and I thought it wasn’t the best idea because firstly our parents would NOT approve of the decision and secondly, we didn’t even know how to go about becoming tattoo artists. But we eventually conjured up the courage to talk with each of our parents and our journey began, with one promise between us: To stick together through it all no matter what happened. I can’t tell you how many times we heard the word “no” from different shops. We would go as far out as Santa Barbara to get an apprenticeship together. Eventually we ended up in Oxnard, at a shop that was willing to take us both. There we learned a lot about street life and tattooing. We were honestly just grateful to be able to start towards something we had been wanting for a while. From there, we wanted to expand our horizons and grow as artists, so we worked at different shops after that and ended up at a bigger shop in Santa Clarita. I think a common theme we noticed at most shops was the lack of the human experience. It was always loud and busy, with little to no interaction at times. It sort of took away from what makes getting a tattoo so special. Sandra and I would talk about it often and we both were ready to keep pushing forward in our journey. That’s when we decided to open Rose Stem Tattoo. We wanted to create a sort of safe space where people could be themselves without the intimidation a traditional shop presents. Yes, we are a spooky themed shop, and Halloween seems to be pretty much year-round, but we do have a reputation of being the most welcoming shop as well. We wouldn’t be where we are without the obstacles we faced, and those obstacles taught us not only how to be better artists, but humans as well. Who we are when you enter our shop is who we are when we leave it. To us, kindness counts and people are more than just a paycheck.
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 was not easy to get to where we are today. I think a huge obstacle we had to face was sexism. The tattooing world is a predominantly male-run business and it’s so easy to get discouraged when you’re a woman. Honestly in any male-dominated job it’s tough. I think though that specifically in the tattoo world, there aren’t really any rules or code of conduct. There’s no HR team or complaint line. You just sort of deal with it or not. We have had our run-ins with…interesting individuals, which might be a big understatement, but sticking together and having that trust in each other helped to keep our heads on our shoulders and our eyes open.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When Sandra and I went into this career, we honestly weren’t the best at tattooing. It took a lot of practice. People tell us that we’re talented, but in all honesty, it’s really just consistency and determination. That’s the big secret that everyone wants to know. I do have to say though that of the two of us, Sandra got the biggest sh*t when we were searching for apprenticeships. She started in traditional style (think sailor Jerry) and a lot of the shops we went to spoke condescendingly on that style. So time and time again she would get laughed at or made fun of. But she kept pushing and her art evolved overtime. Now she specializes in surrealism, but she can definitely whip up a mean traditional piece. Horror is one of her favorite subjects, as is mine, and her art is *chefs kiss,* especially knowing how hard she had to work to make it. I personally have always been inclined to realism. I love portraits. I love the stories behind them. I love images that present a challenge as well. I stay away from traditional tattoos though. It’s actually a very difficult art form (ironic isn’t it). We both also love to do fine-line designs to honor the girlies. We’re not the type to brag, but our art gives the boys a run for their money, and our feminine touch mixed with compassion for our clients is what completely knocks it out of the park.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There are a lot of lessons learned, and here are our top ones:
-There’s strength in sticking together
-Never compete against each other
-You can’t trust everyone
-You can say no when you need to
-Being a woman shouldn’t matter
-Never give up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rosestemtattoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosestemtattoo
