Rising Stars: Meet Lyn Lai

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lyn Lai.

Hi Lyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, my dad was always getting tattoos and would let me come to his sessions. He was always a big inspiration to me so naturally, I wanted to get covered in tattoos, too. It was around high school I started to draw on myself with eyeliner and give myself temporary fake tattoos because I promised I would wait until I was 18 to get a real one. I had a lot of classmates ask for them so I would just bring my eyeliner and “tattoo” during class/breaks. I think it was then I realized how much I loved putting my art onto other people. Once I turned 18, my dad surprised me with my first tattoo kit. He was my practice skin and first client. Eventually, I met more people in the tattooing industry and they guided me through a more in depth process of how it worked. Steven Seng and Adrian Franco were my crutches through my learning and helped me tremendously. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them. I’m currently in my 3rd year of tattooing and work out of Calavera Studios in Long Beach. I’m super excited to see how my art will evolve over the years and where it’ll take me.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Surprisingly, it was a very smooth road. I had a lot of support from family and friends which is kind of rare in this industry. I always hear people talk of their apprenticeships like it was a horror film of painstaking labor and mean mentors, but my mentors were wonderful. Their intentions were to have me grow as fast as I could so that could find my own way to express myself. I think the main struggles I faced were just with myself. I always second-guessed myself and was scared to take risks. Thankfully, I did and it worked out wonderfully. I’ve met so many different people and was able to learn from all of them and use their teachings to apply myself.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a tattoo artist and I specialize in fine line tattoos. There was some stigma about fine line or micro tattoos because of how they’ll hold up in your skin after a few years, but I feel like once you learn the technicality of the needles and how the skin takes ink, it’s great. I’ve seen people with fine line tattoos that are 10+ years old and they still look just as beautiful. I think my most requested tattoos would be animal portraits and flowers which is great because they’re my favorite. I don’t think there’s a huge community of fine line artists in LA being it’s kind of an up and coming style. It’s nice to see this style of tattoos gaining in popularity, though. I want to solidify a position in the fine line world and watch it blossom.

What matters most to you?
Spreading love through tattoos is my main motivation to do what I do. I think the best thing you can do for a person is make them feel loved and appreciated by whatever means. I was fortunate enough to be able to create art and with that, bring people’s visions to life. It means the most when the tattoo has super sentimental value. When people come get a tattoo, you don’t just get a tattoo. It’s like therapy for some of my clients. We talk and I learn about their lives and hear their stories. For the few hours you’re there, there’s a deep connection formed. I’ve become really good friends with some of my clients and I’m so grateful for it. I’m able to live different lives through them and vice versa. Then at the end, you get a new tattoo and you’re permanently changed forever in the best way. You can buy materialistic things like cars and jewelry, but tattoos are one of the few things you take with you to your grave and there’s so much beauty in that. And I get to be a part of it.

Pricing:

• At the moment, my rate it $180 per hour.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/dammitbae