Walking in, you're met with a sterile aroma, the bright light reflecting off the paper white walls that are lined with a variety of art. In the center of the room, a small desk is clean and ready to help whoever wanders into the clear doors. You’re greeted with a smile, even while nerves are running high, it's time to create something beautiful. The paper lifts off the arm leaving a blue design behind in the perfect spot. Laying down on the table covered in a pink plastic material, she brings the buzzing black ink near her client.

 

And at the center of this space is the artist behind it all, Kayla Fuller, 27. She currently works in a shop, Luxury Cult, in Evans, Colorado, as a tattoo artist. She has been at this shop for 2 years since her apprenticeship. Luxury Cult is not just a place for tattoos but an esthetician shop as well. They offer a variety of services such as piercings, tattoos, tattoo removals, and more.

 

Her booth is full of a fun, personal aesthetic. The half wall of her booth is lined with a bunch of crochet plushies gifted from her clients. Hidden among the crochet pets are two taxidermy animals, Gob, a duck, and Shayla, a parakeet. Hung on the walls are past tattoo designs she has created including a wizard chicken which is a crowd favorite among viewers.

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Before Kayla pursued her passion in tattooing, she worked at Safeway in the corporate offices. She loved the business aspect and climbed the ladder quite quickly. 

 

One day, Kayla went to get a tattoo. While she was getting inked, a conversation sparked a major turning point between her and the artist, Mike, about her love for drawing. She wished she could create art more often. Mike then planted an idea in her head about becoming a tattoo artist. She never thought about tattooing before this moment, but seriously thought about it.

 

Kayla explained where her passion for creating art came from. “My kindergarten teacher loved Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger, so I would make her little drawings all the time and she loved them.” 

 

Because of this, Kayla kept creating art. She tried different mediums such as ceramics. It was a fun medium to try but something always drew her back to drawing. 

 

With that idea planted, it didn’t take long for Kayla to begin her apprenticeship with Mike, the tattoo artist that gave her a tattoo and inspired her on this new career path. She quit Safeway, started tattooing, and worked part-time at Dutch Bros in Greeley, Colorado. She said that it was hard to leave Safeway because she did truly enjoy working there, but it was time to try something else.

 

The first day she walked in, her mentor gave her a tattoo gun, a fake skin, and told her to “just go for it.” She grabbed the equipment, and started drawing a design out of her sketch book. “It wasn’t good; that's for sure, but I did it,” shared Kayla.

 

Shortly after this, she gave her first tattoo on a real human skin: her brother. “I gave him a shitty little candle on his knee. I can't believe he still has it because it is not good,” Kayla giggled.

 

Her brother, who is also a tattoo artist, used Kayla as his first canvas. “He gave me a mushroom on my left arm,” she said before she shared that she is in the process of getting it removed.

 

Tattooing so quickly is unusual; most apprenticeships don’t start you on fake skin until months later. When Kayla went to a second apprenticeship to examine more strategies, she was reverted back to the typical way of starting out. She didn’t touch a tattoo gun for many months after that. She even ended up writing an essay for her new mentor about why she wanted to start tattooing.

 

Kayla is driven by the expression and self-love her industry inspires. “I wanted to help make someone feel more confident in themselves and love who they are when they look in the mirror.”

 

She continued to explain that everyone has a certain feeling inside of them when they look at themselves. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. Kayla wants to help inspire and cultivate a caring self image for each person that walks in that door. “Art is healing,” she exclaimed. 

 

Customers are in love with Kayla's work because she puts in time and effort to help create a special design. One of her regular clients, Abby Kelley, explained why she keeps coming back time after time. “I love Kayla. She does amazing work and I wouldn’t want anyone else to tattoo me.” 

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Her clients recall how they met her and why they trust her with their skin. Abby shared that she met Kayla when she got hired at Dutch Bros. “I had barely started at Dutch when Kayla was just leaving to become solely a tattoo artist. I knew of her, so I went, and now we are best friends.”

 

Another one of Kayla's regular clients is Brooke Capuano. They also met working at Dutch Bros. Brooke shared that she had wanted a tattoo for awhile, “she [Kayla] has a lot of passion and professionalism, I knew her personality, so I thought she’d be a great person to get a tattoo from.”

 

As this was Brooke's first tattoo, she had Kayla draw up some ideas. “She gave me a couple options of art she had drawn based on my inspo.” 

 

Brooke now has three tattoos from Kayla. She now has three little bunnies jumping across her mid-arm, and two more tattoos running down her shin; a dragonfly above a beetle.These are all done in a woodblock style which Kayla has grown to love. 

 

The goal is to continue learning and growing as her journey continues. Her brother wants to open up a tattoo shop of his own, hoping that she will come with him. “I’m not sure yet. I love it here and I have learned so much from the other artists that work here. One day maybe.”

 

Kayla's next big step is heading to a tattooing expo in Tulsa, Oklahoma called Homeward Bound, which is held on March 20th to the 22nd. This event includes live tattooing from a wide variety of artists from all over and entertainers that perform live dances. Lots of opportunities and growth are coming in Kayla's future, as she continues creating art that nurtures confidence and inner healing. 

 

Soon enough, another client will lie down on that pink covered table as Kayla lifts the buzzing machine, ready to help someone see themselves a little differently.