Meet Kenzie Mayberry | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Kenzie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started tattooing, I was an apprentice at a big shop. When I began my training, I was at the shop for 13-15 hours on some days. I was there six days a week every week, and worked my retail job every Sunday I had off at the shop. I had no work life balance at all. When I left that shop to open my own place, I was worried that running my own business would take up the same amount of my time, or more. After the first month or so with my new license, however, I realized that I had way more freedom than before; I got to make my own schedule and didn’t have to request time off for travel or other events, I could just book around them.
I still have yet to establish a work schedule for myself since I don’t clock in and out of my job. Scheduling appointments, consulting with clients, creating designs and up keeping my studio are all things I do on my own time, and at any time. Often I feel guilty for spending time with my friends when I know I could be drawing or doing something to promote my business. My mind is always on the clock.
I think establishing a time for work and a time for rest is very important for entrepreneurs to prevent burnout. I want to pursue tattooing for as long as I can, and I believe setting that boundary between work and life is what will help me do that. It has been difficult for me to do that so far, especially since hanging out with friends sometimes becomes a tattoo consultation. But I love what I do and I’m so grateful to do it, so right now my job is what I choose to focus on.

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.
For as long as I can remember, art has been my way of expressing myself and dealing with things that are hard to talk about. I have always been a very visual person, and I remember being young with very vivid visions, but my skills could not match the level of detail in my head. I used to get really frustrated because of it. I think that was my first motivator to improve my skills. I wanted people to see what I saw, and because I couldn’t take a picture of what was just in my head, I needed to get better so I could capture it exactly. This is still a huge reason I strive to keep learning and grow as an artist.
I was always in art classes through grade school, and in college for a little while. I remember learning a lot about color theory and form: the basic things everyone remembers from art class. But I never really enjoyed those classes because of the assignments. Still lifes are great practice, but all I wanted was for someone to show me how to draw what was in my head. As I practiced, I was finally able to get some of my visions down on paper, but often I feared they would be disturbing to other people, so I wasn’t really confident in showcasing my art until high school. As a teenager, I struggled with relationships, OCD, and an eating disorder, as I know most teenagers do. But I hated talking about things, I was so embarrassed about not being okay. So I personified my fears and feelings as creatures and drew them. Seeing them outside of my mind somehow helped me deal with them. At some point I think I realized that almost everyone my age was struggling with similar things, but that not all of them could or wanted to express their minds through art. I got over my embarrassment and created an instagram where I posted my first monster. I hoped that those struggling would see that they weren’t alone, and I feel like just seeing a sign that someone else knows what you’re going through eases the weight of not talking about it. I received mixed feedback on that one post, but hearing that just a few people related to my monster really made me want to put more out there.
There are many images I am still nervous to put out there. I feel very vulnerable when I share my art, but it helps when I remember that someone out there might resonate with it, even if it’s just one person.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love Denver, and I especially love the art scene in the RiNo district. I really enjoy walking around and checking out all of the street art. As an artist, it’s really inspiring to see how others express themselves through a medium I’m unfamiliar with, but you don’t have to be an artist to appreciate the wildly unique murals. Some of the art has been up for a long time, and some walls art painted over often. I love seeing what’s new over there. The Denver central market is also in that area, which is a really fun place to take a bunch of people with different tastes, because everyone can get food from different vendors and still eat together.
Another place with those same benefits is the Dairy Block, which is located in LoDo. I love going there because there is a lot to do in and around lower downtown. 16th street mall is nearby too, which has a movie theatre and more great places to shop and eat. 5280 burger and ice cream has been one of my family’s favorites.
Cherry creek is a nice area for shopping and dining. The Hapa Sushi Grill and Sake Bar in cherry creek is one of my favorite restaurants in Denver, and there is another location in downtown that is just as fun. The cherry creek mall has a lot of great stores and is a nice place to spend some money.
I really enjoy supporting local businesses too. Twist and Shout and Wax Trax records are two music stores that I will always spend a lot of time in. Music fans would also appreciate the Blue Bird theatre, which is a rad venue to experience some live music at.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have had so much help and support from so many people to get me where I am today. My friends are all unbelievably generous, and many of them have most of my very first apprentice tattoos. My family has been my support crew from day one of my art journey, but I am going to have to focus this Shoutout on my dad. I cannot express the gratitude I have for his unconditional support and encouragement, not only to pursue this career, but also to be completely authentic while doing it. The day I decided to level up my career and become a licensed independent artist, he helped me pack up and move out of the shop I apprenticed at. He found a place we could rent together, and that we could renovate to fit my needs. He has been beyond generous in helping me through my first months of running this business. I owe him everything, and I know I wouldn’t have made it without him.

Website: https://maybeink.com

Instagram: tattoomemaybe

Other: https://maybeink.threadless.com/

Image Credits
Jimmy Bowron