Today we’d like to introduce you to Latesha Burnley.
Hi Latesha, 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?
I’m Latesha aka Elle. I am 32 years old, from Pennsylvania. I am mom to a soon to be four year old daughter. Have been tattooing consistently for three years now. Art has always been a passion of mine and I knew from a young age what I wanted to do with my life. I was first introduced to tattoos when I was 10 or 11; my parents took me to a tattoo shop and I watched my dad get tattooed. It was really intense and fascinating. Both of my parents are pretty heavily tattooed and I decided really young that thats where I was going with my art. I completed an apprenticeship in a small city in PA when I was 21. Then moved into another small shop for about six months when life happened and I ended up moving to Colorado. I wasn’t very practiced or confident and I tried with no avail to get into a shop. I just started working odd jobs, cleaning houses, I hosted/served in a few restaurants, trimmed in a warehouse, retail. I still tried to focus on my artwork and I tattooed a little here and there to keep myself involved but was really lacking confidence to start back up again.
After I had my daughter, I decided it was time to get on the ball and make things happen. I def had something to prove, if not to myself then to her. I moved to Texas to be closer to my family and just started my career basically from scratch. I found a street shop that would take me in. This shop didn’t have a good reputation at all, but the owner was genuine. He basically provided me the space and opportunity to build something for myself. I just committed to putting a full effort and staying consistent and eventually, I started seeing progress.
I really made it a point to study, make as much art with my downtime, and learn from everyone around me. That was a really memorable experience and I have so much gratitude to the artists that helped me grow. I started networking and meeting artists from other shops and eventually moved up into other learning environments. Three years later, I’m still pushing and learning. I’ve met so many talented artists and all-around good people along the way. I def have an amazing tattoo family these days and so much support. I am currently tattooing at TNT Tattoo Company in Haltom City, where I live. I am really proud and consider myself really lucky to be here working with such a talented and motivated crew. Enjoying the present and looking forward to the future.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest obstacle was definitely myself. Struggling with confidence and feeling like I spent too much time out of the game or I was too old to start fresh. I was def a roadblock for myself for a few years. Moving to a new state where I didn’t know anyone- other artists, clients, shop owners, no one knew me was def a huge challenge but it really just took patience and consistent effort to change that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I tattoo professionally, I also paint and work with colored pencils a lot for fun. I don’t know exactly how to box my style, I draw everything custom in my own style. I would say I lean towards the neo-traditional/illustrative realm. I like anything with bold lines and bright colors. I love to design bold, colorful flash with lots of sparkles and glitter, love designing lady faces or anything spooky. I’m a bit of a nerd for books and movies so I get really excited about nerdy pop culture pieces as well.
Pricing:
- $100 minimum
- $150/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: LateshaTattoos@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/elle_tattooer
