Meet Emily Medina | Tattooer/Shop Owner & Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Medina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I was 18 when I started tattooing. You can imagine what I was balancing then. To the Grave Tattoo opened in August 2009 and I was expecting my first born by August 2010. As an independent contractor, as most tattooers are, I couldn’t rely on any sort of maternity leave. I had to hussle! I was 9 months pregnant, working 6 days a week noon-10pm. And when I say 10pm, I mean we closed at 10 but I would tattoo until 2am sometimes! August 2015 I gave birth again and decided to leave my heartbreaking marriage. Now I had to balance my career with 2 kids and I had to figure it out on my own.
Within the next few years, I decided to go halfers on a baby with my best friend/manager. THAT was a whole new life change to balance!
Looking back at it, balance is always changing and it does take quite a bit of choosing your battles.
I am looking forward to this next balance change coming! This fall, all 3 of my kids will be in school! While I lose time with them, I’ll gain time for me! But also, seeing my kids less, I’ll be taking more weekends off and transitioning into more of a weekday schedule. Who knows what’s coming next?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Tattooing…has been the most difficult medium I’ve ever learned. I’m not lying when I tell you, in the beginning, I have faked being sick, mid tattoo, because I couldn’t figure out why my machines were f*cking up!! Like, text the manager from the bathroom, ‘wrap them up and reschedule them! Tell ‘um I’m sick!’ Initially, I sucked so bad at tattooing clean lines. So I would avoid linework at all cost! That kind of pushed me into an abstract watercolor style with very loose refinement. As time went on, adding little bits of linework and learning the machines and equipment, my linework improved. Then, would you believe it, people started coming to me because I had such clean linework! Like whaaaat?!
People mainly seek me out for watercolor looking tattoos. So I try really hard to make my watercolor tattoos look like watercolor paintings rather than just blended pigments. Now I add all kinds of lines into my tattoos! So I guess my style has really evolved over time. Using the skills I did have to work for me while I practiced the skills I lacked relentlessly.
I recently spent a chunk of time going to school to gain my estheticians license in pursuit of learning Permanent Makeup. I’ve added that to my menu of services and I do enjoy the change of pace. It feels good to learn something new.
I think it’s important to remain a student. Keep your mind open to trying new things. Avoid being stagnant. Right when you think you know something, the universe has a way of showing you just how much you don’t!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I mean… it really is all about food right? Since my tattoo shop is in the heart of downtown, I’d have to spend some time wandering down Tejon and side streets. Story and Stir are two of my favorites for coffee. The ‘El Toro’ is an experience! I also frequent Bambino’s, Skirted Heifer, T-Byrds Tacos, The Coffee Exchange… it’s impossible to list all my favorites so I hope my bestie is hungry! In between meals and snacks, I’d show them local shopping like Eclectic, Good Eye and Mountain Standard Goods. Of course Manitou needs some time. Maybe if my bestie liked hiking I’d take them up the Incline for views and torture. Garden of the Gods can’t be overlooked and we’d have to eat a donut on top of Pikes Peak.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve had a lot of help along the way!! Family for jumping in to help with my kids. Friends and clients for always talking me up and recommending me to their friends. But my manager/baby-daddy/ husband deserves THE biggest shoutout!! He is so tolerant and forgiving and supportive. He’s always been my biggest fan. He’s always their to pick up my crumbs and remember the passwords.

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