Today we’d like to introduce you to Aalina Morgen.
Hi Aalina, 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?
After I graduated high school I was in college, studying aviation and aerospace science and working on getting my pilots license in Colorado. When I moved back to Texas I was still working on getting flight time and working as a bartender and that’s when I met my fiancé AJ Brown, who owns Chop Shop Motorsports in Keller. He really pushed me to expand my knowledge and interest in art and tattooing. While it has always been something I have been interested in and dabbling with in school, he really supported me and pushed me to where I could make this small dream a huge reality. He helped me get an apprenticeship that I went through and learned so much from. I learned how to expand my skills and knowledge of tattooing into something that became my career and not just something I do on my free time. After I graduated my apprenticeship, AJ and I wanted to open a studio of our own which is every tattoo artists dream. We put in the time and work and opened up Lifetime Body Art in 2022 and have been rocking it since. We have an amazing team of artists that are just as driven as we are to make the shop a success and clean, fun, and amazing place to be tattooed in and work in. We are so blessed to have a supportive community and clientele that we all call family.
Alright, 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?
I can honestly say that I was afraid at first getting into tattooing as well as opening our own shop. I am so much more confident now than I was in the past. The pressure of being a tattoo artist is that every thing you do is permanent so there is no room for error. That’s why it’s so incredibly important that you learn the right way from people who know what they are doing. The flip side to it though is that it is honestly the most rewarding thing to be trusted by friends, family, and strangers to work on their skin and give them pieces of art that memorialize important things in their lives as well as just artwork that speaks to them personally. Opening and running your own business comes with struggles as well, like making sure every artist is a good fit and shares the same passion for the craft as you do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The best part about my career is the artistic freedom. I can honestly say that I love tattooing any style from color to black and grey. I’d say I love working with color the most though. I think anytime I get an opportunity to add color to a piece I’m pretty excited. I do tend to focus more on the neo-traditional style with most of my custom pieces I put together because the style doesn’t have specific rules in terms of colors, direction, and subject matter. It’s more about putting together a piece of artwork that flows with the specific part of the body. Some of my favorite things to draw are flowers, animals, mandalas, female faces, and geometric style patterns. When I’m not doing new tattoos, I love being challenged with cover up work. It takes a lot more time, but it’s really rewarding being able to completely get rid of and hide an old piece that someone does not resonate with anymore and be able to give them a new positive thing to look at every day.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My biggest advocate and supporter has been my fiancé AJ. He pushed me to further my career in helping me get my apprenticeship with Jack Terrell. He taught me a lot of what I know now that made me a better artist. After my apprenticeship i was welcomed into Mario Padillas shop who is someone that has been tattooing me a lot personally over the years and helped give us pointers on opening Lifetime Body Art. My close family and friends were there helping put in the work to get the shop cleaned up, and set up exactly how we envisioned. My brothers, parents and friends all made the studio a functional place to work like building our piercing booth and other things around the shop. After we officially opened up in May 2022, our first artist, aside from myself, is Kaylee Perry. She has been an amazing employee, artist, and friend over the years. Another loyal artist of ours is Tyler Larson who came from Houston and has been a great addition to our team. Our artists are all driven and passionate about the craft and we love being able to grow as artists and a business together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifetimebodyart/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifetimebodyart/
