Meet Zoë Zahasky

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoë Zahasky. 

Hi Zoë, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, I’m very excited to be a part of this! Thank you for having me. Some little girls wanted to be princesses, some wanted to be doctors. But not me, I wanted to be a tattooer. I’ve always gravitated towards the art world. It’s in my blood. 

I’ve been an artist my whole life. 

I took art classes the second I had the chance. I started in the 6th grade and continued all throughout high school. 

l went to art museums and studied the history of art. I’ve sculpted, painted, sketched, wood burned, and etc. I pushed myself to compete in school and district art shows. 

Tattooing was always on the back of my mind but seemed so out of reach. 

In 2015 I went to cosmetology school. 

Shortly after I realized it wasn’t for me and dropped out. That’s right folks! 

I’m a beauty school dropout! 

I met my husband, Ethan Massey, around that time. We had 2 beautiful girls together. I got a job as a bartender and spent nearly a decade in the business. Still drawing and daydreaming of something else. 

I heard of a tattoo shop opening up in Hurst and was looking for an apprentice. 

I went up to the shop with my portfolio and my crossed my fingers! 

Che Eccles took me on as an apprentice in 2018. My mentor was and still is family. He gave me the chance I needed, and I owe him everything. 

I’ve been tattooing for almost 5 years now! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! I’ve put literal blood, sweat, and tears into this industry. You cannot compare tattooing to any medium. When you first start you think “oh this is gonna be easy” 

You are quickly humbled. There are so many factors in making a good tattoo. 

There’s a reason it’s such a coveted industry. Tattooing is not for the faint of heart. This is a very high-pressure job! You try to use your own creativity while trying to appease your client while maintaining the longevity of the tattoo, and not to mention it’s permanent. Clients can be very particular and see a vision you have to see too. It can be very challenging to make all parties happy. You are not allowed any bad days. One bad day can ruin someone’s day forever. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would say about 90 percent of my clientele is women. Men are welcome! My style is just more on the feminine side. I take pride in creating a very comfortable space for my clients. It’s important to me that my clients can express their ideas and concerns without fear of judgement. This is your tattoo! I want you to feel comfortable telling me you don’t like something. Too often clients, “people please” and say they like something when they don’t just to appease someone else. I strive to make an environment built mutual respect and trust. It makes me so happy to see more heavily tattooed people out there! Especially women! 

I’d say that I specialize in fine-lined pepper shading. I dabble in different styles. I’d say black and grey is what I do most. But I love when a color tattoo walks through the door. Specifically, neotraditional! 

I’ve recently dabbled into animal portraits. Pushing yourself to learn is what makes you a great artist. 

I will never stop learning! 

What matters most to you?
Quality. It’s important to me to have quality in my life and quality in my career. It’s important to me to give my daughters a quality life. I was raised to put 100 percent into everything you do. I put everything into my tattoos. 

Anything worth doing is hard. 

But finding quality in everything you do makes life meaningful. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/ZoeZahasky_Tattoo
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/zahaskytattoo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoe.zahasky?mibextid=LQQJ4d