Meet Zoey Hunter Vick of Heart n Soul Tattoo in Fort Worth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoey Hunter Vick.

Zoey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had left college to go home to be with my ill father and after he passed I started my apprenticeship, my daughter was ill and I started raiding my little brother- the beginning for me was about sheer drive and determination to meet my goals. I worked graveyard shift at a gas station and did my tattoo apprenticeship during the day while getting a handle on raising a teenager and a sick baby. Early in my daughter passed, Tattooing and my little brother is all that kept me above ground in those days. I worked until I couldn’t see straight saving every dime I could, when I was 27 I opened the door to my first studio with only the last ten bucks I had in my pocket and a dream. 15 years later I sit here and look back, I conventioned all over the country; there were awards, magazine write up and I met so many of my heroes. My shop had several wonderful artists come thru the doors helping create the Heart n Soul Tattoo of today. Through it all my brother, Jake Hunter, was by my side building his own career as a body piercer.

Several years ago, I moved to Texas for my husband and opened a second Heart n Soul Tattoo, leaving the original shop in the hands of my little brother. I started all over again here in the metroplex, an area in which the people didn’t know much about the west coast tattoo scene so it was like being brand new all over again. I had to find my strength my father had given me yet again and put myself into fight mode. I dug in here, I refused to change what kind of tattooer I am and I held true to my belief of my industry, worked hard to produce the best quality I could and within a couple years I was on the top ten lists of the DFW area from the papers here and CBS news along with a few other publications. In the third year my first Texas back piece won 1st place in a national contest. Through the years, I have continued to travel between both shops. My crew has been with me for years, we are like a family, the comradery between us makes me proud and I feel it gives our clients a better environment. 20 years of tattooing, the good, bad and the struggles have made me who I am, I would never given up a second of it. The mentors I’ve had over the years I am forever grateful for and most importantly the loyalty of my clients- all that combined with watching my brother become the best of his trade made all this worth it for me.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Overcoming death in my family at the beginning of my career was the largest hurdle, I found solace in my work and other tattooers I respected took me under their wing as a young tattooer and helped me focus all of the wild emotions into this craft. I also had to choose to leave the first studio I worked at because I realized even though she had taught me the basic tools she was not the kind of tattooer I wanted to be- it was difficult to have to tell the person who opened the door for you that your ideals and values were not the same. My first shop I have to battle the city to get a down town building and the second building the land lord let it go into foreclosure without notifying me so I had to move my entire shop in two weeks- but we are in our forever home now, so it worked out. Moving to Texas was a blow to the system, having such a following in California – it was a humbling experience to start all over, walking myself through it- beyond the doubts and insecurities battling this place until I found my grove. And this last move was a complete battle with the city of Fort Worth to get us into our new home here- the battles make you stronger.

Heart n Soul Tattoo – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Heart n Soul Tattoo does Tattooing, body piercing and permanent makeup. We are a custom shop, between all of us here we offer everything from Portraits to loud color. I personally am known for loud color and detailed work. I am also known for covering breast cancer scars and doing 3D nipples on breast cancer survivors. I am most proud of my crew- they work hard. They uphold my values and beliefs in regards to our industry.

I am proud of them, they all put their best foot forward all the time, I am not an absentee boss I am in the trenches with them, together we make this place what it is. My shop has always been a little bit different- I believe in the traditional roots of tattooing but I also think caring about my clients is extremely important. I am most often told that we care- not just about our work, but about them – their kids, their stories, why they are getting work done. I don’t know how different that is from other shops to be honest, but I know our clients tell me all the time – I get emails where they complement one of the guys and tell me they come back again and again because we make them feel more important than just the money they are spending.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My very first cover in Tattoo Magazine, it was unexpected and didn’t come until I owned my own shop – seeing my last name in print just made me think I put my father’s name into a piece of history and I only hope he would be proud of that.

Contact Info:

• Address: 9108 Camp Bowie Blvd West #410
  Fort Worth, TX 76116
• Website: www.heartansoultattoo.com
• Phone: 817.238.0808
• Email: zoey5150@gmail.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/heartnsoultat2

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.